What also needs to be acknowledged, though, is how impressively the Spurs have marched through this postseason, willing accomplices or not. Their 12 victories have come by an average of almost 10 points each, and only once (an 88-85 victory over Phoenix in Game 5 of the conference semifinals) did they win by fewer than five.

In the regular season they were forgotten behind Dallas and Phoenix, and in the playoffs the only time they've commanded real attention has been when Kobe Bryant hasn't been making trade demands, or when they're hip-checking former MVPs into the scorer's table or getting lip balm launched onto them by riled-up crowds (by the way, the Spurs might be the first team in NBA history to travel to the Palace at Auburn Hills and feel safer than they did on their last road trip).

Now the Spurs will no doubt be the team nobody wants to win, but they don't care. Rooting against fate is pointless. Just ask the Admiral.

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E-mail: mfinger@express-news.net

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Mike Finger is a sports columnist for the San Antonio Express-News