NBA: Jeckyl Spurs Can Still Whip Up On Laker Hydes

On the David Letterman Show Laker center Shaquille O’Neal referenced the San Antonio Spurs as possibly being a WNBA team. Well, after their latest dismantling at the hands of those WNBA Spurs, the NCAA Lakers probably don’t have much to say. Do they?

A couple of nights ago in Phoenix the WNBA Spurs made an appearance and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Those Spurs played ugly, lazy basketball and came away with a fitting prize, their first loss of this young season. Those Spurs play excellent Jeckyls to match the Lakers’ Hydes.

With what should have been a long burning revenge in their hearts, the WNBA Jeckyl Spurs went out to Phoenix after three convincing opening wins and laid a 22 turnover, 38.5 percent shooting egg against the Suns to lose for the first time this season. The Spurs have never started a season with a 4-game winning streak. Better luck next year, guys!

It was exactly 6-months ago that the Suns booted these Spurs out of their NBA Champion throne, dispatching them in four swift games to ponder what might have been if Tim Duncan had only been. Well this time Duncan was healed and after three strong showings the Suns were surely going to see the real NBA Spurs in action. NOT! Enter the Jeckyl Spurs.

Jeckyl Spurs Jaren Jackson played 12 minutes and poured in 2 points. Danny Ferry played 14 minutes and had no stats whatsoever. The Spurs shot 1-for-8 team 3-pointers and the Admiral pulled down a lackluster 3 rebounds in 24 minutes. Diminutive Jason Kidd even slapped the ball from T-Dunk’s raised hands on one play for an easy score. Jason Kidd? Jeckyl Duncan?

The smaller, quick-footed Suns have always given these Spurs fits and this game was no different. These Spurs had such little fight in them that the more aggressive Suns kept the advantage the entire game and the Spurs never really had a chance. Surging Suns take Jeckyl Spurs 100 - 81. Who are these Jeckyls? Did a WNBA team trade them to San Antonio?

Well, there’s nothing better for what ails a team of Jeckyls than to run them out against a bunch of Hydes. Los Angeles Hydes, that is. Laker Girl Hydes. Take 5 of these, Tim, and call me in the morning. Here’s my bill. I take checks.

Somebody gave the Spurs a mystical tonic to shake those Jeckyl personas because the beasts that took the court against the Lakers in no way resembled those fumbling, bumbling Spurs that stepped off the plane in Phoenix. No longer playing that plodding defensive game of old, these new running Spurs are a sight to behold. With Robinson and Duncan shooting out of the blocks after each defensive rebound or opponents’s basket and Derek Anderson and Sean Elliot flying down the wings, these younger Spurs are going to be a different species this season.

Duncan made a typical T-Dunk statement with his 17 rebounds and Robinson added a demonstrative 16 points. Duncan led the Spurs with 22 points and all other Spurs, with the exception of Samaki Walker, contributed to the point totals as these new, improved Spurs put the Laker Hydes away 91–81 to boost their record to 4-1 for the season. How do you like them astrisks Phil Jackson?

The Spurs banged at Shaquille O’Neal with Duncan, Robinson and Malik Rose to hold him to 13 points and 17 rebounds. That’s way down from his 32-point game average this season and his 29.7-point average last year. Shaq hit just 3-for-10 from the foul line against the Spurs. Last season Shaq shocked the world with his 52% average from the line. He is shooting foul shots at a 41% clip so far this season. Here Shaq, practice 10,000 of these and call me at the end of the season. Here’s my bill.

As usual, Kobe Bryant got his with 32 points and 8 assists and Robert Horry plunked in four 3-point bombs for the Lakers. But big, athletic teams cause the Shaqster a lot of trouble and the Spurs’ triumvirate did its job in tying up O’Neal. “They fouled him every time he took a shot,” said Phil Jackson. Last year’s almost MVP never seemed to put it together and the Los Angeles Hydes fell to the newly organized NBA Spurs for the fourth time in the last 5 tries. Better luck next time Hydes.

As a matter of fact these real Spurs have taken 9 of the last 10 from the Lakers and the last 6 at the Alamodome. The Lakers may wear the NBA crown, but they don’t own these Spurs by any means. If these two get to the same juncture in this year’s playoffs, the Lakers better hope it’s those WNBA Jeckyls they face because the real Spurs still seem to be fully capable of whipping their Hydes.