The Down Years (1985-1989)

[Thomas82]

I don't know if it's just me, but I see it's hard to find info on the Spurs from 1985 to 1989. You really have to hunt for it, and the stuff that you do find, it's not a whole lot. I know the Spurs made the playoffs with losing records in 2 of those years. I also know that Alvin Robertson was the team's best player.

My earliest memories of the Spurs are from the 88-89 season, when I was 9 years old. I remember that team having Robertson, Vernon Maxwell, Willie Anderson, and Johnny Dawkins on it. That was the year I became a Spurs fan, and since I was living in Cleveland at that time, I only got to see them on TV twice that season when they played the Cavs. I also remember them losing both games. In doing research I noticed one other thing.............the Spurs suited up 22 players that season.

Can anybody that was old enough to remember those Spurs teams elaborate on the bad years for me? Thanks in advance!!

[baseline bum]

85-86 was a really rough season to be a Spurs fan. Their starting point guard Johnny Moore got desert fever (http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-31/sports/26055383_1_desert-fever-johnny-moore-regular-headaches) and almost died. Ice was traded for David Greenwood before the season. The Spurs first round pick Alfrederick Hughes was an unimaginably bad bust. The arena was empty as hell. People would wear bags on their heads like Clipper fans. And none of the fans liked Cotton Fitzsimmons, everyone used to talk about how bad the team's coaching was that year.

86-87 got off to a really disastrous start since the team's big free agent acquisition, Mychal Thompson, was such a bust. Thankfully they traded him to LA for Frank Brickowski, who instantly became a fan favorite. And Thompson ended up a nice supporting player in LA, don't know why he was so bad here. Even though the team's record was worse, I liked the direction the team was going in way more with Brickowski and they also landed Walter Berry for Kevin Duckworth. Berry was a pretty nice player for a couple of years. And I loved the Johhny Dawkins pick.

87-88 and 88-89 were just all about waiting for David Robinson. The Spurs drastically lowered ticket prices to get people into the arena. My tickets were $7.50 a game as a member of the bums and they were great seats, much better than the bums' seats in the dome and in AT&T Center. And it was really nice to see Johnny Moore back for a few games, Spurs fans were so worried for his health and we went nuts any time Johhny showed up to a game as a fan since we could see he was doing well again. But to see him in uniform was awesome. The Johnny Dawkins injury sucked because he was developing into a really nice player, but then a Willie Anderson and Alvin Robertson backcourt with DRob the next season looked like it was going to be incredible. Of course we were all mad as hell when Alvin got traded, but obviously that worked out great for the team to get TC.

[Thomas82]

85-86 was a really rough season to be a Spurs fan. Their starting point guard Johnny Moore got desert fever (http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-31/sports/26055383_1_desert-fever-johnny-moore-regular-headaches) and almost died. Ice was traded for David Greenwood before the season. The Spurs first round pick Alfrederick Hughes was an unimaginably bad bust. The arena was empty as hell. People would wear bags on their heads like Clipper fans. And none of the fans liked Cotton Fitzsimmons, everyone used to talk about how bad the team's coaching was that year.

86-87 got off to a really disastrous start since the team's big free agent acquisition, Mychal Thompson, was such a bust. Thankfully they traded him to LA for Frank Brickowski, who instantly became a fan favorite. And Thompson ended up a nice supporting player in LA, don't know why he was so bad here. Even though the team's record was worse, I liked the direction the team was going in way more with Brickowski and they also landed Walter Berry for Kevin Duckworth. Berry was a pretty nice player for a couple of years. And I loved the Johhny Dawkins pick.

87-88 and 88-89 were just all about waiting for David Robinson. The Spurs drastically lowered ticket prices to get people into the arena. My tickets were $7.50 a game as a member of the bums and they were great seats, much better than the bums' seats in the dome and in AT&T Center. And it was really nice to see Johnny Moore back for a few games, Spurs fans were so worried for his health and we went nuts any time Johhny showed up to a game as a fan since we could see he was doing well again. But to see him in uniform was awesome. The Johnny Dawkins injury sucked because he was developing into a really nice player, but then a Willie Anderson and Alvin Robertson backcourt with DRob the next season looked like it was going to be incredible. Of course we were all mad as hell when Alvin got traded, but obviously that worked out great for the team to get TC.


Good looking out Baseline Bum!! Speaking of Mychal Thompson, wasn't he the #1 pick in 1978? You can't tell by his numbers.

[JWest596]

The Alvin Robertson Years....had Alvin not self destructed afterwards, this wouldn't be known as the "dark ages" of the Spurs. It was also the times the Spurs made their most Lotto teams. The Admiral was coming and he probably saved us from Tom Benson and New Orleans. Brick was a great player.

[Thomas82]

I have vague memories of Alvin Robertson as a Spur other than him guarding Ron Harper in those Cavs games. I remember him moreso as a Buck, and I remember him being a Raptor in their expansion year. In fact, he scored the first basket in their history.

[baseline bum]

The Alvin Robertson Years....had Alvin not self destructed afterwards, this wouldn't be known as the "dark ages" of the Spurs. It was also the times the Spurs made their most Lotto teams. The Admiral was coming and he probably saved us from Tom Benson and New Orleans. Brick was a great player.

I seem to remember Nashville being the city coming most hard after the Spurs at that time. New Orleans was really pursuing the Spurs in 1998.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Good looking out Baseline Bum!! Speaking of Mychal Thompson, wasn't he the #1 pick in 1978? You can't tell by his numbers.
1978 was in the thick of the dark age of the NBA, it really didn't matter who was picked 1st or 44th.

[baseline bum]

1978 was in the thick of the dark age of the NBA, it really didn't matter who was picked 1st or 44th.

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII

[SPURt]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=158)
That is an epic post! It must be tough to be a Blazers fan

[Kawhi 5-0]

I remember Jon Sunvold and Hemisfair Arena. I remember going to see the Spurs play the Kings and they played "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen because the Spurs won. [Pretty ironic because not many teams were biting the dust at the hands of the Spurs in those days]. Also remember listening to a Spurs playoff series on WOAI...a first round loss to the Lakers. I don't know if it was blacked out or just not on national TV... Those were the days. Oh, and I remember going to see a game at Hemisfair and the ticket said "obstructed view." Yep, a damn concrete column right in front of the seat.

But as the Spurs got better, things changed slowly. I remember they had to add lights at Hemisfair Arena for a particular game or series because it was going to be nationally telecast (it had been ages since the Spurs had been good enough to be on TV and they didn't even have the proper lighting).

One last thing...during the "dark years" I went on a riverboat (barge) ride on the San Antonio River because some relatives had come to town. The tour guide (driver) pointed out where the Spurs play as he made a turnaround in a little dead end of the river by the convention center. He referred to the team jokingly as "the world champion San Antonio Spurs". When the Spurs actually won the title in '99 that memory came back to me. It was like the whole city was sharing a winning lottery ticket and going out on Commerce St. and getting out and hugging each other. It was surreal. That changed the course of history for the city. So unbelievable to go from a joke to champions.

[wildbill2u]

People tend to forget Alvin Robertson because the team wasn't great during those years and because of his later troubles with the law (which may still be going on I hear).

But he was our first DPOY and was all-NBA three times as a Spur. His specialty was steals and he led the league or was number 2 most years over a ten year span. He AVERAGED 2.7 steals per game for a 11 year career. To put that in perspective, our DPOY last year averaged 2.3. Alvin Was a good reliable scorer as well in the 17ppg range.

Believe it or not, at 6'3" and 185 he was our enforcer. Back in the day, every team had a guy who was responsible for 'give backs' . On one of the NBA Open Court shows, Reggie Miller said when he came in as a rookie, a veteran took him aside and told him not to trash talk or mess with Alvin Robertson. Other vets there nodded. Somebody mentioned when he lifted a big from an opposing team and physically moved him out of the way. Alvin was absolutely fearless in giving another player a shove, elbow or whatever it took. And nobody wanted to mess with him.

I still have an autographed ball by him. He brought some pizazz and national recognition to the Spurs while he was here in the down years and shouldn't be forgotten.

[baseline bum]

People tend to forget Alvin Robertson because the team wasn't great during those years and because of his later troubles with the law (which may still be going on I hear).

But he was our first DPOY and was all-NBA three times as a Spur. His specialty was steals and he led the league or was number 2 most years over a ten year span. He AVERAGED 2.7 steals per game for a 11 year career. To put that in perspective, our DPOY last year averaged 2.3. Alvin Was a good reliable scorer as well in the 17ppg range.

Believe it or not, at 6'3" and 185 he was our enforcer. Back in the day, every team had a guy who was responsible for 'give backs' . On one of the NBA Open Court shows, Reggie Miller said when he came in as a rookie, a veteran took him aside and told him not to trash talk or mess with Alvin Robertson. Other vets there nodded. Somebody mentioned when he lifted a big from an opposing team and physically moved him out of the way. Alvin was absolutely fearless in giving another player a shove, elbow or whatever it took. And nobody wanted to mess with him.

I still have an autographed ball by him. He brought some pizazz and national recognition to the Spurs while he was here in the down years and shouldn't be forgotten.

I loved Alvin, but fuck him pimping out a 14 year-old.

[Spurtacular]

87-88 and 88-89 were just all about waiting for David Robinson. The Spurs drastically lowered ticket prices to get people into the arena. My tickets were $7.50 a game as a member of the bums and they were great seats

Par for the course back then. Ticket prices are out of control, nowadays.

[wildbill2u]

85-86 was a really rough season to be a Spurs fan. Their starting point guard Johnny Moore got desert fever (http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-31/sports/26055383_1_desert-fever-johnny-moore-regular-headaches) and almost died. Ice was traded for David Greenwood before the season. The Spurs first round pick Alfrederick Hughes was an unimaginably bad bust. The arena was empty as hell. People would wear bags on their heads like Clipper fans. And none of the fans liked Cotton Fitzsimmons, everyone used to talk about how bad the team's coaching was that year.

86-87 got off to a really disastrous start since the team's big free agent acquisition, Mychal Thompson, was such a bust. Thankfully they traded him to LA for Frank Brickowski, who instantly became a fan favorite. And Thompson ended up a nice supporting player in LA, don't know why he was so bad here. Even though the team's record was worse, I liked the direction the team was going in way more with Brickowski and they also landed Walter Berry for Kevin Duckworth. Berry was a pretty nice player for a couple of years. And I loved the Johhny Dawkins pick.

87-88 and 88-89 were just all about waiting for David Robinson. The Spurs drastically lowered ticket prices to get people into the arena. My tickets were $7.50 a game as a member of the bums and they were great seats, much better than the bums' seats in the dome and in AT&T Center. And it was really nice to see Johnny Moore back for a few games, Spurs fans were so worried for his health and we went nuts any time Johhny showed up to a game as a fan since we could see he was doing well again. But to see him in uniform was awesome. The Johnny Dawkins injury sucked because he was developing into a really nice player, but then a Willie Anderson and Alvin Robertson backcourt with DRob the next season looked like it was going to be incredible. Of course we were all mad as hell when Alvin got traded, but obviously that worked out great for the team to get TC.

A couple of things that I remembered after reading your post:

1. Walter Berry sucked. He was a first round draft pick because he was a big star in college, but he was too slow and couldn't jump. He was a shooter with a 10=15' range and that's about it. We got rid of him after two years and he bounce to two other teams in two years and bounced out of the league. To be fair, I think he had an injury his second year in Portland so maybe he was just never fully recovered physically. We traded him for Dallas Comegys who wasn't an all-star/

2. With regard to Johnny Moore, the Spurs did something there that I've always respected. Johnny was a fan favorite and his jersey hangs in the rafters. Personally, I never thought he was that great, but his bout with Desert Fever, contracted on a game trip to Phoenix, clearly ended his career. Nasty stuff.

When it became apparent that even with his attempted rehab that the symptoms (chronic fatigue, rheumatism) were going to permanently prevent him from playing, THE SPURS RESIGNED HIM TO A CONTRACT AND LET HIM PLAY BRIEFLY IN A FEW GAMES. The reason? Under the NBA players contract, in order to qualify for a pension, a player had to be under contract for 5 years with a minimum number of games played. The Spurs let Johnny fill those requirements so he would get a pension. People say that the NBA is a business, and it is, but I've never seen another team do that for a player. This wasn't done with any publicity or with even a statement from the team about it. But it should be known and recognized by the newer fans.

[Clipper Nation]

85-86 was a really rough season to be a Spurs fan. Their starting point guard Johnny Moore got desert fever (http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-31/sports/26055383_1_desert-fever-johnny-moore-regular-headaches) and almost died. Ice was traded for David Greenwood before the season. The Spurs first round pick Alfrederick Hughes was an unimaginably bad bust. The arena was empty as hell. People would wear bags on their heads like Clipper fans. And none of the fans liked Cotton Fitzsimmons, everyone used to talk about how bad the team's coaching was that year.

86-87 got off to a really disastrous start since the team's big free agent acquisition, Mychal Thompson, was such a bust. Thankfully they traded him to LA for Frank Brickowski, who instantly became a fan favorite. And Thompson ended up a nice supporting player in LA, don't know why he was so bad here. Even though the team's record was worse, I liked the direction the team was going in way more with Brickowski and they also landed Walter Berry for Kevin Duckworth. Berry was a pretty nice player for a couple of years. And I loved the Johhny Dawkins pick.

87-88 and 88-89 were just all about waiting for David Robinson. The Spurs drastically lowered ticket prices to get people into the arena. My tickets were $7.50 a game as a member of the bums and they were great seats, much better than the bums' seats in the dome and in AT&T Center. And it was really nice to see Johnny Moore back for a few games, Spurs fans were so worried for his health and we went nuts any time Johhny showed up to a game as a fan since we could see he was doing well again. But to see him in uniform was awesome. The Johnny Dawkins injury sucked because he was developing into a really nice player, but then a Willie Anderson and Alvin Robertson backcourt with DRob the next season looked like it was going to be incredible. Of course we were all mad as hell when Alvin got traded, but obviously that worked out great for the team to get TC.

You really are the walking encyclopedia of Spurs history.

[Silver&Black]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=158)

:wow

Poor Blazers fans....what could have been.

[Thomas82]

Par for the course back then. Ticket prices are out of control, nowadays.

I heard the ticket prices were the cheapest in the NBA or close to it.

[Spurtacular]

I heard the ticket prices were the cheapest in the NBA or close to it.

Probably based on the averages of all those cheap nose bleeds in the Alamo Dome. But good tickets for sporting events pre 90s often came in at under $10.

[benefactor]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII
Jesus

[Maddog]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII


:wow

Poor Blazers fans....what could have been.


Jesus

Even more fun- Portland traded Jermaine O'Neil to Indy for Dale Davis in 2000
Davis had one decent season in Portland 9.5/8.8 while O'neil had a run of 6 straight all star appearences a season after being traded.

[toki9]

People tend to forget Alvin Robertson because the team wasn't great during those years and because of his later troubles with the law (which may still be going on I hear).

But he was our first DPOY and was all-NBA three times as a Spur. His specialty was steals and he led the league or was number 2 most years over a ten year span. He AVERAGED 2.7 steals per game for a 11 year career. To put that in perspective, our DPOY last year averaged 2.3. Alvin Was a good reliable scorer as well in the 17ppg range.

Believe it or not, at 6'3" and 185 he was our enforcer. Back in the day, every team had a guy who was responsible for 'give backs' . On one of the NBA Open Court shows, Reggie Miller said when he came in as a rookie, a veteran took him aside and told him not to trash talk or mess with Alvin Robertson. Other vets there nodded. Somebody mentioned when he lifted a big from an opposing team and physically moved him out of the way. Alvin was absolutely fearless in giving another player a shove, elbow or whatever it took. And nobody wanted to mess with him.

I still have an autographed ball by him. He brought some pizazz and national recognition to the Spurs while he was here in the down years and shouldn't be forgotten.

Didn't he have a quad-double once? Anybody remember Johnny Dawkins and why he didn't work out?

[Ocotillo]

86-87 got off to a really disastrous start since the team's big free agent acquisition, Mychal Thompson, was such a bust. Thankfully they traded him to LA for Frank Brickowski, who instantly became a fan favorite.

In addition to Brick, the Spurs got Petur Gudmonsson a big stiff from Iceland who was huge and a draft pick that became Cadillac Anderson. The Lakers fans felt like they got over on the Spurs on that trade but it worked out well for both teams.

[bigfan]

At the time I was stationed in the DC area and one time I went to a Spurs/Bullets game. There was a lull in the game and I yelled at the top of my lungs "One more year!" to coach Bob Weiss and he knew I was referring to Robinson, who was drafted but doing his Navy time. Weiss laughed and smiled. As for that time period, man, I remember there was a photo run in te newspaper and Johnny Moore was like unconscious on a stretcher going into the ER and everyone thought he was dead, Im so glad he pulled thru and the guy I still tink was the second best PG we ever had. Somebody brought up Fitzsimmons, man I hated that asshole. He replaced Albeck (who was great) and started the era of "Rotten Ball".

[Maddog]

Didn't he have a quad-double once? Anybody remember Johnny Dawkins and why he didn't work out?
Dawkins had injury issues- I can't remember the details, but they plagued him the rest of his career. In his 3rd year Larry Brown took over. Brown wanted a more traditional point guard and traded him for Mo Cheeks. To some extent it worked out as Cheeks was then traded for Strickland- That sort of work out.... While Dawkins had one decent season after that.

[baseline bum]

At the time I was stationed in the DC area and one time I went to a Spurs/Bullets game. There was a lull in the game and I yelled at the top of my lungs "One more year!" to coach Bob Weiss and he knew I was referring to Robinson, who was drafted but doing his Navy time. Weiss laughed and smiled. As for that time period, man, I remember there was a photo run in te newspaper and Johnny Moore was like unconscious on a stretcher going into the ER and everyone thought he was dead, Im so glad he pulled thru and the guy I still tink was the second best PG we ever had. Somebody brought up Fitzsimmons, man I hated that asshole. He replaced Albeck (who was great) and started the era of "Rotten Ball".

Haha Bob Weiss. I was a little kid and went with my dad to the Spurs draft party when they drafted Johnny Dawkins, and I saw Bob walking by and asked "Why did you bring back MIKE BRITTAIN!?!" He just kind of threw a hand up in the air and said "eh" while giving me a look like it wasn't his idea. :lol

[tlongII]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII

:flipoff

[Mugen]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=158)

:rollin

[Maddog]

Haha Bob Weiss. I was a little kid and went with my dad to the Spurs draft party when they drafted Johnny Dawkins, and I saw Bob walking by and asked "Why did you bring back MIKE BRITTAIN!?!" He just kind of threw a hand up in the air and said "eh" while giving me a look like it wasn't his idea. :lol

I sort of feel Bob Weiss got screwed. He was slowly building a team and just before Robinson came aboard- Boom- McCombs brings in Larry Brown. At the time I thought it was a great move but in retrospect?
Of course Brown brings in Pop as an assistant and so it went...
In some ways Larry Brown may no have been the best coach for that team. Strickland remained a problem child after he left- Willie Andersons career was still headed down with injuries and bad behavior ....

[Brazil]

Dude, Bird was drafted in 1978. LOL Portland passing on Bird for Thompson, Jordan for Bowie, Durant for Oden. :lol

LOL the Blazers also traded Moses Malone to get that pick. :lmao

:lmao tlongII (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=158)

are you kidding ? I did not realize they passed on Bird too.. wtf :lmao

[Brazil]

:flipoff

Bird too ?

oh god :lol

[baseline bum]

are you kidding ? I did not realize they passed on Bird too.. wtf :lmao

To be fair, the Celtics used a loophole to draft Bird. Namely, they drafted him after his junior season, so he went back to Indiana State for the 1978-79 season and the Celtics signed him to a contract before the 1979 draft so that he wouldn't be eligible for it. What's funny is the Lakers had the #5 pick that year and traded it (Bird was taken #6). Otherwise, they could have had Bird, Magic, and Abdul-Jabbar. :lol

But still, Portland traded Moses Malone away. :lmao

[Brazil]

To be fair, the Celtics used a loophole to draft Bird. Namely, they drafted him after his junior season, so he went back to Indiana State for the 1978-79 season and the Celtics signed him to a contract before the 1979 draft so that he wouldn't be eligible for it. What's funny is the Lakers had the #5 pick that year and traded it (Bird was taken #6). Otherwise, they could have had Bird, Magic, and Abdul-Jabbar. :lol

But still, Portland traded Moses Malone away. :lmao

:lol

The Jordan fiasco would have been enough to make Portland the unluckiest / most uncompetent FO ever and then you just add Durant, Malone etc... being a portland fan must suck... spurs fans that already bitch a lot about Spurs FO draft would have killed themselves a long time ago if they were Portland fans

[SuperCam]

blazers are still only team in the league with reg season winning records vs spurs though

[Thomas82]

To be fair, the Celtics used a loophole to draft Bird. Namely, they drafted him after his junior season, so he went back to Indiana State for the 1978-79 season and the Celtics signed him to a contract before the 1979 draft so that he wouldn't be eligible for it. What's funny is the Lakers had the #5 pick that year and traded it (Bird was taken #6). Otherwise, they could have had Bird, Magic, and Abdul-Jabbar. :lol

But still, Portland traded Moses Malone away. :lmao

WOW!!

[wildbill2u]

Par for the course back then. Ticket prices are out of control, nowadays.

My original season tickets were on the floor, eight rows up from the Spurs Bench. They were $5.00 per ticket per game. I had four so my wife and kids could go and my best friend had two next to me. In those days a family with a middle class income could go to the games. Tickets had a slow but steady rise over the years, but occasionally the Spurs would have special sales on the nosebleed seats in the upper decks of the old Hemisfair Arena. By the time of the Down Years of this thread I think my seats were in the $15--20 range. Eventually, around 1987-90, I moved down to a couple of front row seats on floor level across from the visitors bench and they were $50 per game. I moved out of town just in time before the huge increase in those seats along with the new requirement to have to buy a membership in the Corral which used to be free to anyone who wanted to go in. I couldn't afford any of those season tickets today.

[Thomas82]

My original season tickets were on the floor, eight rows up from the Spurs Bench. They were $5.00 per ticket per game. I had four so my wife and kids could go and my best friend had two next to me. In those days a family with a middle class income could go to the games. Tickets had a slow but steady rise over the years, but occasionally the Spurs would have special sales on the nosebleed seats in the upper decks of the old Hemisfair Arena. By the time of the Down Years of this thread I think my seats were in the $15--20 range. Eventually, around 1987-90, I moved down to a couple of front row seats on floor level across from the visitors bench and they were $50 per game. I moved out of town just in time before the huge increase in those seats along with the new requirement to have to buy a membership in the Corral which used to be free to anyone who wanted to go in. I couldn't afford any of those season tickets today.

Wouldn't it be nice if tickets could be that cheap again? A man can dream.

[wildbill2u]

Wouldn't it be nice if tickets could be that cheap again? A man can dream.

My son learned to love the Spurs from going to the games with me. One of the things about being a father I can point to with pride. He returned the favor in 2013 and 2014 by flying in from Las Vegas and taking me to a home Finals game. The game in 2014 was the championship game.

Going to a finals game with your son: $850 ticket Spurs winning the championship at the game: Priceless

[Thomas82]

My son learned to love the Spurs from going to the games with me. One of the things about being a father I can point to with pride. He returned the favor in 2013 and 2014 by flying in from Las Vegas and taking me to a home Finals game. The game in 2014 was the championship game.

Going to a finals game with your son: $850 ticket Spurs winning the championship at the game: Priceless

Yeah, you can't put a price tag on that.

[hsxvvd]

Great thread. Enjoyable read. As an international fan who jumped aboard in 91 it's great to hear some 'history' from the fans.

[Thomas82]

Great thread. Enjoyable read. As an international fan who jumped aboard in 91 it's great to hear some 'history' from the fans.

Cosign!! I'm not old enough to remember anything before 1988.

[gospursgojas]

I thought the down years were 08-11.

Roger Mason Jr
Keith Bogans
Kurt Thomas
Matt Bonner
Ime Udoka
Dejuan Blair
Richard Jefferson

[fusionjazzman72]

At the time I was stationed in the DC area and one time I went to a Spurs/Bullets game. There was a lull in the game and I yelled at the top of my lungs "One more year!" to coach Bob Weiss and he knew I was referring to Robinson, who was drafted but doing his Navy time. Weiss laughed and smiled. As for that time period, man, I remember there was a photo run in te newspaper and Johnny Moore was like unconscious on a stretcher going into the ER and everyone thought he was dead, Im so glad he pulled thru and the guy I still tink was the second best PG we ever had. Somebody brought up Fitzsimmons, man I hated that asshole. He replaced Albeck (who was great) and started the era of "Rotten Ball".

Let's not forget that Stan Albeck was being pursued by the New Jersey Nets, was still under contract with the Spurs and from what I remember Albeck became the first Coach ever traded for players. That to me was the beginning of the dark era, then ice being traded etc ..

[Gervin44Silas13]

OMG Yes

Gervin Being traded....
J. Moore Getting Desert Fever
I think in 1984 the Spurs had like 22 Different players on that team

Alvin Robertson was the only highlight of those dark days till he was traded

Calvin Natt, Albert King, Walter Berry, Peter Goodmonson, Kurt Nimphius, Jon Sunvold (That sucked when he got injured), David Greenwood...that faggot cocksucker Mycheal Thompson, Kevin Fuckworth I mean Duckworth, Willie Anderson, Johnny Dawkins.....

and when everyone was a Lakers Celtics Bulls and Piston fan...Fuck you all cause u hated the Spurs cause they were losing band wagon fucks!!!

This is the reason why I fucking hate these teams!!!

[Thomas82]

Let's not forget that Stan Albeck was being pursued by the New Jersey Nets, was still under contract with the Spurs and from what I remember Albeck became the first Coach ever traded for players. That to me was the beginning of the dark era, then ice being traded etc ..

Those things are what accelerated the team's decline.

[wildbill2u]

The years from 1983-1990 were the pits for Spurs fans. We had become used to having teams that won over 50 games and had some really exciting players. We were spoiled and thought our team was going to win all the time.

All of a sudden, our first group of super stars, Gervin and Silas and Larry Kenon, were gone and although we had some stars like Artis Gilmore and Alvin Robertson, the team just didn't have enough quality players--and maybe coaching--to deliver the success we had become used to. That's when you learn to love the effort put out by lesser players in regular season games and cheer for the wins like never before because they were so hard to come by.

It's the true test of a fan base, my friends. And we will be very very lucky to avoid a down phase here when the Big 3 leave. Sure the FO is trying to replace them, but they are irreplaceable. You just don't have 3 Hall of Famers on one team for so many years any more. The continuity as much as their individual skills has been a significant part of the unbelievable run of 16 Fifty-plus Win seasons. Most NBA coaches and players believe that is a record that will probably never be equaled. So we are spoiled rotten--and probably don't appreciate what we have had over this long period of time. I'm gonna wring every last drop of the juice out of this experience and so should all of us.

No other team's fans have had this wonderful run of success--or will ever have it again.

[Thomas82]

The years from 1983-1990 were the pits for Spurs fans. We had become used to having teams that won over 50 games and had some really exciting players. We were spoiled and thought our team was going to win all the time.

All of a sudden, our first group of super stars, Gervin and Silas and Larry Kenon, were gone and although we had some stars like Artis Gilmore and Alvin Robertson, the team just didn't have enough quality players--and maybe coaching--to deliver the success we had become used to. That's when you learn to love the effort put out by lesser players in regular season games and cheer for the wins like never before because they were so hard to come by.

It's the true test of a fan base, my friends. And we will be very very lucky to avoid a down phase here when the Big 3 leave. Sure the FO is trying to replace them, but they are irreplaceable. You just don't have 3 Hall of Famers on one team for so many years any more. The continuity as much as their individual skills has been a significant part of the unbelievable run of 16 Fifty-plus Win seasons. Most NBA coaches and players believe that is a record that will probably never be equaled. So we are spoiled rotten--and probably don't appreciate what we have had over this long period of time. I'm gonna wring every last drop of the juice out of this experience and so should all of us.

No other team's fans have had this wonderful run of success--or will ever have it again.

+1

[bigfan]

I remember Albeck as a damn good run and gun coach, the Spurs were fun to watch when he was here; as soon as he left it went to shit.

[Harry Callahan]

Par for the course back then. Ticket prices are out of control, nowadays.

My parents bought courtside floor seats for me in '79 when I was a kid and they were $9. Different times.

[Harry Callahan]

The years from 1983-1990 were the pits for Spurs fans. We had become used to having teams that won over 50 games and had some really exciting players. We were spoiled and thought our team was going to win all the time.

All of a sudden, our first group of super stars, Gervin and Silas and Larry Kenon, were gone and although we had some stars like Artis Gilmore and Alvin Robertson, the team just didn't have enough quality players--and maybe coaching--to deliver the success we had become used to. That's when you learn to love the effort put out by lesser players in regular season games and cheer for the wins like never before because they were so hard to come by.

It's the true test of a fan base, my friends. And we will be very very lucky to avoid a down phase here when the Big 3 leave. Sure the FO is trying to replace them, but they are irreplaceable. You just don't have 3 Hall of Famers on one team for so many years any more. The continuity as much as their individual skills has been a significant part of the unbelievable run of 16 Fifty-plus Win seasons. Most NBA coaches and players believe that is a record that will probably never be equaled. So we are spoiled rotten--and probably don't appreciate what we have had over this long period of time. I'm gonna wring every last drop of the juice out of this experience and so should all of us.

No other team's fans have had this wonderful run of success--or will ever have it again.

The Spurs have been lucky AND smart since Pop and RC took over the show.

I saw a number of games in the post Gervin/pre Robinson period and it was ugly at times but in reality it was a really brief window of bad basketball.

I think SA played in the Western Conference finals the first year of Artis Gilmore being on the team. It sank quickly after that.

Alvin Robertson was a very very talented player, but like you say there was little to surround him with. The team was bad and he rolled up strong numbers. Alvin's anger issues were always a concern and eventually got the best of him with the criminal activity.

The Spurs have had one bad year since 1989 - ONE! The fateful 1996 - 1997 team. We're fortunate/spoiled for sure.

I will get to the arena this year for sure so I can (hopefully) see Duncan, Parker, and Manu on the floor again. It's been an awesome journey, and good things may still be in the future with the supporting cast now in place.

[Harry Callahan]

I remember Albeck as a damn good run and gun coach, the Spurs were fun to watch when he was here; as soon as he left it went to shit.

I think Stan got crosswise with Managing General Partner Angelo Drossos (not the first time that happened to a coach). Stan was a fine coach in the early 80's.

Does anyone remember Morris McHone? The Spurs had a bad start in 1983 (11-20) and Bob Bass fired him and took the job. This was the start of the only truly bad stretch of basketball for the Spurs over several years. Seems like an eternity ago.

I looked on Wiki and found Mo McHone had a job with the Austin Toros in the last 4-5 years.

[Harry Callahan]

My son learned to love the Spurs from going to the games with me. One of the things about being a father I can point to with pride. He returned the favor in 2013 and 2014 by flying in from Las Vegas and taking me to a home Finals game. The game in 2014 was the championship game.

Going to a finals game with your son: $850 ticket Spurs winning the championship at the game: Priceless

That's awesome. I was able to go to the game 1 2014 WCF against OKC with my family. My one (and only) playoff game. Pretty cool too. My son wears a Tiago Splitter jersey we bought at that game all the time.

[Maddog]

I think Stan got crosswise with Managing General Partner Angelo Drossos (not the first time that happened to a coach). Stan was a fine coach in the early 80's.

Does anyone remember Morris McHone? The Spurs had a bad start in 1983 (11-20) and Bob Bass fired him and took the job. This was the start of the only truly bad stretch of basketball for the Spurs over several years. Seems like an eternity ago.

I looked on Wiki and found Mo McHone had a job with the Austin Toros in the last 4-5 years.

I seem to remember McHone got into a fight with Allen Bristow the assistant coach (back then teams had only one- now the Spurs have 20+).

[baseline bum]

The years from 1983-1990 were the pits for Spurs fans. We had become used to having teams that won over 50 games and had some really exciting players. We were spoiled and thought our team was going to win all the time.

All of a sudden, our first group of super stars, Gervin and Silas and Larry Kenon, were gone and although we had some stars like Artis Gilmore and Alvin Robertson, the team just didn't have enough quality players--and maybe coaching--to deliver the success we had become used to. That's when you learn to love the effort put out by lesser players in regular season games and cheer for the wins like never before because they were so hard to come by.

It's the true test of a fan base, my friends. And we will be very very lucky to avoid a down phase here when the Big 3 leave. Sure the FO is trying to replace them, but they are irreplaceable. You just don't have 3 Hall of Famers on one team for so many years any more. The continuity as much as their individual skills has been a significant part of the unbelievable run of 16 Fifty-plus Win seasons. Most NBA coaches and players believe that is a record that will probably never be equaled. So we are spoiled rotten--and probably don't appreciate what we have had over this long period of time. I'm gonna wring every last drop of the juice out of this experience and so should all of us.

No other team's fans have had this wonderful run of success--or will ever have it again.

I gotta say I'm glad I started following the Spurs in those really down years, it helps you appreciate how amazing things have been. 85-86 was when I first started following the team and it may have been the worst year in franchise history in retrospect with Ice being traded before the season started, Johnny Moore getting sick, drafting Alfrederick the Great, Hemisfair Arena being at like 40% capacity unless the Lakers or Celtics were in town, and Cotton Fitzsimmons coaching the team. But it was still fun as hell going to the games, and Alvin Robertson, Artis Gilmore, Mike Mitchell, David Greenwood, all these guys were great with their fans. It still pisses me off all the shit Alvin got into because we fucking loved him, all anyone could talk about after winning the lottery was how devastating Alvin + DRob were going to be together.

[Thomas82]

I gotta say I'm glad I started following the Spurs in those really down years, it helps you appreciate how amazing things have been. 85-86 was when I first started following the team and it may have been the worst year in franchise history in retrospect with Ice being traded before the season started, Johnny Moore getting sick, drafting Alfrederick the Great, Hemisfair Arena being at like 40% capacity unless the Lakers or Celtics were in town, and Cotton Fitzsimmons coaching the team. But it was still fun as hell going to the games, and Alvin Robertson, Artis Gilmore, Mike Mitchell, David Greenwood, all these guys were great with their fans. It still pisses me off all the shit Alvin got into because we fucking loved him, all anyone could talk about after winning the lottery was how devastating Alvin + DRob were going to be together.

I never get tired of reading your posts, especially about those old Spurs teams.

[turkish spurs fan]

1985 - 1989 = -4

[baseline bum]

My parents bought courtside floor seats for me in '79 when I was a kid and they were $9. Different times.

One of the nice things about the Spurs dry run in the post-Gervin era was you could sneak down to the courtside seats in the fourth quarter. One of those times my dad took this great pic of Charles Barkley doing a two hand jam and then gave him a big print of it the next year when Philly was in town. :lol

Still, my best seat ever was when my dad got me picked to be the honorary ball boy one night, and I got to sit in that birdcage basket support. The game is so unbelievably physical when you're watching from a couple of feet behind the paint.

[bigfan]

One of the best things about those years at Hemisfair Arena was you could buy a cheapo ticket and after the first quarter move right down to the empty deluxorama seats, the few ushers that were there were cool. Oh yeah, Volver at the end of the third quarter!

[Thomas82]

One of the nice things about the Spurs dry run in the post-Gervin era was you could sneak down to the courtside seats in the fourth quarter. One of those times my dad took this great pic of Charles Barkley doing a two hand jam and then gave him a big print of it the next year when Philly was in town. :lol

Still, my best seat ever was when my dad got me picked to be the honorary ball boy one night, and I got to sit in that birdcage basket support. The game is so unbelievably physical when you're watching from a couple of feet behind the paint.


One of the best things about those years at Hemisfair Arena was you could buy a cheapo ticket and after the first quarter move right down to the empty deluxorama seats, the few ushers that were there were cool. Oh yeah, Volver at the end of the third quarter!

That sounded like fun.....too bad I wouldn't have been old enough to remember any of it......at least before 1988.

[baseline bum]

One of the best things about those years at Hemisfair Arena was you could buy a cheapo ticket and after the first quarter move right down to the empty deluxorama seats, the few ushers that were there were cool. Oh yeah, Volver at the end of the third quarter!

I tried doing that at Staples Center one time when the section below me was 90% empty at a Spurs-Clippers game in 2000 and the ushers there were having no part of it. :lol

[Thomas82]

I tried doing that at Staples Center one time when the section below me was 90% empty at a Spurs-Clippers game in 2000 and the ushers there were having no part of it. :lol

Times have definitely changed.

[Harry Callahan]

One of the nice things about the Spurs dry run in the post-Gervin era was you could sneak down to the courtside seats in the fourth quarter. One of those times my dad took this great pic of Charles Barkley doing a two hand jam and then gave him a big print of it the next year when Philly was in town. :lol

Still, my best seat ever was when my dad got me picked to be the honorary ball boy one night, and I got to sit in that birdcage basket support. The game is so unbelievably physical when you're watching from a couple of feet behind the paint.

I think Alvin with David would have been lethal in 1989, but Terry Cummings was really good and Willie Anderson was a fine player as well at the 2 guard.

I had fun watching things turn so quickly with D Rob on the floor. It was also fun (living in Dallas after college) to watch the Robinson team wipe out the Mavericks on a regular basis in the early 1990s - tickets were not hard to come by then in Dallas.

[Horse]

I don't know if it's just me, but I see it's hard to find info on the Spurs from 1985 to 1989. You really have to hunt for it, and the stuff that you do find, it's not a whole lot. I know the Spurs made the playoffs with losing records in 2 of those years. I also know that Alvin Robertson was the team's best player.

My earliest memories of the Spurs are from the 88-89 season, when I was 9 years old. I remember that team having Robertson, Vernon Maxwell, Willie Anderson, and Johnny Dawkins on it. That was the year I became a Spurs fan, and since I was living in Cleveland at that time, I only got to see them on TV twice that season when they played the Cavs. I also remember them losing both games. In doing research I noticed one other thing.............the Spurs suited up 22 players that season.

Can anybody that was old enough to remember those Spurs teams elaborate on the bad years for me? Thanks in advance!!

Oh how I hated depending on the tv schedule to see the Spurs. I became a fan around 91-92. Speaking of Cleveland don't know what yr but do you remember the game Drob stole the inbounds and threw one down basically at the buzzer for the win?

[Thomas82]

Oh how I hated depending on the tv schedule to see the Spurs. I became a fan around 91-92. Speaking of Cleveland don't know what yr but do you remember the game Drob stole the inbounds and threw one down basically at the buzzer for the win?

I definitely remember that.....I believe it was 1992.

[Biggems]

how did bird get drafted in 78 but play in 79 for his college team?

[baseline bum]

Bird played for Indiana St. in the 78-79 season......

I cannot believe you guys don't recall the Michigan St. vs. Indiana St. 1979 Championship game.....I don't mean actually watching it, but hearing about it all throughout the careers of both players. I mean it has been discussed so many times for the last 3 decades even.

Both players were drafted in the 79 draft and were rookies in the 79-80 season....the one where Magic won Finals MVP.

Bird was drafted in the 1978 draft. Back then there was a loophole in the draft that allowed you to take someone a year early as long as you got him signed to a contract before the next year's draft took place, which is exactly what Red Auerbach did to steal Bird with the #6 pick in the 1978 draft. That loophole was closed the next year. Brilliant move by Auerbach to land the best player in the country with a mid lotto pick. That probably has to be the greatest pick in the history of the league, Bird was an obvious franchise player with how great he made Indiana State.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1978.html

[Biggems]

Bird was drafted in the 1978 draft. Back then there was a loophole in the draft that allowed you to take someone a year early as long as you got him signed to a contract before the next year's draft took place, which is exactly what Red Auerbach did to steal Bird with the #6 pick in the 1978 draft. That loophole was closed the next year. Brilliant move by Auerbach to land the best player in the country with a mid lotto pick.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1978.html

yeah after I posted and I went back and looked it up.....that is a weird loophole......imagine if it were around today, maybe it is.

[baseline bum]

yeah after I posted and I went back and looked it up.....that is a weird loophole......imagine if it were around today, maybe it is.

Can you imagine how pissed the GMs of the first five teams to pick must have been when they saw Boston pick Bird? :lmao

[Biggems]

Well I was looking at the 79 draft, and we could have had Laimbeer....he went 2 picks after us in the 3rd.

Also, when we picked Hughes, we could have had Joe Dumars. Imagine a backcourt of Dumars and Robertson.

[Harry Callahan]

Well I was looking at the 79 draft, and we could have had Laimbeer....he went 2 picks after us in the 3rd.

Also, when we picked Hughes, we could have had Joe Dumars. Imagine a backcourt of Dumars and Robertson.

Bob Bass and Doug Moe knew nothing about drafting players. That's why the Spurs could not get past the Bullets or the Lakers back then.

The Spurs drafted Wiley Peck in the first round in 1979 - a hands of stone no talent.

[Thomas82]

Bob Bass and Doug Moe knew nothing about drafting players. That's why the Spurs could not get past the Bullets or the Lakers back then.

The Spurs drafted Wiley Peck in the first round in 1979 - a hands of stone no talent.

You can say that again!!

[DMC]

None of that seems that long ago. I laugh at these new Spurs fans who don't recall missing the playoffs. Still 16 years a fan is a long time, but back in them days it was rough.

[Harry Callahan]

None of that seems that long ago. I laugh at these new Spurs fans who don't recall missing the playoffs. Still 16 years a fan is a long time, but back in them days it was rough.

When I was a kid and getting into Spurs basketball, I was grateful for playoff appearances, but serious contention was not really what was going on. It would take a lot of luck and another team screwing up - often times it was the LA Lakers with their illegitimately loaded teams from the 1980's. As as result, the Spurs never really seriously threatened getting to the finals until David and Tim played together. The Spurs only had one series where they could have gone to the finals with one win and that was in 1979 against the Bullets. They coughed up a 3-1 lead (I think) and did not win the EASTERN Conference. Those Spurs teams simply ignored defense and had to outscore opponents - not well rounded teams. The 1995 Playoffs against Houston was the other heartbreaker, but the Spurs never got to an elimination game (they lost the 6th game and the series). Houston has won maybe 2-3 Playoff series since then while the Spurs have won so many series I can't even keep an accurate count (35-40 series)?

The Spurs shifted to the West in 1980 or 1981. The Spurs next game in the Conference Finals with a chance to take the conference was in 1999 (LOB #1).

[Thomas82]

None of that seems that long ago. I laugh at these new Spurs fans who don't recall missing the playoffs. Still 16 years a fan is a long time, but back in them days it was rough.

I don't go as far back as a lot of fans on this board. Since I wasn't born until 1979, the only 2 seasons of missing the playoffs I remember are the 88-89 season (when I became a Spurs fan) and of course the 96-97 season.

[Thomas82]

Well I was looking at the 79 draft, and we could have had Laimbeer....he went 2 picks after us in the 3rd.

Also, when we picked Hughes, we could have had Joe Dumars. Imagine a backcourt of Dumars and Robertson.

SMH

[exstatic]

blazers are still only team in the league with reg season winning records vs spurs though

Expect the Spurs to remedy that this season. The Blazers are going to be old time Clippers bad.

[exstatic]

I thought the down years were 08-11.

Roger Mason Jr
Keith Bogans
Kurt Thomas
Matt Bonner
Ime Udoka
Dejuan Blair
Richard Jefferson

Typical spoiled Spurs fan take. We made the playoffs every year during that span.

OP nailed the "down years" perfectly. Amazingly, the Spurs have only missed the playoffs FOUR TIMES since they joined the NBA in 1977. Three of those were during the OP's stated time period.

[exstatic]

07/08-11/12 = what a waste of duncans youth years....handing the keys to a waste of a molecule

Boy, what an idiot you are. Those were NOT Duncan's youth years. He was already 31 at the start of your arbitrary time period. A professional athlete's peak is at 27.

[DMC]

I don't go as far back as a lot of fans on this board. Since I wasn't born until 1979, the only 2 seasons of missing the playoffs I remember are the 88-89 season (when I became a Spurs fan) and of course the 96-97 season.
Exactly, but what made it rough wasn't knowing you had a shitty team. It was thinking maybe you didn't, and then finding out you did. Imagine the Blazers ad nauseum.

[Thomas82]

Exactly, but what made it rough wasn't knowing you had a shitty team. It was thinking maybe you didn't, and then finding out you did. Imagine the Blazers ad nauseum.

Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I completely understand this.