Thirteen years after Rudy T’s celebratory proclamation, the same should be said for another Texas juggernaut - the San Antonio Spurs, winners of four of the last nine NBA championships.
That the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals might not be huge news in itself; they’ve reached the playoffs’ third round in six of the last 10 seasons.
But this year, the big story is how they survived against the New Orleans Hornets - winning 91-82 on the road in Monday night’s Game 7 - to prolong their reign for at least a week or two.
See, the third-seeded Spurs didn’t simply lose their first three road games to the second-seeded Hornets in the best-of-seven series. No, they were dominated.
Paced by relentless point guard Chris Paul, the young, energetic Hornets blasted the Spurs by 19, 18 and 22 points in New Orleans.
Like great teams do, the veteran, battle-tested Spurs protected their court and stayed alive with victories by 11, 20 and 19 points.
Going into Game 7, however, the Spurs hadn’t shown many - if any - signs that they could defeat the Hornets in New Orleans.
Paul, skilled forward David West and their teammates had played brilliant basketball in front of their home crowd, while the Spurs had seemed to be a step slow and unable to find their usual rhythm.
But back in New Orleans on this Monday night, with the Hornets poised to produce a breakthrough victory and ruin San Antonio’s fourth quest for that elusive repeat title, the Spurs suddenly played like, well, the Spurs.
Crafty swingman Manu Ginobili made four of San Antonio’s 12 3-point baskets and hit 10 of 11 free throws for a game-high 26 points; speedy point guard Tony Parker, last year’s Finals MVP, scored 17 points, highlighted by a dagger of a jump shot with 50 seconds left; star big man Tim Duncan was his normal steady self with 16 points and 14 rebounds; and Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, Robert Horry and Ime Udoka nailed two 3s apiece.
League MVP runner-up Paul was completely unstoppable at times in Games 1-6, but in the series finale he was contained - and for him, 18 points and 14 assists was being contained - by the defense of Parker, Bowen and others.
Even after the Hornets’ furious comeback sliced their deficit from 17 points to three in the final two minutes, the cool, calm Spurs made all the right plays to secure their victory and earn a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
The Hornets were worthy competitors, and with Paul at the controls they’ll likely get back to this position and beyond.
But what the Hornets learned was that to be the best, you have to beat the best. And they didn’t.
The Spurs have the best coach in the NBA in Gregg Popovich, the gruff, no-nonsense leader whose knack for blending star players with role players has been crucial in building San Antonio’s dynasty.
The Spurs have three of the NBA’s best 10 to 15 players in Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, and any one can be their best player any night.
Duncan and Bowen are among the league’s premier defenders, and complementary players such as Finley, Horry, Udoka, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas often make the winning difference.
Although the Spurs are hungry to bolster their legacy with back-to-back titles for a total of five, I’ll take MVP Kobe Bryant and the Lakers - who are younger, fresher and own the home-court advantage - in seven games.
But I won’t forget Rudy T’s words: “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.”
gwille@temple-telegram.com
