NBA: Finley returns to Dallas as NBA champ
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...N.3ae3197.html
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio-Express News
DALLAS — Officially, the Spurs still list guard Michael Finley at 225 pounds, the same weight at which he played last season.
Those who know him, however, say Finley looks a little lighter than in June, when the Spurs broke for summer vacation. Twenty-two ounces lighter, to be precise.
After the Spurs swept Cleveland to claim their fourth NBA title, Finley — a first-time champion at age 34 — absconded with the Game 4 ball and refused to put it down. He took it home and, for a few weeks after the playoffs, even slept with it.
So it was a bit of a surprise that, when Finley reported to Spurs training camp earlier this month, the Finals ball did not report with him.
No worries, Finley says. Though his most prized possession no longer resides under his right arm, it remains in a safe place.
"You thought I was going to put it on eBay?" Finley said. "That game ball is going to my grave with me."
Finley's old friends in Dallas might not recognize him tonight, when he and the Spurs open the preseason against the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.
An NBA championship looks good on him.
It took Finley 12 seasons to earn his first one. He spent 81/2 of those fruitless seasons with Dallas, before the Mavericks — via a quirk in the NBA free-agent rules — essentially paid him to join the Spurs in 2005.
If he were vindictive, Finley might have an "I told you so" or two for Mark Cuban, the Mavericks owner who signed off on his departure. But Finley isn't, and he doesn't.
"He knows I have a ring," Finley said. "If he wants to see it, I'll show it to him."
Finley isn't expected to make more than a cameo appearance in his return to Dallas.
He and the rest of the Spurs' cast of 30-something veterans — including Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry — are projected to play only sparingly tonight.
As per his typical preseason plan, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich plans to allow his older veterans enough minutes to get in some conditioning — a schedule sure to be a hit with them.
"You really don't need that much time when you talk about Fin, myself, Bruce and Tim," said Horry, who is set to endure his 16th NBA preseason slate. "We've been in the league a bunch of years. We pretty much have it down."
The Spurs will be especially thin at point guard, where Tony Parker and his two primary backups are expected to sit.
At Popovich's urging, Parker has been withheld from most team drills so far in order to freshen him up after a busy summer that included work with the French national team.
Reserve point guards Jacque Vaughn (pulled calf muscle) and Beno Udrih (broken finger) are injured. As a result, undrafted rookies Darius Washington and Anthony Lever-Pedroza will receive an extended audition in the Spurs' backcourt.
"Overall, it's the best opportunity to see the guys who aren't really on the team yet," Popovich said. "It gives them an opportunity to play and show what they have."
Translation: Don't expect this to be one of those deadly serious Spurs-Mavs Southwest Division showdowns for which the two teams have become renowned.
For Finley, however, the night should be somewhat sweet.
He will reunite with old friends, this time as an NBA champion. After the game, he will scurry back to San Antonio and re-visit his pride and joy — the ball from Game 4.
Finley still has the ball on prominent display in the foyer of his home. For any visitor to the Finley estate, it is a must-see attraction.
"It's like the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument — and the game ball," Finley said.