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Nov 29, 2006, 01:51
Streaking And Keeping Pace
By Tovash Hatcher
SpursZONE.com
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"We have to defend our home court", "we just have to keep winning", "we have to get on the same page", or my personal favorite "one game at a time" are all clichés from the NBA Handbook on how to address the media with general answers. But how true are those comments? I would love to hear an athlete actually speak his mind when the microphone is in his face. Like "we are a damn good team and nobody can stop us" or "we are just the suckiest bunch of sucks that have ever sucked". That last line was brought to you by Homer Simpson. Teams have played right around 15 games so far this season and many of the "good teams" of the league are trying to keep pace with other teams that are supposed to be not that good.
Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton and Karl Malone are leading the Utah Jazz to the best record in the Western Conference this season. Malone is grabbing rebound after rebound and… wait a minute, did I just mention Malone, Hornacek, and Stockton? You mean the Utah Jazz are actually good without those guys? With a 12-3 record, I only know of one other team that is hot right now. We'll discuss them later. I even dare you to name another team that’s even that good. And the scary part is that the Jazz have dropped the last two games. Utah is getting it done with teamwork and hustle. Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Andrei Kirilenko are carrying this team at the offensive end. The team scores 104 points per contest and they are giving up less than 100 points per game. With a healthy Kirilenko, the Jazz will be forced to be a defensive team because he makes plays on the defensive side of the ball that jump-starts the offense. The name of the game is streaks and even though the Jazz are losers of their last two, they have put together two decent streaks to give them the brag-able league's best record.
The Orlando Magic is a good team?? Who would have thought that the three teams in the league who's names do not end in the letter "S" would be on top of the NBA? The Heat are the champions from last season, the Jazz are smoking, and the Magic have been pulling rabbits out of the hats for the past three weeks. Dwight Howard is probably the most underrated player in the league and is silently putting up all-star type numbers. Howard is also carrying the Magic which currently is the beast of the east. Not only that, but the Magic are fun to watch! Fast breaks, alley hoops, and block shots galore have people starting to tune in to the so-called weak Eastern Conference. And I'm one of them who still think the East is weak. And if you're in the Eastern Conference with an 11-4 record, that means you are doing your job. Oh, and for the record, the Magic did beat the Jazz last night 88-75.
Spurs fans, I know that you don’t like the Dallas Mavericks. I know there is a bit of history between the two teams that is a little nasty. I know Jason Terry was trying to hit Michael Finley in his face but missed like a Mike Vanderjagt kick. And every time the Spurs go to play in Dallas, the fans give them a tongue lashing like no other. Let's face it, this has evolved to a classic rivalry…watered down, but still a rivalry. When these two teams meet, I cannot help but to feel like I'm watching a game 7. But lately the Mavs have had a little luck on their side. While being winners of 10 straight, Dallas is all about the streak as well. They broke into the season with a loss to San Antonio and then followed up with 3 more losses to the Rockets, Warriors, and Clippers. Since then they have snowballed into a winning machine. Many Mavericks fans in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area were ready to jump off the ledge and commit Maverick suicide. Now you should come out to Dallas with me and get a look at the many Nowitzki jerseys floating around the city. Even some churches are declaring some Sundays as "Maverick Day". That was only a joke but it’s funny how the complexity of a team can change with a winning streak. And it’s a heck of a streak as well.
Here's something to get the Spurs fans a little excited, but wouldn’t it be nice if the Mavericks kept the winning streak in tact when they played the Spurs again? I will take the batteries out of my remote control for that game. These two teams will not meet again until January 5.
The Mavericks, Jazz, Magic, and even the Pistons are currently setting the pace in their conferences. They are staying fresh and are beating teams with defense. Those teams are also forcing the issue with the rest of the teams in the league. But can they continue to deliver the W's for the next couple of weeks?
I'm Tovash Hatcher
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