It’s been 97 days since Game 6, that cruel evening in June which stole the summer spirit away from many a die-hard Spurs fan. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green carried on, joining Nevil Shed to share their skills with San Antonio’s next generation of ballers at basketball camp. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw completed a decade long journey on Sunday, bringing France their first-ever major basketball championship via the EuroBasket title. Even Coach Pop is on the road to finally getting over himself courtesy of his daughter Jill’s sagely advice.
With training camp right around the corner and optimism shifting gears, a friendly reminder that this isn’t Milwaukee and we aren’t rooting for the Bucks arrived on Monday from Disney’s worldwide leader. ESPN the Magazine’s Annual Ultimate Standings survey was once again quite friendly to San Antonio, ranking the Spurs as the second best franchise in pro sports. The Spurs are the only franchise to rank in the top ten every year in the ten-year history of the survey, which measures everything from ownership and coaching to stadium experience and “bang for the buck.”
While the Memphis Grizzlies took the survey’s top spot, one can only imagine how much higher the Spurs would rank by simply employing a proficient DJ who wasn’t blaring canned arena rock during every timeout. Today comes word that the league itself is stepping in to bolster fan relations through nickname jerseys, which will initially be worn by the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets. While the thought of Ray Allen draining threes in a Jesus Shuttlesworth jersey is equally nostalgic and revolting, coming up with nicknames for Nando de Colo is a comfortable escape between now and opening tip.
