SAN ANTONIO (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
 
AFTER DECADE OF STRUGGLE, ROBINSON REAPING BENEFITS
And the Show Goes On
By Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. - It was about 30 minutes after the
Spurs had swept their way into the NBA Finals when
David Robinson ducked out of the shower Sunday night and
made his way to his locker before the media avalanche
could bury him.
He had waited 10 long
years for this, suffering
through a
career-threatening back
injury and seasons of
criticism that he lacked the
resolve to ever win a
championship. It was a
moment he should have
basked in, and yet, as he
quietly dressed, Robinson
couldn't help but believe
something was missing.
"Anyone have any
deodorant?" Robinson
yelled above the
locker-room din.
The defense of David Robinson, here with one of his 13 blocks in the series, was pivotal in the Western Conference Finals. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBA Photos)
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Antonio Daniels, the Spurs' backup point guard, was
credited with the assist.
"The man has been MVP, an All-Star and one of the
NBA's 50 greatest players," said Daniels, shaking his head,
"and he still has to borrow deodorant."
Leave it to Robinson to roll on without his roll-on. For much
of his career, the Naval Academy graduate has played with
so much officer-and-a-gentlemen stoicism that some of his
peers wondered if he actually breathed, let alone sweat.
But Sunday night was an antiperspirant night. It was
different, just like this season was different. After a
midseason slump, Robinson seemed to emerge from his
shell. He dunked and pumped his fists. He yelled at
teammates and officials. He skipped.
Then came this weekend, when he totaled 35 points, 19
rebounds and nine blocked shots in the final two games
against Portland. After the Spurs closed out the Trail
Blazers on Sunday and Robinson had finally shed the "Only
MVP to Never Reach the NBA Finals" tag, his teammates
said they never had seen him smile so big. Never had they
seen him so proud.
"You can see how his eyes light up and how he just talks
about it," Tim Duncan said. "He's just so ecstatic about the
whole thing. I'm so happy for him."
“I've got a team with me that I'm just very
proud of. We've grown up, and I think we're going to get
even better as the Finals go on.”
— Spurs center David Robinson
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That was the prevailing theme after Sunday's victory. And
the mantra all season was "Win one for the Admiral."
Before this season, the man who ranks as the Spurs'
all-time postseason leader in points (1,630), games (74),
rebounds (859), blocks (220) and steals (101) had advanced
to the conference finals only once in eight playoff trips.
"Like I always tell you, I would love to win a
championship," Avery Johnson said. "I really would love to
win it. That's what I'm here for.
"But I want to see David win it more than myself because
he's a terrific man and you know I've been here with him
for years. So I'm more excited for him than myself."
Said Robinson: "It feels good to finally begin to get to where
you want to be. I've got a team with me that I'm just very
proud of. We've grown up, and I think we're going to get
even better as the Finals go on.
"We feel very good about what we've been able to
accomplish and we've got our sights set on the next goal."
That goal, of course, would be the NBA title, the only
accomplishment now eluding Robinson in what is certain to
be a Hall-of-Fame career. And like the rest of the Spurs,
Robinson said Sunday he would not fully celebrate until the
franchise has a championship. But, he admitted, regardless
of what happens in the next two or three weeks, this
season has been as much fun as any in his decade in the
league.
Robinson, who has played for seven coaches and alongside
82 different players in his 10 years with the Spurs, may
finally be surrounded by the right cast. After Sunday's
game, he told the team behind closed doors how proud he
was they didn't fold after starting the season 6-8. When he
met the media, Robinson praised everyone from Coach
Gregg Popovich, for simplifying the offense, to Andrew
Gaze, for helping Jaren Jackson in practice.
"People always ask me, 'Do you enjoy playing basketball?' "
Robinson said. "I enjoy it when we're playing together.
That's when it's fun. You're working together. You're
helping one another. This year has been a great picture of
that for most of the year."
Most, but not all. Aside from the 6-8 start, Robinson
fumbled his way through a three-game stretch in the middle
of March, when he averaged seven points, shot only 21.9
percent from the field and was benched twice in the fourth
quarter. Robinson blamed his problems on rhythm instead
of the tender ankle he was playing on, but his teammates
said health was a concern.
"I looked at him during that first stretch of games when we
were 6-8 and thought, 'Woah! How is he ever going to
finish the season?' " Sean Elliott said. "He just didn't look
like he was going to be able to do it."
Robinson, however, held tough. He missed only game
because of injury in the regular-season and has looked as
durable as ever in the playoffs. He attacked Portland
center Arvydas Sabonis throughout the conference finals,
averaging a team-high 17.5 points in addition to nine
rebounds, 3.25 blocks and 2.25 steals. And he has
embraced his job as the Spurs' defensive stopper.
"I'm not a Michael Jordan type of player," Robinson said. "I
don't handle the ball and go out there and take 30 shots a
game. That's not my style. I had to figure out what is my
style. How do I make this team as good as it can be?
"That's part of what's great about getting to where we are
right now. You've overcome a lot of things."
On the day before Game 4, Robinson sat on a set of
bleachers before the Spurs' practice, fielding questions
about everything he has overcome: injuries, criticism, a
change in roles. He finally paused to put everything in
perspective.
"When you accomplish your goals," Robinson said, "all the
little discomforts along the way don't seem quite as big."
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