Two bad dribbles, an errant pass but all's well that ends well

Caught the end of the Heat - Spurs game the other night and it was basketball at its, well, most intriguing.

San Antonio's double-digit lead was being surrendered as late in the game:

* Tony Parker drags his foot on a dribble drive and stop resulting in a traveling call (to be fair Parker was the key to the Spurs holding on to their lead)

* Manu Genobili does the same

* An bad pass out from the left corner heads into the background for another violation

* Genobili goes right and then pulls up for an off balance no-no-no-yes! shot as he drains it

* Tim Duncan touches the ball but once in scoring position during the last five or so minutes (scoring on a whirling drive that culminated in a close-in bankshot)

Popovich and Company are lauded (and rightfully so) for their schemes and the carrying out of them but win and whatever -- good and bad -- preceded the victory is soon forgotten.

Henry Abbott nail it with his latest. He ends with:

"...That's not how we might like to see it, but I like this: It's just one more way NBA basketball -- this messy, beautiful, surprising, delightful, heartbreaking game -- is just like real life."