The term “The Beautiful Game” was applied to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. After the teams split the first two games, the Spurs’ collection of players from around the world played three “beautiful games,” both offensively and defensively, and the Spurs rolled to the crown. As a friend emailed me after Game Five, “Somewhere on that court John Wooden, Red Holtzman and Dr. Jack were standing side by side with big smiles. Big win for basketball!”
But I can not limit “The Beautiful Game” to that Spurs team.