They're the Spurs. I should hate them, but...

As I sit in my recliner watching Armageddon late Saturday night (with the rest of the family sleeping- I should be, too, but I enjoy the quiet house to wind down after a busy day), I realize that I am not as jacked up for the Suns/Spurs game in the morning as I normally would be. After all, for years, the Spurs have been the enemy, the Anti-Suns, Kryptonite. Tonight, I don't feel the same. Why is that?

The first thing I wonder...is it because I have to watch the second half recorded on the DVR? (The game starts at 11, we have church at 12:30. I mean, I love the Suns and yes they have blessed me many times in my life, but they didn't grant me life, they didn't guide me to the wonderful family, and heck, they haven't even blessed me with a championship. God certainly has the upper hand. Now, if the Suns were to bless me with a championship, then maybe things would be different. KIDDING! No, my faith does come before my fandom.) No, it has nothing to do with the DVR. Many a time have I either recorded the game or watched (near religiously) my phone, hoping to get happy text updates while away from home. That has never affected my hate for the Spurs or the passion for games against San Antonio.

Next, I have to wonder, is the game any less meaningful this time around? This certainly isn't the case. Phoenix, while currently in the fifth spot for playoff seeding, only holds a three game lead over the eighth seed. The team is only a game and a half behind Utah for the fourth seed and home court in the first round. San Antonio is currently a playoff team, and the game is in San Antonio. The Suns are looking to improve their road play, being as they are still under .500 on the road. So, clearly, the game is still important.

So, then, why is it that I feel that the rivalry has waned a bit? I think that there are a couple of reasons. Now, you may disagree and passionately hate the Spurs, but I think for many of us, the hate is less than it was. The first reason is that the players we hated most are gone. Bruce Bowen will no longer be taking kick swipes at players' heels or putting feet under a jumping player to land on, nor will he be kneeing players in the special place. He won't be man-handling Steve Nash on defense so much that we think that Nash may feel a little dirty after the game. Gone also is Robert Horry with his big shots and cheap shots. Sure, we are still miffed at Michael Finley when he signed with the Spurs, leaving us feeling like the spurned teenage girl that got led on by the guy she liked, but we never really hated him. We were jealous that the other girl got (again) the guy she was chasing after. Also, true it is that Flopper  (Manu Ginobili) is still there, but he has mostly been just a shell of who he was, and we know it. As for Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, how can you really hate them? They are both nice guys and Parker is married to Eva Longoria (who wouldn't love to be him, really?). They don't trash talk, they don't cheap shot (but they do whine, but, then again, so does our own two-time MVP), but you hate to play against them (but not hate them) because they are so good against us.

Additionally, the Suns are a different team. No longer here is the chip that Raja Bell carried on his shoulder constantly. There will be no more cheap "Hack-a-Shaq", no Boris Diaw to come off the bench during an altercation, no Mike D'Antoni for Gregg Popovich to befuddle.

The biggest reason for me, though, why the hate is no longer hate is that the Spurs are no longer the nemesis. They haven't won it in a while. They have had a tough year. They are showing weaknesses. They simply are not the same Spurs I hated. They are no longer "the team to go through." They are not the obstacle in our way. Part of that is because the Suns are also not considered title contenders this year. There is not the expectation for either team to win it all this year. This takes things down a notch. There is not as much on the line, and having it all on the line is what really gets us riled up. Plus, we live in Arizona. It's really hard for us to stay mad at the world when we live in place that is just so nice to be in.

In the end, do I really want the Suns to beat the Spurs? Well, duh, I REALLY want the Suns to win every game. That never changes. However, on Sunday, while watching the first half at home and then either watching the second half recorded three hours later or just following the game tweets I get, the hate won't be there like it has been. Am I wrong and misguided? Tell me what you think.