The Giants were a very good club that played great when on the big stage. They out-executed their opponents throughout the playoffs. I don't think there's a single recipe for success in baseball; teams can win with dominant pitching or hitting. The Giants had neither. If you believe in plus numbers, their offense was better than their pitching. Their OPS+ of 107 led the NL but as any McCarver fan could tell you, they finished last in HRs. Their ERA+ was below league average. But the combination of offense, team defense, starting pitching and bullpen made them a tough matchup in a short series.I don't know how important that "we played for each other" stuff in the grand scheme of things. If you don't have the players, you won't make it to the post-season. But they turned out to be more than the sum of their parts. They proved to be extremely resilient from the opening week of the season when they lost Brian Wilson. They dealt with an unsettled infield, an uncharacteristically shaky Lincecum, a bullpen by committee and the suspension of their second best position player. And there they are, champs again with a lineup that's almost entirely churned from 2010. They got playoff contributions from almost their entire 25 man roster including the unlikely rehabilitation of Barry William Zito. After accounting for a total of 3.8 WAR over his six seasons in SF, he pitched great in two of the biggest wins in the playoff run. He's always been a guy who's hard to boo. Anybody would have taken the same deal if offered. He's suffered stoically in his gilded cage; he's a solid citizen and good teammate by all accounts. I'm still counting the days until his contract expires but he's earned a special place in the hearts of Giants fans.