Ocotillo
05-06-2008, 06:45 PM
I remember back in the day when the Twin Towers began to roll and the Spurs finally looked like they may have a shot at winning the LOB and not just being competitive as they had been for so many years in the past. Despite a dry period in the mid 80s, the Spurs were one of the winningest franchises in the NBA. A lucky bounce of a ping pong ball and a good luck chameleon in Bob Bass' pocket and the fate of a franchise was forever changed.
The Spurs and their fans had every reason to feel like the red headed stepchild in those salad days. Despite having heroes such as Silas, Moore, Gilmore, Robertson, Kenon, the Big Whopper and of course a fellow we all love known simply as "Ice", San Antonio felt slighted in many ways by the "powers that be". Fans believed the NBA would never allow a small market franchise like San Antonio have a real shot at winning it all. It also didn't help that they were an ABA club before joining the league as well. Certainly, the league needed a few more easy wins for the Celtics and Lakers didn't they? And when the Knicks won the first lottery to claim Patrick Ewing, it only went further to convince the conspiracy theorists that the fix was in.
Oh sure, the thrill of having an major league franchise led San Antonians to pack a bad arena with a racous crowd every night. The place was terrible by NBA standards but we all loved it and the intimacy of the band box made it that much louder and harder for opposing teams to play in. Good times. Al Sturgio and his band playing Volvare, guacamole on Larry Brown's blazer, the Cotton Eyed Joe and Gervin winning the scoring title, it was all good. Well not quite. Something was missing even in the heyday. A championship. Despite everything, the Spurs were that lovable bunch that were tough in the playoffs but somehow Magic and Kareem always seemed to prevail. Then the age and cocaine caught up with the Iceman.
Cotton Fitzsimmons shipped Ice to Chicago and the sky was not quite as blue. The Spurs began to decline. Mo McHone, Bob Weiss, Alfrederick Hughes, things just got worse and worse. Until that fateful day when improbably, the Spurs won the lottery.
We would have to wait for two years to get the Admiral. Rick Barry said on TV that Robinson should not sign with the Spurs and become a free agent and sign with the Lakers. Was it karma that caused Papa Barry to refer to Bill Russell's wide smile in an old photo as a "watermelon eatin' grin" also on national TV leading to his becoming a network pariah?
I think the way a lot of Spurs fans felt in the past prior to Robinson and eventually Duncan is the way the Hornet fans feel today. Heck when the Spurs began to emerge as not just a competitive playoff foe but a viable option to win it all in the late 90s, I myself used to troll other message boards getting banned for taunting the opposing teams faithful. Now I don't even visit the other boards let alone post on them. In the league, the Spurs have a target on their back. Every team gets up for the champs. They almost always get the opponent's "A" game.
Here on the message board, we fans have our own target of sorts. Fans from every other competitive team in the league come here especially if their team has managed to win a game against the Spurs. It goes with the territory. It may be the only time they get to crow about something all season.
Time waits for no man though. Eventually playoff experience loses because playoff experience gets old and doesn't keep up with a younger set of talented legs. Going into the playoffs this year I knew it was going to be tough. Look at the final standings in the West and there just wasn't going to be any games let alone series where you could coast. Phoenix is one hell of a good team. New Orleans is even scarier. I think it gets easier for San Antonio if they somehow get past the Hornets. The road got harder though because being a Spurs fan, I figured we would prevail in the series but I also thought we would leave New Orleans with a split.
All the cliches become real for the Spurs now. They have to take this one game at a time because all of a sudden, they have to beat a very good New Orleans team 4 out of 5 games. It can be done, but the odds just got longer.
I would like to see Bowen guarding Peja and Tony will have to deal with CP3. I would like to see more pick and roll. I want see more Brent Barry if they are going to give us the three. Even that might not be enough if Manu is not Manu.
All of a sudden, we look old at the wing and in the post. When it comes to bigs we have no athletes. Horry is wily but old. Oberto is a role player. Thomas is smart and gutsy but is at the age where it can go quick. Now you see why so many here are holding out high hopes for Splitter and Mahinmi.
Props to the New Orleans team and Coach Scott. Screw the Hornet trolls, let them have their fun. It's good for the city of New Orleans to have something like this to be excited about.
I still believe........
But just in case New Orleans ends up beating the Spurs this series, I for one will begin chanting "Beat LA, beat LA, beat LA"
The Spurs and their fans had every reason to feel like the red headed stepchild in those salad days. Despite having heroes such as Silas, Moore, Gilmore, Robertson, Kenon, the Big Whopper and of course a fellow we all love known simply as "Ice", San Antonio felt slighted in many ways by the "powers that be". Fans believed the NBA would never allow a small market franchise like San Antonio have a real shot at winning it all. It also didn't help that they were an ABA club before joining the league as well. Certainly, the league needed a few more easy wins for the Celtics and Lakers didn't they? And when the Knicks won the first lottery to claim Patrick Ewing, it only went further to convince the conspiracy theorists that the fix was in.
Oh sure, the thrill of having an major league franchise led San Antonians to pack a bad arena with a racous crowd every night. The place was terrible by NBA standards but we all loved it and the intimacy of the band box made it that much louder and harder for opposing teams to play in. Good times. Al Sturgio and his band playing Volvare, guacamole on Larry Brown's blazer, the Cotton Eyed Joe and Gervin winning the scoring title, it was all good. Well not quite. Something was missing even in the heyday. A championship. Despite everything, the Spurs were that lovable bunch that were tough in the playoffs but somehow Magic and Kareem always seemed to prevail. Then the age and cocaine caught up with the Iceman.
Cotton Fitzsimmons shipped Ice to Chicago and the sky was not quite as blue. The Spurs began to decline. Mo McHone, Bob Weiss, Alfrederick Hughes, things just got worse and worse. Until that fateful day when improbably, the Spurs won the lottery.
We would have to wait for two years to get the Admiral. Rick Barry said on TV that Robinson should not sign with the Spurs and become a free agent and sign with the Lakers. Was it karma that caused Papa Barry to refer to Bill Russell's wide smile in an old photo as a "watermelon eatin' grin" also on national TV leading to his becoming a network pariah?
I think the way a lot of Spurs fans felt in the past prior to Robinson and eventually Duncan is the way the Hornet fans feel today. Heck when the Spurs began to emerge as not just a competitive playoff foe but a viable option to win it all in the late 90s, I myself used to troll other message boards getting banned for taunting the opposing teams faithful. Now I don't even visit the other boards let alone post on them. In the league, the Spurs have a target on their back. Every team gets up for the champs. They almost always get the opponent's "A" game.
Here on the message board, we fans have our own target of sorts. Fans from every other competitive team in the league come here especially if their team has managed to win a game against the Spurs. It goes with the territory. It may be the only time they get to crow about something all season.
Time waits for no man though. Eventually playoff experience loses because playoff experience gets old and doesn't keep up with a younger set of talented legs. Going into the playoffs this year I knew it was going to be tough. Look at the final standings in the West and there just wasn't going to be any games let alone series where you could coast. Phoenix is one hell of a good team. New Orleans is even scarier. I think it gets easier for San Antonio if they somehow get past the Hornets. The road got harder though because being a Spurs fan, I figured we would prevail in the series but I also thought we would leave New Orleans with a split.
All the cliches become real for the Spurs now. They have to take this one game at a time because all of a sudden, they have to beat a very good New Orleans team 4 out of 5 games. It can be done, but the odds just got longer.
I would like to see Bowen guarding Peja and Tony will have to deal with CP3. I would like to see more pick and roll. I want see more Brent Barry if they are going to give us the three. Even that might not be enough if Manu is not Manu.
All of a sudden, we look old at the wing and in the post. When it comes to bigs we have no athletes. Horry is wily but old. Oberto is a role player. Thomas is smart and gutsy but is at the age where it can go quick. Now you see why so many here are holding out high hopes for Splitter and Mahinmi.
Props to the New Orleans team and Coach Scott. Screw the Hornet trolls, let them have their fun. It's good for the city of New Orleans to have something like this to be excited about.
I still believe........
But just in case New Orleans ends up beating the Spurs this series, I for one will begin chanting "Beat LA, beat LA, beat LA"