T-Wils' first post

By Tyler Wilson

This is my first post on this blog, and as probably anticipated by fellow blogger Chris Hanneke, my first blog is going to mention the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, I am a native of San Antonio and a die hard Spurs fan, but I am no bandwagon fan. I stay true to my team in spite of all the critics out there saying they are too old, too slow, or whatever. But I'm not going to try and defend them with my hometown bias either. I'm going to say it as it is. This year they did not have the depth like they have had in the past. Just like I stay true to the Spurs, I will also stay true to myself and my opinion, which is exactly what my portion of the blog is going to feature. The sports world in the eyes of T-Wils, but not AS biased as Chris might like to think it is.

As a Spurs fan, this year's NBA Finals is like watching Freddie vs. Jason. Who is the lesser of two evils? It is an extremely tough choice for all Spurs fans, as well as for myself. I find myself watching the finals in limbo, kind of like Leo in Inception (this is for you, Chris). But the more and more I watch, the more and more I have become drawn to the Mavericks (In Spurs country, this is the equivalent of a Yankees' fan rooting for the Red Sox). But let me explain my reasoning.

First of all, Dirk Nowitzki is one of the greatest basketball players I have ever seen. The way he elevates over defenders to shoot and the way he has been able to dominate at will in the 4th quarter has been phenomenal. Dirk does not feed off the haughty Mark Cuban and arrogant sixth man, Jason Terry. He is on a mission. He wants that ring, and I have to respect him for that. Even though he ruined the Spurs' chance at a 3-peat in 2006 when he made a 3-point play to tie Game 7 of what John Hollinger rated the No. 3 best playoff series of all time, I find myself rooting for HIM. Not the Mavs, but Dirk.

Secondly, the arrogance of Miami's big-3 gets on my nerves. Especially Lebron James. From the post-Decision party (Our hero mentions this numerous times in his columns) to Lebron throwing up powder before every game to him and D-Wade mocking Dirk for being sick. Everything about this team annoys me. They are the basketball equivalent of the Yankees. And I hate the Yankees. Eventually, the Heat will be winning championships like the Yankees, so why not let Dallas have their glory?

But no matter how much glory Dallas will receive from winning the championship, the Spurs will always have the upper-hand in this rivalry. Just look at the rafters of each arena. I like Dirk as a player and as a person, and even though I hate all the other Mavs, I can go in peace knowing that someone who truly deserved the championship won.

Going back to Lebron, I completely agree with everything Chris mentioned in his previous blog. His blog made me think of an article by Jemele Hill I read about Shaq right after he retired entitled, "Why isn't Shaq the G.O.A.T." She stated that Shaq could have been just as good as Jordan if he would have worked harder to get his body into shape and took the game more seriously. But if he did take basketball more seriously, who would have liked him as a person? Shaq is one of the most likable guys in all of sports, and it's all because he did not take life too seriously.

It is the little things in life that one must enjoy, and Shaq knew how to do that. I can say the same thing. I know I could be doing better in school, but I would rather go out with my friends or watch that movie or be with my girlfriend than be studying 24/7. If you were to study 24/7, wouldn't you get tired?

This is the same reasoning I look at when I look at Lebron. He is in the limelight 24/7. Do you think he's tired? I do. He is expected to win all the time because of his superb talent. This is unrealistic, especially for Lebron, who obviously does not have that killer instinct. Lebron is just along for the ride, and he seems to be throughly enjoying it. He is living the dream. With his talent, would you work hard? Or would you become complacent? Try and look at it from his perspective, because we can all say that if we were in his shoes that we would beat the shit out of the Mavs. But would you really? Or would you just be along to enjoy the ride. After all, he took his talents to South Beach, not his determination and will.