Friday, 21 June 2013

The 10-man rotation, starring Dan Le Batard’s championship Spurs rant

A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: The Dan Le Batard Show. More often than not, sports talk radio stuff is the worst, but sometimes the jokes can actually be pretty OK. This is one of those times. "GIVE IT TO ME AGAIN!"

PF: SB Nation. Paul Flannery on LeBron James: "He was the best player on the floor in the one of the greatest series any of us have ever seen, and if that isn't enough validation, then we all need to find a new line of work."

SF: Pounding the Rock. Quincy Scott finds comfort and humanity in the bottom of a difficult Game 7 outcome for a Spurs fan: "Losing is painful, but it's part of being alive. And being alive is wonderful."

SG: SB Nation and RealGM. Tom Ziller and Jonathan Tjarks revisit "The Decision," which, loathe as some might be to admit it, was pretty clearly a very good decision.

PG: TrueHoop. Kevin Arnovitz on the unique role of the Miami Heat as unifying agent: "Over the past three years, the Heat have found the sweet spot that lies at the center of the fan universe. This is an achievement, because rarely does a product penetrate every corner of the market, meet every need and appeal to almost every point on the emotional spectrum. The Heat manage to produce a heightened sense of intensity for the viewer, even when they lack intensity themselves. In the process, the Heat have displaced the Los Angeles Lakers as the league’s most indispensable team and James is now the NBA’s most important player."

6th: Heat Index. Tom Haberstroh: "[...] the Heat were the most efficient shooting team in NBA history during the regular season. And if this Heat squad leaves a mark in the history books, that should be its legacy above all else."

7th: The New York Times. "It is human nature to pontificate and prejudge but the moral of the 2013 finals should be that on the complicated subject of legacy, never hazard a guess at halftime of a series or, worse, a career."

8th: The Associated Press. Now that the 2012-13 NBA regular season is behind us, Brian Mahoney picks out five storylines to watch this offseason as we get ready for another good year in the sun.

9th: Grantland. Zach Lowe: "The story of how teams manage their assets under a new collective bargaining agreement is just starting. And these playoffs, in a way, have reinforced the idea of the star system — that the teams with one or two of the top 20 players in the league will go very far in the postseason."

10th: FOX Sports Southwest. Art Garcia: "[To] discuss and dissect the future of a franchise that's been on the last of its title legs for six years now almost robs the Spurs of this moment. This is a time to celebrate what they've done, not only for their quiet and proud South Texas outpost, but for the league in general and basketball as a whole."

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