Commentary: The Spurs are cutting it close...but we still believe in them

AUSTIN, Texas — If the San Antonio Spurs are into shock value, they're doing a good job.

The defending champions have given their fan base the perfect setup for a spectacular ending.

Just picture it. Aging champion pushed to the limit by up-and-coming challenger. Champion appears as dead as Colonel Sanders, but shows it's not chicken by forcing a Game 7. And somehow the old guys win, on a court that's been the scene of losses by 19 (brutal), 18 (horrific) and 21 (are you kidding me?) points.

The love of drama has to be the reason these Spurs went so far as to get blown out 101-79 by New Orleans in Game 5 on Tuesday night. San Antonio fell behind 3-2 in a best-of-seven series for the first time since Manu Ginobili's last-second foul of Dirk Nowitzki pushed the Dallas Mavericks into the 2006 Western Conference finals.

Oh, these tricky Spurs. Talk about building the suspense. We're riveted. Who cares about "Dancing with the Stars" when you get to watch real stars perform on real, reality television?

Not to take the pen from coach/screenwriter Gregg Popovich, but the upcoming ending has to be something along these lines: Champions show their mettle with crucial home win tonight then follow up with Game 7 buzzer-beater. Indoor fireworks are tripped by mistake by Hornets' pyro guy, on TNT of all channels. Hugo suffers massive third-degree burns. Pulls through. Spurs' lovable Coyote sends a get-well postcard from the Western Conference finals.

It all makes sense. But there's the little matter of convincing the New Orleans Hornets to play the role of patsy. Or maybe they've already been convinced and have fooled us all by doing a real bang-up job of playing the antagonist.

Maybe too good of a job against a team that's historically lured less experienced opponents into deep waters and won with precision, guile, and experience.

Even the best of swimmers fall prey to a true beast of the deep, and for most of this decade — particularly the odd-numbered years — the San Antonio Spurs have played the shark role as well as Jerry Tarkanian. Especially now, when it almost appears that all is lost and elimination is imminent. But we know better, don't we? Give Pop credit for producing a great script at a time when television is awash in season finales. Since it's still a virtual certainty the Spurs will win in seven — I picked them in seven before the series and I'm not wavering — Pop's big finish will not only earn him a spot in the conference finals but maybe an Emmy nod.

The real Spurs faithful shouldn't be concerned that David West is starting to resemble a younger version of Karl Malone. And they shouldn't be concerned that Tim Duncan is starting to resemble an old version of Karl Malone. The 23 boards were nice, but 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting?

None of that matters to the real insiders because this is still a money team, and Spurs fans live by the same credo: in Pop we trust. We're talking about four championships, despite the protests of some basketball fans that they're too slow, too old, and the biggest complaint, too boring to sit atop this modern era that was built on the backs of Bird's Celtics, Magic's Showtime Lakers, and Jordan's Bulls.

Can't wait until it's revealed why the Spurs have lost the ability to win a big game on the road since Tony Parker destroyed the Suns in the first round. It will all make sense after San Antonio captures these next two. The simple reason will be: it just made for better drama. That's a better explanation than looking at that ugly 1-17 record held by road teams in the conference semis entering Wednesday's games.

After tonight's win, the Spurs will show that swagger in Game 7 because a hero always shows swagger when the odds are the thinnest. It's not really important that LeBron James' mother has shown more guts than the Spurs have in recent road games. Not unless you count Pop telling a 57-year-old ref not to poke him in the chest.

Yes, I see you Hollywood types smiling because you smell one heck of a cliffhanger coming up. Kobe Bryant's supposed back injury and Chauncey Billups' sore hammy have nothing on this. Stay tuned. The best part of this series is yet to come.

SPOILER ALERT!

It's possible the Hornets received a different script.

Cedric Golden writes for the Austin American-Statesman.