What he said

From The Ticket's Bob Sturm:

And while I am at it, let me tell you something: The Spurs fans have passed the Utah Jazz fans as the most annoying in the NBA. Their booing every time a foul happens is comical as they all agree with each other about how a league-wide conspiracy is under way to keep the Spurs down. Of course, they get more calls than anyone, but their fans think the refs are trying to screw them. It also helps that Tim Duncan has never, ever committed a foul. Just ask him. He stands, holds the ball, failed-smiles at the refs, and shows relative disbelief that he could possibly be guilty of an infraction. All this as he has just shoved Josh Howard out of his way to get a rebound.

Clutch and Grab NHL? What do you call what Bruce Bowen is allowed to do in the NBA? What happened to hand checking being illegal?

And, finally, nice bite, Bob. Ok, I am done.

I have made the same point many times. The Spurs, to coach Popovich's credit, have found a loophole in the rules - they will only call so many fouls. Thus their philosophy is to commit 80-100 fouls a game and dare the officials to call them, which of course they can't. Presto, guys who have been poor defenders their whole careers suddenly becoming good ones and good ones suddenly becoming great. Add in a hockey-style goon in Bowen and you complete the formula which has proven successful for them.

The downside is that the whole thing makes a guy like Duncan, the biggest complainer in the league, kind of a Rasheed Wallace without the profanity, look utterly ridiculous with his over the top whining. And it also hurt the US in the last Olympics as Duncan saw fouls actually being called on him, usually having to leave games early with two quick fouls while doing the same thing he does and gets away with in the NBA. I'm not sure if the team could have won anyway, with it's findamentally flawed construction, but it was a huge factor.