2014 NBA Champions by Dennis Lange

……2014 NBA Champions

Few thought the Spurs would win at all –
…The Heat shone like the sun,
Bright stars in their own galaxy
…For third straight title run.

Yet win Spurs did, and win in five –
…One loss by only two,
While rolling over Miami
…Like day devours dew.

Each victory brought lavish praise,
…An unabashed awe
Of how precise their ballet was,
…How few the selfish flaw.

They cut; they passed; they slashed; they drove;
…They stole the ball and ran.
They rained down threes, and now they reign,
…The fifth time in their span.

Ginobili, Baynes, and Diaw,
…And Belinelli, Green,
A Joseph, Ayres, and Splitter, too –
…A basketball machine.

Add Parker, Duncan, Bonner, Mills,
…And Leonard – MVP.
Their bench was deepest in the league
…Like trenches in the sea.

With Popovich, the coaching crew,
…And Buford, the exec,
They took unfinished business
…And finished, marked the check.

The Rolex of pro basketball,
…The Rolls of NBA –
The Spurs of San Antonio
…Are champs another day!

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© Dennis Lange and thebardonthehill.wordpress.com, 2014.

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Sonnet 35 – Good People by Dennis Lange

…..Sonnet 35 – Good People

On that same day that San Antonio
Won finals first game in their fifth ring quest,
The Denver Nuggets coach was told to go,
E’en though he led them to a franchise best.

Dwight Howard bid the Lakers bye in days,
And Kobe, left behind, refused a cut
That would have helped the Lakers mend their ways.
He’d take more millions, stay in lower rut.

But Spurs go on, as regular as clocks,
Precisely tuned so ev’ry part supports
Without the drama, ego of most jocks –
The best franchise in any of the sports.

Good people always bring about good things;
Sometimes, they’re even blessed with champion’s rings.

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The poem is written about a day during the NBA playoffs in 2013. The Spurs went on to lose the championship when they had it in their grasp in game 6 with a 5 point lead over the Miami Heat with 28 seconds to go. The Denver Nuggets record for the 2012-2013 season was 57-25 and for the 2013-2014 fell to a mark of 36-46. To be fair, the situation in the sonnet was not the greatest factor in this year’s fall. They were over- whelmed by injuries to most of their starters. As a team, they missed a total of293 games due to injury or illness.

The success of the San Antonio Spurs:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2013/03/16/san-antonio-spurs-north-americas-best-run-professional-sports-franchise/

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2012/05/san_antonio_spurs_2012_the_nba_s_most_successful_franchise_reveals_that_america_is_a_nation_of_hypocrites_.html

4 championships since 1997
5 conference titles
11 division titles
15 straight years with 50 wins or more
won 70% of their games during that span
33 playoff appearances in 37 years in the NBA
tied for the best season record in 2013
best season record in 2014 (62-20)

 

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