Michael Joseph

11–5–14

The San Antonio Spurs. It is hard for me to think about them for an extended period of time because I get so jazzed.

The Spurs represent everything people love about sports: class, and perseverance.

Class: Lead by head coach Gregg Popovich, the spurs have defined the true meaning of the word “Team.” Each night they go out there having one common goal: win. Nobody, even the best players, are worried about raising their stats. All of the players are selfless. As coach Pop once said, “Our organization picks players that have gotten over themselves.” This means that the players the Spurs choose to be on there team have no ego. This is what makes the spurs so special, because you will never find a sports team where every single player has no ego. The big three, Manu, Tim, and Tony have kept this mentality their whole careers which is why they are the most successful sports team of the decade. This makes the Spurs an anomaly.

Perserverance: “When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.” (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/coach-pop-pounding-the-rock-jacob-riis-spurs)

After an extended period of time of working at something, one will eventually reach their goal. The spurs have adopted this quote and ideology. This is the driving force behind the dedication and hard work they put in. If you are a fan of the sports at all, you will know that the Spurs lost to the Heat in the 2013 championship in game 7. After the most heartbreaking game 6 loss in sports history. But then in 2014, defying all odds, won the championship. They did this with old age, injuries, and exhaust from the previous season. Everyone had counted them out, even I thought Timmy would never see his fifth ring. It just looked impossible to make another run after losing to Lebron.

Though the Spurs don’t receive much publicity because they don’t slam dunk, celebrate after making a shot, or say obscene things in post game interviews, in my eyes this makes them great. They don’t call for attention. All they want to do is be successful and bring happiness to their fans.