theLeftAhead

Shake It Out – Intellectually, I understand the merits of the worldview that argues that it is irrational for me, as a spectator, to get emotionally invested in the outcome of a sporting event when it does not have a direct impact on my own life. I understand the rationale behind treating sports as escapism, as a distraction from the rigors of everyday life, and to enjoy the injunction from…

Back to Black – The San Antonio Spurs are heading back to the Western Conference Finals for the eighth time during the Tim Duncan era after eliminating the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals on Thursday night. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 94 to 82 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California to win a hard fought series and squelch the infectious hopes of a nation…

Kawhi’s Quest to Curry Favor as the Second Coming of Bruce Bowen (A Novel) – Kawhi Leonard’s ability to defend Stephen Curry will be a key factor in whether or not the Spurs will prevail in this series. Last night, in chapter two of this saga, Kawhi did an admirable job limiting Curry to 22 points on 7-20 shooting. I can only recall a couple of times that Curry scored…

The San Antonio Spurs have tradeed 6th man George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for the draft rights to 6-7 San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard, 6-10 Latvian forward Davis Bertans, and 2005 second round pick Erazem Lorbek, a 6-10 center playing in Spain.  Leonard the cornerstone of the Spurs end of the deal is an athletic, tough-minded small forward who can play lockdown defense and rebound.  Perimeter defense and rebounding were both…