SB Nation User Blog: SgtinManusArmy

Manu having surgery

SgtinManusArmy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:05:42 -0000

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8502882?MSNHPHMA

So that's happening. Awesome. So much for the pipe dream that rehab and rest were all that is needed. No speculation about how long he'll be down, but ankle operations are not, in my experience, quick and painless procedures.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you, sweet prince.

wordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswords

This word limit is really freakin ridiculous. That's my two cents. And 18 more words, suck that SB Nation.

PtR - All-time great Quotes

SgtinManusArmy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:39:02 -0000

So I realized the other day, we've talked about a database for vintage PtR quotes for some time and haven't acted on it. There have been some gems over the years, and there needs to be somewhere to store all of this brilliance. And I'm not talking about how funny it was that time you told the other guy that he had a little weiner; I'm talking about classic statements that carry through a lifetime uttered by PtRers or those affiliated. The quotes that you find yourself stealing and wowing people with the day after games. Many times, the quotes taken and posted on avitars. The insults, the analogies, the comparisons, the descriptions that made us who we are and formed us as the best NBA blog going. It's time to share our wisdom, while at the same time providing a quick and easy access for laughs and cheers.

Post away those that you remember. And if it gets to be as good a resource as dreamed, don't forget to 'rec' the post so that it's easier to hang onto. CMoney and I will be doing exhaustive research over the next week or so (slogging through old posts and game threads) to identify some, but add on all that you know of that impacted you.

And it must be a gem. Post a squeaker and it'll follow you for ages. We're not talking about "Robert Horry" level quotes that are disputable as HOF quotes. We're talking the "Timmys" here, people.

It's not over...

SgtinManusArmy — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:17:16 -0000

Lots of national commentators are already swinging over to the SPURS, and virtually declaring the series over. "Nooch is demoralized," "Nooch is lost and confused," "San Antonio has figured Nooch out."

I still believe we're taking the series and have more control and favorability now than any stats or numbers would suggest, but this article definately is eye-opening. It's certainly not over. Nooch is a talented team, and capable of easily blowing us out in New Orleans. Tonight's game will be very, very difficult and we'll be fortunate to escape with a W. It's likely that tonight's winner wins the series.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=SpursHornets_080513

BRING ON THE NOOCH

SgtinManusArmy — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:06:53 -0000

There's been so much said about the phx series, and rightly so. It will go down as one of my favorite SPURS playoff series' of all time and I think it represented more than just a first round victory (as someone else already elaborated on). It was rewarding on so many levels, and vindicative as well. I will continue to relive this series for quite some time, watching videos and rereading posts and write-ups. And I definately can't wait for Stampler's recap of Game 5 and of the entire series. Pure beauty, beating those guys that are so cannonized by the media in only 5 games.

But.... the celebration is over.

For now, I think it's time to move ahead. One of my favorite qualities of the Tim Duncan era has always been the professionalism and poise in moving towards the final goal. I love that even announcers always notice that the SPURS don't celebrate or even overly show emotion after getting through an opponent in a round of the playoffs. I love seeing most other teams dogpile each other and break into tears and high-fives after winning a series, while the SPURS show little regard to winning "battles." We've always seemed to recognize that the goal is to win the war. The goal is a championship, and until that is achieved, we're consistantly moving forward and looking to tomorrow. Let phx and it's blog pontificate on the merits of the SPURS/suns series; we're already down the road. It's not like we're all going crazy or celebrating TOO much already, I just think it's time we looked ahead and ended our relief at getting through the suns. Our next opponent will present many new challenges and tests, and we're more than ready for the match-up. This week has been awesome as a SPURS fan, and next week will be awesome too. Congrats fellow SPURS worshippers, but now it's time to prepare....

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/playoffs_2008.html

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.050108.bkn_Spurs_off_day.EN.3c40c50.html

Bring on the New Orleans Hornets!!! I'm going out right now and saying SPURS in 5. Ballsy, but I have very high confidence right now that we're stopping CP3 and we're using our experience and superior coaching to blow through this young upstart. If we execute properly and play our game, there's no reason to think that we'll go 7 as some "experts" have already decided. Our playoff defense and focus is something this team has yet to experience; and as I've said before, I don't see anyone beating Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Pop 4 out of 7 games right now.

GO SPURS GO

phx is a miserable place to lose...

SgtinManusArmy — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:56:55 -0000

This is exactly why I love the SPURS and love PtR-

No one is panicking, not even the clingers from SpursTalk. No one is jumping from the bridge at the new hope and belief we gave phx today. No one is seemingly even remotely concerned. And rightly so.

Holy mouse fart. Yep, being there was bad. And I literally had the biggest phx sun douchebag fan and his girlfriend sitting behind us. It took everything I had for my head not to explode. There is no doubt in my mind now that they have the worst, most poorly educated, most minimally possessing of basketball knowledge, most arrogant and hypocritical fans in the league. EVERY play, EVERY call against the suns..... it's didn't matter, they were bitching. I mean literally the whole arena, but especially Captain Douchbag in 105/25/7. Snaq literally could have performed a flying elbow to Timmy's collarbone from a chair, gotten a whistle, and these people would have booed the poor officiating. It was astounding.

I hate even mentioning the officials. I hate it being a topic of discussion. I hate the mere thought that the officials or league may have had some influence in a game. Though I know it happens, I choose to win AND lose on the court, not any other way. Teams lose games, and there's no way around that. But that said, what you saw and suspected was 10x worse in person. You have no idea. I actually turned to my dad 4:00 into the game and said, "This is already over, we don't have a chance in this one." The league doesn't want sweeps, especially over 'golden boy' teams. We'll just leave it at that.

We lost the game on our own, by being completely inept at, well, basketball. This was finally our bitch game, and we all knew it was coming. We ALWAYS have this game, the one in which we should win but no one shows up, we don't get calls like the home team and the homers play lights out. I pined optimistic in my post guaranteeing victory, but we all deep down knew we likely hadn't dodged the bitch game. How foolish me was to feel so confident. The simple fact was- snaq and stevie are a proud bunch, and never going to allow getting swept in their gym. Didn't matter how well we played, it wasn't going to happen. Just so happens that we obliged them perfectly by completely choking today.

I don't even want to talk about the game or think about it anymore. I don't want to ponder how we didn't attempt to draw enough contact, or Tony overcommitted on drives too frequently, or Manu didn't fight through double teams, or we neglected their P&R, or our off-ball movement was poor. I took great pics for PtR- empty rafters at the arena for us to giggle at, an extra close-up of Manu's bald spot, me hugging Peter Holt and handing him a dollar, the suns new slogan of "Do you believe in miracles?," Roho sitting on the bench during shoot around just watching the rest of the team warm up, etc. But (and it helps not knowing how to post them, thanks again Matthew) I'm not even putting them up. This game is over and in the books, and not something I want to relive. We sucked complete ass, and they outplayed us in every category except looking tired. They deserved the win, and we'll all let them enjoy their sweet, cute and special moment (my exact words to Captain Douchbag when leaving the section). Tuesday, and I don't feel I'm risking much to say this, will be a bloodbath, gentlemen.

It was a terrible feeling leaving the arena after this game, but after about 10 minutes I lost the rage and disappointment. Think back to.....well, every year in the playoffs. This bitch game happens, the other team plays it's cards (exposes it's own adjustments/changes), Pop and team takes vigorous notes and feigns doubt and death, and comes back to serve the opposing team it's ass. Phx is back to feeling a seed of hope this afternoon, and starting to believe a little. Their confidence is high, and D'oh is feeding this as we speak. Meanwhile, Pop is playing the psychological game and playing it well.

I looked again at my dad after halftime and said, "The guys are coming out if this doesn't change inside of 3 minutes." Sure enough, they never returned. Actually a brilliant plan, in my opinion. We weren't shooting well while they were, and we clearly didn't have a prayer in this game from the first quarter onward. Pop recognized that there was still a victory we could gain today, and he got that. Somebody said it in the thread, but you ever notice how there's some games in which the officiating is just as poor or worse than others and Pop doesn't move, but in these others he argues relentlessly and possibly even gets tossed? These quiet games are coincidentally the playoff "bitch games." Pop understands that the entire series is one big game, and no one's better at playing it. Don't worry about 1 W, when you'll have your W soon enough. Learn the enemy well, and exploit his weaknesses to no end in your eventual victory. I've said it before, but it truly is the difference between chess and checkers. No one but SPURS fans actually see this; certainly no one in the arena today did. D'oh and his entire kingdom play: your move, my move, your move, my move, your move, my move. Many battles are won this way, but never the war. Today for example, D'oh feels victory and even attempts to make a last minute stand of pride by getting tossed, and plays all his cards to the end. Their team feels a little hope return, and their fans are lulled into believing that the problems (confusion on offense, no defensive presence, no killer instinct, no bench play) once huge, have all now miraculously been corrected. It's a myth. We gave them nothing, saved our energy, and now will completely understand their system even better on Tuesday. AND we're angry and suddenly aggressive. I cannot see an already pissed off Timmy and Manu allowing another to escape. Add Pop and Tony to that, and I wouldn't be surprised to see us completely annihilate phx on Tuesday. They will again have that amazingly confused look on their faces after the series, as though they'd again been ambushed or cheated from something; when they'd simply been played the entire time. I'm sticking with that, and I'm confident. We still own this series and there's no reason to be concerned. It's funny how all SPURS fans actually already know that. I'm thankful to be a SPURS fan. Today sucked, and we'll move onward. It was something we all truthfully expected, and that eases the frustration.

PS- Another great thing about being a SPURS fan in a hostile playoff environment, after the game we were all walking out and a bunch of SPURS fans ended up walking near each other. Blacks, whites, browns, fats, hot chicks, drunks, a hodgepodge or cross section, if you will, of our culture. There really wasn't even a 'leader' amoung all the strangers, but for some reason we all started shouting at each other and ended up 15-20 people standing in the corridors of the USAir Arena after getting our asses kicked, laughing and taking group pictures. I've never seen and will never again see these folks. We're all different, but we're all SPURS fans and thus family. And you know what? Not one person was doing anything but smiling and laughing. And it wasn't the alcohol. All SPURS fans understand what it takes to be champions, and we know that days like today are necessary for days like Tuesday. GO SPURS GO...

Have a great end to the weekend...

PSS- We gotta get this new format to where it works on PDAs. I don't know enough to describe what needs to be done or how it's not working; I just know that even though it was sometimes difficult, under the last format I could post from my phone. Sitting courtside chatting with Schoenig and hearing cool tidbits, I tried to post on the thread but it was crazy impossible. Can this even be done?! It would definately be cool to have for any of us AT the games.

Thoughts for your evening cup of tea... from PHX

SgtinManusArmy — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:33:08 -0000

Well PTR, here I am in phx, the land of the sun and many pools and today..... broken dreams. Full of such enormous joy that I could hug each of you. (Wait...that was weird. Scratch that. I'll buy you a beer instead of the awkward man-hug. Let's just say I'm really happy to be in phx with what our team is doing.) Came in for Game 4 and honestly never saw Game 3 coming. I never imagined it would go and end the way it did. We typically (read: always) lay eggs/throw up bitch games/forget to get off the plane in Game 3s of the playoffs. It's not as typical as Game 1 losses, but still seemingly so typical that we SPURS fans have come to accept it. I wasn't the only one proclaiming a loss in Game 3, and I definately wasn't the only one surprised that we not only won, but blew them out of the gym. There were at least 12K phx fans utterly stunned at last night. So much so that the 'pride of the valley' was being booed from the 3rd quarter until......until.....well, it actually hasn't yet stopped here.

Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, compares with sitting in a sports bar in phx overhearing talk of "dirty" and "crooked" and "fixed" and "cowardly," and then seeing our boys play their best game of the season. Call me a cynic for expecting now that Game 4 must be destined for our choker game; but none-the-less. Seeing faces once filled with rage and passion as they accused us of whining and playing dirty now downcast and speechless.....was.....breathtaking. There's really nothing like it, and if you ever have a chance to intermingle with the enemy and potentially see the embarassment in them after a game like this, DO IT. It's actually been more satisfying for me beating these guys than it would be beating dallas or LA, and being in the midst of these fans makes it so much sweeter. 1.) These guys are infiniately better than the mavwrecks, who are still on the playoff bubble in my mind anyway. 2.) The fans of the suns are a much more special breed. I hate dallas, don't get me wrong, but at least their whining is only for a time. They play us well and usually take responsibility for their own shortcomings when it leads to a loss to the SPURS. From the constant one-ups of 'we're the better team' dating to years back, to the embarassing coaching display that D'oh always seems to top year after year, to the ever present sense of entitlement that each of their fans has; these guys are just REALLY rewarding to beat. Fortunately this year, we're not just beating them. We're completely owning and destroying them.

I've never been more excited about attending a playoff game before, and I can't wait to share the experiences afterwards. For now though, here's some funny tidbits about what's happening in arizona right now-

-Getting into town and to the bar, there's a definate palpable energy in town. phx is going to win tonight. They're going to win Sunday. They're going to take back this series and make history. There's no doubt, since last year's championship was stolen from them (you guys remember that?), it's destiny for this year to pan out. There's no doubt amoung the orange, everyone's excited and full of hope. I'm reminded of what it must have looked like to a bystander standing on the deck of the Titanic, watching people dance and listening to laughter and music.

-If I had a nickel for every person I heard say, "The SPURS are so dirty. They don't deserve to win anything," I'd have a shitload of nickels. And it's only the first quarter. Suddenly, upon collectively realizing that our point guard can ALSO be pretty good, the amount of drinks sold increases substantially. I'm settling back into my chair now, and refusing to remove my SPURS hat and monogrammed SPURS shirt. People aren't talking as much jive anymore.

-I had removed my hat and covered up the shirt somewhat, and was talking to a bartender, who wasn't aware that I was a SA fan. "We never should have gotten shaq, turns out everyone doubting the deal was right all along. How could we not see that he would literally kill us in the playoffs? I can't believe what's happening." Seriously. I've never in my life struggled so much stiffling laughter. Really?? You think that trading away your best defender and best full-court offensive threat for an over-the-hill foul machine that can't play more than 15 minutes a night was a bad idea?! Still??

-Some great media quotes from arizona-

"Of course, it's not impossible to come all the way back, even though the Suns had never lost three consecutive games during the regular season, and even though no team in NBA playoff history has recovered from an 0-3 deficit. But you'd have a hard time finding believers in this team now, including the guys who wear the uniform." This one makes me happy. Really happy. It's very obvious here that the heart of this team is dead and will not be revived. If we shoot over 25% in Game 4, there should be no reason it won't be a sweep. The entire area along with this team has been demoralized to the point of writing off this season.
(about Coach D'oh and his choice of words) "This time, it was his pregame assessment that his team's defense was not the problem. Instead, he claimed it was his offense that needed liberating, that his team needed to get out and run the floor and play loose. Alas, that team died a long time ago." D'ohs on the hotseat now, gents. This meltdown is being completely blamed on him, and I don't entirely disagree with that. But I do think it's astounding that perhaps shaq's most unappreciated ability is his knack for deflecting/avoiding blame. We'll see what he has to say after the series though.
(continuing jollyroger's great post about reporters attempting to generate copy by interviewing SPURS, and when Pop was asked about phx feeling the heat before Game 2's tipoff) "Your characterization is relatively inflammatory and I don't think anybody is desperate." Again, check.....and.....mate. No time for media games, zona, we're on the road to a championship and can't exit right now.

Tomorrow's game will be fun to watch as a SPURS fan. I've been to many playoff games and never been in an environment of such despair and hopelessness. It starts at the top, includes the team, and resonates even through the city. There is literally NO fight left in this team and we have them down. It's time to put the foot down on their necks and leave no window of hope or belief. I have no doubt that they will be psyched up for Game 4 and come out strong, as a matter of pride if anything; but if we can keep our composure, continue to play 48 minutes of strong defense, and get even a modest production from our bench..... we'll be resting for the next few days waiting for New Orleans. I know I seem possibly overly optimistic, but the spirit here is heavy and overwhelmed..... and we have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and a quick little French guy. We're not losing Game 4.

I'll be up behind the SPURS bench near the media area, wearing either a home Bowen jersey or an Argentina Manu jersey, so look for me. I'll also be smiling rather annoyingly. I'll post pictures after the game (little kids crying, men and women cursing and frowning, stevie's window shutting a little more, etc.) if someone teaches me how.

P.S. Reading back through this, it actually appears quite mean and vindictive. Late last night after reading the thread, I started to feel a little bad for this cute little team, and their fruitless efforts. Let me say that I actually felt just a little bad about my pride and my insensitivity.... until today. I picked up my tickets from a season ticket holder, and had to hide the fact that I was a SPURS fan. I didn't deny SA or profess love to phx, but certainly didn't volunteer details. Thought it might be fun to break into the circle of trust that these nitwits have. That, and I was scared he might back out upon realizing that I am a fan of the NBA Champions. Without even prompting, it's amazing how these fans will immediately launch into an excuse-ridden rant about the reasons for their failures- dirty SPURS, bad officials, league conspiracies, global warming. All of this while selling out the tickets to the game in which they are MOST needed because of their disappointment. Nodding and smiling sheepishly, my small feelings of sorrow and pity for this team left. If you are feeling the same for some reason- kinda bad for how awful we're making them look and kinda bad that one of their "good guy" players is missing out...... don't. I've decided this trip that I hate phx fans more than any other (and that's truly saying something with dallas and denver and detroit vying for the title), and that the sorrow and heartache they're feeling now is sweet justice for a lifetime of constant whining, moaning, dodging responsibility, and playing bandwagon media-friendly basketball. There's a special place in hell reserved for arrogent pricks like snaq and D'oh, and they're entering it now. Nothing should give us greater joy than sweeping the dreams of millions of suns fans out the quickly closing window of stevie's career. If you still struggle, think of the dozens of people already today that I've talked to, that immediately reminded me how we stole the Championship from them last year and reminded me that they were the true champions.

It doesn't get much sweeter to be a SPURS fan in the playoffs. Sorry if I rambled or didn't make sense in spots and that it was Stampler-long. I'm not proofing because it's so damn lengthy. See ya'll tomorrow....

GO SPURS GO

Dear phx and followers:

SgtinManusArmy — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:57:31 -0000

Dear phx-

Thanks for your stay in San Antonio, it was fun and we only hope that you enjoyed your stay since you may not be coming back until next year.

As a basketball fan, I've taken the liberty of analyzing Tuesday night's game in the hopes of helping you to craft new excuses unheard of yet (tremendously difficult since you've pretty much exhausted every theory) that will explain your utter collapse. Also I'm doing this because I want to pre-empt any verbal irresponsibility or psychological ploy involving the media. I know what it's like (not really, but let's pretend for rhetorical sake) to consistantly get owned by another team, and I want to help you to rationalize this loss and move forward. Here are some possible excuses I came up with for you to use to take away from the obvious superiority of the other team, and to use to attempt to regain some confidence:

"The officials gave the game to San Antonio." Uh, not so much. It actually appeared to be a very balanced officiating crew behind F'n Bavetta, and the calls were evenly spaced phx 29 - SPURS 25. Plus, everyone's already heard that one.
"The floppers on the SPURS determined the outcome of the game, and influenced the refs." Yeah, again, not so much. Watching this game it was impossible not to notice the way little stevie flew across the floor with so little as a slight breeze in the AT&T Center. It's gonna be hard to sell that when Kurt Thomas was the only foul out and the suns' perimeter guards were the only ones flailing to the hardwood.
"San Antonio played so dirty, and it was hard to uphold a lead AND our character." That was actually viable until Tony took one of shaq's 250lb. hamhocks to the ribs. No, I'm kidding. It was never viable. No blood was drawn and your trainer didn't have to unpack any ointment. There were no questionable plays, and no blatant physical bullying by the SPURS.
"We struggled with injuries." Since Grant Hill is not exactly considered a 'lock-down defender,' this excuse doesn't really work either. Barbosa fills Hill's spot better than Hill, and as a result eliminates this excuse from your Rolodex as well.
"We were just so worn out from Game 1, that it was hard to play 48 minutes." See those other guys, on that other bench? They have a collective age of 7429 years. Some of their guys actually walked with Christ. Others were there when bread was first sliced. They had the same time off you did.
"We struggled with foul trouble all game and couldn't stay on the floor." This game, much to the dismay of some of us (mainly just me), Pop didn't take it straight at you as much. The paint scoring was mainly dominated by layups, and we leaned on the jumper for the other points. As proof of this, Tim Duncan had an 'average' night. Instead of drawing fouls, we simply ran around you and by you and under you. Your bigs finished with 7 fouls only on the game. The main reason for shaq's frequent trips to the bench were for oxygen and a chicken wing, not because of foul trouble. Your problem was that your golden boy STAT couldn't find the rim in the 3rd.
"They only did what they were supposed to do. A series doesn't begin until a road team wins a game." Fair enough, but do you also know that 94% of the teams leading 2-0 in a 7 game series go on to win the series? Do you also know that you now have to beat the defending NBA champions 4 out of 5 games, with 2 of those games back in San Antonio? They definately did what they were supposed to do, but you were also supposed to be better and ready to beat this old San Antonio team.

This is a really tough process, dodging accountability for losing! I don't know how you guys consistantly and unflinching do it after every failure! Let me know if I'm missing something, cause I can't think of anything else. I'm sure you'll step up and find something as you can always be counted on to do; I just hope that something is new and fresh, because we're all getting really bored with your same old excuses.

Again, thanks for visiting, and we'll see you this weekend.

-The San Antonio SPURS and fans