Hey, Spurs Fans...

This is a special feature from guest blogger Christopher Sells.

Being a fan of the Rockets, I’ve had to learn how to watch playoff basketball objectively. This is because my team will probably not be in the second round. This has been true for the last ten years. As such, I’ve had a lot of practice watching without picking sides.

With that being said, I really want the San Antonio Spurs to lose.

To be clear, I actually don’t mind the team itself. I appreciate Tim Duncan’s so-called “boring,” but incredibly efficient game. I really admire Tony Parker’s ability to get to the rim almost at will and to push the ball up the court at breakneck speed and create for his teammates. While Manu Ginobili flops too much for my tastes, he’s crafty with the ball, hits big shots and gives all-out effort any time he’s on the floor. Also, despite everyone in the building knowing that he is going to go left, he still is able to go left. I like the team’s defense, their ball movement and their selflessness.

But I can’t stand their fans. And the sooner the Spurs lose, the sooner I can be spared their fans’ incessant fellating of the team.

Quick geography lesson: I live in Austin, which is about an hour north of San Antonio. Being so close to the city, everyone seems to adore the Spurs. They have insignias on their rear windows, flags on their cars, T-shirts, jerseys, hats, you name it, all declaring their undying love for the team. This is not the problem. I admire their loyalty, actually. It’s nice to see fans get behind their team like that, win or lose.

The problem is that these fans lack any sort of rational objectivity. It’s a peeve of mine that I’ve addressed in past writings. In the eyes of their fans, the Spurs can do no wrong. If you ask one of them, the team has never committed a foul, doesn’t whine, gets cheated by the league, doesn’t travel, is never outplayed, etc. It’s infuriating.

Guess what Spurs fan? Manu, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto flop. A lot. Bowen is probably a dirty player. There’s enough video floating around YouTube to make a strong argument. Your team whines way too much. Are we to believe that the Spurs have somehow achieved perfection and are justified in their complaints every time the whistle blows against them? Parker is not fouled every time he drives to the basket. Sometimes he’s out of control or he jumps into other players. And that three that Duncan hit to tie the game against the Suns in the first round? He traveled. Watch the video. That is a lesson in how not to set your feet. 

Despite their shortcomings—and every team has them, by the way—the Spurs have proven themselves to be very involved in their community, doing lots of positive things in San Antonio and even in Austin. Their performance on the court cannot be questioned, evidenced by their four titles in nine years. I read all the time about the family atmosphere the team employs and the unselfishness that has enabled them to build their dynasty.

I actually want this to make its way to some Spurs fans because I want to test a theory. Despite me saying that I respect the team and the way they play, I’ll get called a Spurs hater. Because any time you’re not praising the team, you’re apparently wrong. So let’s hear it, Spurs Fan. I’m ready for it.

In fact, let me say this in closing: GO HORNETS GO. And thanks for Luis Scola.

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