« Early Ed Watch | Main | William F. Buckley, RIP » Obama Endorses Spurs27 Feb 2008 03:25 pm Barack Obama offers his endorsement to the San Antonio Spurs, terming them his "second-favorite team" after his hometown Chicago Bulls: It seems a bit non-credible to me for Obama to cite the Spurs' no-flash, play-the-right-way image as the decisive factor. The Obama-esque element of San Antonio's team is the unlikely cosmopolitanism of the roster. In current NBA terms, though, Obama may be most like the Lakers -- a juggernaut that came out of nowhere. Comments (36)
I'm sure he would have named the Pistons if the DNC hadn't stripped them of their right to participate in political metaphors. 
Senator Clinton had better hope she is the one like the Spurs. They are: older, more experienced, less exciting and charismatic, have some dirty players on the team, and were rescued by the establishment with a favorable interpretation of the rules. David Stern himself, who may as well be a superdelegate, is a Clinton supporter.
Isn't this dangerous to Obama's prospects in Dallas and Houston?
As a longtime Spurs fan living in NYC, I'm STILL not supporting this guy. All flash and no substance. Would be more like the Showtime Lakers. Still, it shows that he's awfully slick in all aspects - I wonder how many campaign researchers he's got on the payroll to help him find that magical mixture of good-guy sports teams, non-pretentious foodie places, and wholesome American-pie weekend activities.
It seems a bit non-credible to me for Obama to cite the Spurs' no-flash, play-the-right-way image as the decisive factor. The Obama-esque element of San Antonio's team is the unlikely cosmopolitanism of the roster. This illustrates a common misconception of Obama. People have a hard time separating the message (HOPE!) from the method (PRAGMATISM!). The Spurs know how to win basketball games (PRAGMATISM!) without relying on a flashy star. I do think you're right about Obama being similar to the current Lakers (as much as I hate them), but for the wrong reason. As with Obama, the team's potential was obvious to anyone who was paying attention.
I'm sure he would have named the Pistons if the DNC hadn't stripped them of their right to participate in political metaphors. Thread is won. Of course, any real Bulls fan would be rightly shunned for saying their second favorite team was the Pistons. Why, it'd be almost as idiotic as a prominent Yankees fan saying they were glad the Red Sox won the WS because they're both in the AL. Even worse is if that guy was the mayor of NY or something.
Obama as the Lakers makes a lot of senst. Like Kobe & Bynum he entered the game very young -- and, like Gasol, he's got that international element to his life story (uh, ok, sorta different in that one is a citizen of the US, the other of Spain, but both have lived abroad!).
He's cracking a joke, but the way
I wanted to be the first to praise DTM, but I'll settle for just voicing it. That's a really funny line.
He's trying to get Eva Longoria to stump for him to consolidate his edge in the young Latino and white men demographics.
He's just jumping on the bandwagon after their defeat of Chelsea. Too bad the Carling Cup doesn't count for much.
Sigh... I wish he would have endorsed my Sonics. Then maybe they'd stay in blue state Seattle, instead of being stolen away to red state Oklahoma City. No disrespect intended, but what is the NBA thinking? Leaving the 15th largest media market in the country for Oklahoma City? I guess politics will have to be my winter sport....
Obama isn't the Spurs, the Lakers, and for god's sake, don't insult him by comparing him to the Pistons. No, he is definitely the Bulls of the 90s...Michael Jordan's Bulls. The ones who thoroughly dominated the competition the way Obama is going to blow out Hillary AND McCain. GObama '08!
nice football reference MattB But, sadly, spurs are rubbish. Go Gunners!
Uh no. Obama isn't the Lakers. Hillary is the Lakers: the team that has been around forever, is backed by Hollywood stars,and has won many championships in the past but can't seem to win anymore since they got rid of Shaq (Bill). Obama is more like the Hornets: a team that hasn't been in the league all that long, has moved from city to city, and is led by a superstar that only has a couple years of experience.
I hope the Cavs have a restraining order against Hillary ever using them as a campaign prop.
Too bad the Carling Cup doesn't count for much. That's what everyone says ... when they're knocked out of it. Obama is a Spammer, anyway.
Al Frick: All flash and no substance. Would be more like the Showtime Lakers. The Showtime Lakers had no substance? The team that won 5 championships in the 80s? That team? Magic, Kareem, Worthy (Hall of Famers all), Byron Scott, Cooper, Rambis, etc etc. No substance? Obviously, your definition of substance is different than mine. Or most. Ask the 80s Celtics if the Showtime Lakers had substance. If total dominance, plus a flair and style that changed the NBA is not substance, then I shudder to think what is. And to extend the metaphor back to politics, I do hope that Obama could be like the Lakers - the most dominant team of their era.
I have to say it again, the Spurs are a perfect metaphor for Obama. They start off the season slow, no one gives them any credit; they're slow and foreign, they fly under the radar and then once the playoffs start, everyone asks themselves "where did this team come from?" Obama flew under the radar all year long until Iowa. All last spring, summer and fall Obama was overlooked. And then once the "playoffs" started, he becomes the unstoppable machine. just like the spurs. I love Obama's "jordan rules" analogy that he gives on the stump. how the pistons had the jordan rules to rough up the upstart bulls. jordan (obama) had overcome the physicality of the pistons (clinton) in order to finally make it to the finals.
Bruce Bowen is totally a 527. Obama has got it all wrong. His 'new kind of politics' is the Suns, it's such a pretty picture, that you just want it to work, so you suspend disbelief, and discard the superstitions of the past. The Shaq trade, of course, is pandering to Texans by pretending to like their team. However, Shaq would make a fantastic vice-president.
On reflection, I will concede that while Obama may be able to bring together people of all races, classes, religions, parties, and ideologies, there is no way he will ever bring together the peoples of the NBA's Central Division. Accordingly, I will note in response to firebrand that the Pistons knocked the Jordan-led Bulls out of the playoffs three straight years, and it actually took Pippen getting over his "migraines" for the Bulls to finally break through an aging Pistons, resulting in Jordan finally winning his first championship (admittedly, the first of many). Fortunately, although McCain may well consider himself a "Bad Boy", I do not yet see the emergence of any "Obama rules".
We are now a retired military family settled in San Antonio, but with family in and love for Seattle. I lived there when they won their championship in the (ack!) '70's. Sorry to Peter Lawless, I do feel your pain. And kudos to mikee, who explained best why Obama is indeed the Spurs. No one gives them any credit, and they just exude class and go out and win. Gobama, Go!
I wonder how much polling and detailed analysis lie behind this. Potential huge risk in antagonizing Rocket and Maverick fans. But with the convoluted Texas primary/caucus rules, there may be a richer delegate treasure trove in the San Antonio area than in the other two cities. Or did his choice of second favorite team change by rally location?
And by "Lakers," I assume you mean "Celtics."
The Celtics sprinted from the blocks and have not looked back. The Lakers have come put of nowhere with the Gasol trade. Matt, you gotta reconsider your dislike of the Lakers. It is the only franchise that can keep the Celtics in check over the long run. San Antonio's days are numbered. Boston's days are numbered. The Lakers have all starters under 30 and Bynum should be a junior in college. Kareem has been tutoring Bynum and gets no love for the job he has done with him.
Thanks Texasdem! I should say that all hope is not lost, but it doesn't look good.
I'm a Pistons fan and the two biggest hurdles to NBA domination the last 20 years have been the Spurs and Bulls. Hopefully, though, he'll change his tune when Chauncey, Sheed and company come to visit Barack in the Whitehouse with that big gold trophy sometime soon.
I've been a Spurs fan since the days of the Iceman and Jimmy Silas. Today's version of the team is odd-- they have one of the most exciting players in the game (Ginobli) and the most boring (Duncan). But they play defense, and that's why they win.
Obama may be most like the Lakers -- a juggernaut that came out of nowhere. A juggernaut that seemed to come out of nowhere, but that really arrived as a function of the excellence of the underlying organization. If you're willing to look over a period that extends past the arrival of Tim Duncan (and maybe even if you aren't), the Lakers are the best organization in the NBA.
Matt: I think no one in the press is talking about VP for Obama. I think you can break ground by having a piece on this issue. - a former/current Red-state gov. not affiliated with Clinton - a former/current Red-state gov. affiliated with Clinton - a former/current senator (with more experience than Obama) - a former/current House member Go for it Matt.
Not the Lakers, obviously, who were recipients of generous insider trading in the fashion of Pau Gasol. They're still the purple and piss, and young. And were dismally run for several years until that trade bailed them out -- they traded Caron Butler to get Kwame Brown, for God's sake. And it's good to see Suns fans still whining about Amare leaping off the bench last year for no apparent reason. They were still gonna lose the series. Obama is a lot of flash. But he's not a lot of flash. He's obviously telling you something when he says he likes the Spurs. I trust a guy that knows his basketball.
Pretty funny that Obama is a Hammer. That kind of changes the picture. Obama as a San Antonio Spurs fan: pretty impressive.
No way. Obama is most like the pre-Shaq Suns.
I agree, Obama is the Lakers. McCain is the Spurs, totally old-school. And Hillary is the Miami Heat.
those comparing O to the suns -- so you're saying he's gonna lose? those comparing O to the newstyle lakers -- so you're saying he may be too inexperienced to get it done? i actually don't mind the showtime comparison -- they obviously had crazy substance, had to play against incredible competition. the only problem is that they were never underdogs the way O was, you need someone coming out of nowhere and winning (not sure if that someone needs to only win the conference, or the whole shebang, for the analogy to work).
Comments closed March 12, 2008. |
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Heads in the Sand
This is making me rethink my support for Obama.
Posted by too many steves | February 27, 2008 3:36 PM