Worst. Finals. Ever. (?)

You know, I'm really getting sick of this "this is one of the worst years in basketball, neither of these teams could hang with the greats" line.

On one side, you've got one of, if not the, best power forward of all time. He's got to be in the top ten of all time of "guys I would pick first if I were starting a team." As his running mates we have a sick fast slashing frenchie who was Duncan's second banana when they won the Championship ... when he was 19. They are teamed with an up and coming superstar (with a heck of a schnozz) who won a gold medal in a team sport by himself. They run with one of the best defenders of all time, one of the most scary clutch shooters of all time and a somewhat more than serviceable center. At least as serviceable as, say, Luke Longley.

On the other side you have what is widely consider to be the best defensive team of all time and one of the teams with the most heart ever. They have been written off in half the playoff series they have been involved in in the last two years. This is the team that beat Kobe and Shaq (still in their respective primes) and broke up that dynasty. But they also have a fearless point guard with icewater in his veins, the most well-conditioned player with the best midrange game currently in the NBA, Tayshaun who is a threat on both ends of the floor, Rasheed freaking Wallace as their THIRD offensive option and who in the history of the NBA can compare with Wen Ballace? No one.

So they bump and grind each other and make each other look bad to the casual fan. But screw the casual fan. The problem with the first four games is that they were blowouts not that they were overly defensive. And those games were just setting the stage. Anyone who couldn't appreciate the last two games needs to go back to cross-stich.

Game 7 baby. Tonight.