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<\/a><\/p>\n1. Kawhi Leonard vs. 4. Richard Jefferson<\/p>\n
The Nephew is back in the news<\/a>, and Spurs fans are rejoicing once more. It\u2019s a shame since he was supposed to be the heir to the dynasty, and Kawhi used to be a fan favorite. Then his true colors were revealed during the 2017-18 season when he abandoned the team and rehabbed a nagging knee injury privately, which he used as an excuse to ask for a trade. It seemed like a death knell for the team at that point, but I think everything eventually worked out in the Spurs\u2019 favor.<\/p>\n Kawhi should win this in a landslide, especially since Jefferson has a surprisingly high seed in the bracket. Sure, he had three disappointing seasons in San Antonio and jokingly called the city a dump<\/a>, but he\u2019s had more positive things to say about the organization than negative ones. I\u2019ve never had any ill will towards RJ, and all the \u201cinsults\u201d he\u2019s levied against the Spurs are in jest, though sometimes it does get old \u2014 especially when you hear him calling games 24\/7. Plus, if RJ never flamed out in San Antonio, then we wouldn\u2019t have witnessed one of the greatest shoves ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. Stephen Jackson vs. 3. Robert Horry<\/p>\n Stephen Jackson\u2019s one of the most unlikeable players I can think of, and that\u2019s before factoring in my Spurs fandom. He\u2019s called out Pop more times than every other NBA player in history combined, constantly bringing up a story where his ego got in the way of the betterment of the team<\/a>. He also hates Tony Parker with a passion, calling the latter selfish<\/a> and claiming that the Spurs would\u2019ve won more titles had TP sacrificed more. I actually agree with the selfish claim to a certain extent, but for it to come from Jackson of all people is just ironic.<\/p>\n Horry, meanwhile, has a true love\/hate relationship with the franchise and its fans. He played a crucial role in both the 2005 and 2007 title runs, but has gone on to call the organization \u201cboring\u201d<\/a> since the locker room lacked drama. Horry also said that Hakeem was \u201c20 times better than Tim Duncan,<\/a>\u201d which is an absurd statement for two of the 10 greatest players ever. I\u2019d never ridicule anyone for believing Hakeem\u2019s in the same tier of greats as Timmy, but to say he\u2019s 20 times better is one of the most disrespectful things I\u2019ve ever heard.<\/p>\n 1. Phil Jackson vs. 4. Uncle Dennis Robertson<\/p>\n Jackson\u2019s opponent is none other than our favorite uncle, who was recently handed a five-year ban from conducting any business with the NBA<\/a> following the Aspiration scandal involving Kawhi. He seemed to be the mastermind behind both the Kawhi trade out of San Antonio and the shady deals that have now come to light with the Clippers. Spurs fans were the first victims of Uncle Dennis\u2019 shenanigans, but the extent of his illegal dealings surprised even me.<\/p>\n 2. David Stern vs. 3. Mark Cuban<\/p>\n It seems strange to have a former commissioner on such a list, but Stern fining the Spurs $250,000 for resting players<\/a> back in 2012 was more a message to the entire league than him singling out San Antonio specifically. To be fair, the Spurs popularized the load management that fans all love today, and that was exactly the type of thing Stern wanted to prevent when he was still in charge. I honestly believe that both Stern and the Spurs did what was in their best interests, so I\u2019m fairly surprised that he was a higher seed than Mr. Shark Tank himself.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Cuban was delighted to see San Antonio punished<\/a> for sitting its players. By that point, he had developed a fierce hatred for a Spurs team<\/a> that routinely clashed with his Mavs in the playoffs during the 2000s and early 2010s. Cuban even made it personal by insulting the Riverwalk and felt that the Spurs\u2019 success was largely due to lottery luck, and it certainly didn\u2019t help that the rival teams are from the same state but in two cities with distinct cultural differences.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n