SI interviews The Iceman

[ShoogarBear]

The Iceman speaketh
Gervin explains role in Spurs, San Antonio's history
Posted: Tuesday April 12, 2005 5:25PM; Updated: Tuesday April 12, 2005 5:25PM


While scouting for the ABA one night in 1972, Johnny "Red" Kerr watched a skinny 19-year old kid score 50 points in an otherwise ho-hum game played in the relatively obscure Eastern Basketball Association. The kid was making $500 month. After that game, Kerr signed the kid, George Gervin, to a $40,000 contract with the ABA's Virginia Squires. Over the course of a 14-year pro career, Gervin proved that no matter what league he played in, scoring was never a problem. The longtime San Antonio Spur holds four NBA scoring les, played in 12 straight All-Star Games (nine in the NBA) and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in '96.

SI.com: Your home answering machine message tells callers they've reached the home of George 'The Iceman' Gervin. But who was "Iceberg Slim,"?

GG: (laughs) Iceberg Slim was a pimp out of Detroit.

SI.com: Who turned you on to him?

GG: Nobody turned me on to him. I'm from the Detroit where he's legendary. That ain't where I got my nickname from, though.

SI.com: No?

GG: No. Ain't nothing pimpish about me.

SI.com: Well, then how did you come by the nickname "Iceman?"

GG: Fatty Taylor is the guy who named me Iceman. When I was in the ABA at age 19, I was probably 165 pounds, so I didn't sweat that much. We'd play and everybody's uniform would be soaking wet but mine. After he saw that enough times, he said, "Man, you just like ice."

SI.com: Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have won more league scoring les than you. No matter where you played, you never had trouble scoring. What was your secret?

GG: I think shot selection was the key for me. I didn't really like taking long jump shots; I liked taking that in-between jumper -- you know, around 10-12 feet out, around the free-throw line. Being selective is the reason a guy like me could shoot better than 50 percent in his career.

SI.com: Today it seems like guys limit themselves primarily to two shots: the 3-pointer and the dunk.

GG: Yeah, I know man. The fundamentals are really fading away. More of these guys would be scoring champs if they could put the ball in the hole from the in-between area like Richard Hamilton. But he's a rarity.

SI.com: After winning your fourth scoring le in '82, Jerry West said you were "the one player I would pay to see," That same year, then-coach Motta said, "You don't stop George Gervin; you just hope that his arm gets tired after 40 shots. I believe the guy can score when he wants to. I wonder if he gets bored out there."

GG: Great compliments from two great basketball minds. Jerry West had that ability to put the ball in the basket and win. And coach Motta won a championship with Washington Bullets the year ('79) we played them in the semifinals. He had a chance to really see what I could do in a seven-game series. But I wasn't big on taking 40 shots. (laughs) There were other guys out on the floor, too.

SI.com: What opponent did you hate to see defending you?

GG: Dennis Johnson was a guy who played me well. Bobby Jones was another guy. Also, Jamaal Wilkes and Michael Cooper [were tough]. When I faced those guys, I probably got a hard 30. (laughing)

SI.com: What player made you think, "Man, this is going to be another 40 point night"?

GG: Wow, there are a lot of those, man. I knew I had to stay focused when I played the four guys I named before, but I felt that I could get my numbers relatively easily on most of the rest of 'em.

SI.com: Your first season in the ABA ('72-73) you joined the Virginia Squires, who had young, second-year forward named Julius Erving. In your last season in the NBA ('85-86) you joined the Chicago Bulls, who had second-year player by the name of Jordan. Like The Celestine Prophecy, I believe there are no coincidences. How much do those two players owe to you for their eventual success?

GG: Well, I don't think they owe me anything. But I owe the Doc quite a bit because when I was a rookie he took me under his wing. After practice I would be headed to the locker room and Julius would pull me back say, "Hey rook, not yet; we've got some one-on-one to do." That time as a rookie was the most I ever practiced. Julius helped me gain the confidence to be the player I would become.

With Michael, I was on my way out. But I got a chance to see the potential of the greatness he showed after my career. I remember playing with the Bulls in Dallas, and he was sitting on the bench hurt. I scored 35 points in the first half and I ended up with 40-some points. Jordan started laughing at me and said, "Ha! You got a little tired on me." I said "Mike, I'm old now. buddy."

SI.com: Those one-one-one games after practice with Erving -- who got the best of those?

GG: Mmmmm. I always say Julius Erving but when I'm around him he always says "Awe Blade, (he always called me 'Blade') you got your wins in." He won most of them because I remember having to get over that intimidation factor -- knowing who he was; the Doctor, Mr. ABA. So he probably got the best of me.

SI.com: Plus he had that afro which gave him another ten pounds on you.

GG: He had a real afro! I just needed a hot comb to blow mine out. (laughing)

SI.com: In '75 you joined the San Antonio Spurs and, despite the fact that your 6-foot-7 frame in those days was more typical of a forward, they were smart enough to make you a shooting guard with James Silas at the point. How important was that switch for your career?

GG: I think it was everything. Bob Bass made that switch. He thought that I was a little small in weight and a lot of the forwards would try to beat me down. He felt because I could put the ball on the floor and distribute the basketball that it would probably be better for me to play the two-guard. A lot of the smaller two guards would ask me, "Why don't you go back to playing forward?" I'd say, "Why? It's easy playing against you little guys."

SI.com: Because of his injuries before the ABA-NBA merger, a lot of people never got to see Silas at his best. How good was he?

GG: Silas is definitely one of the lost guys who doesn't get the credit he deserves, especially for playing the one spot. I would do all the damage during three quarters and in the fourth quarter we'd get him the ball because we knew he was "Captain Late." The things that he could do to those little point guards was amazing. And he never really missed a free throw.

SI.com: In '77-78, in only their second year in the NBA, the Spurs won the Central Division under coach Doug Moe with a 52-30 record, third best in the league. How were you successful so quickly?

GG: Doug's way of coaching was to try to try and get up as many shots as we could. His philosophy was that if we shot the ball 20-25 times more than our opponents, we'd win most of the time. So we came in running and gunning. He was definitely one of my favorite coaches.

SI.com: Did you have much influence on Coach Moe's wardrobe?

GG: Definitely not. It ain't no secret, but he was the kind of guy that didn't care. He definitely was tacky. His whole thing was that as long as his clothes were clean, how looked didn't make a difference. (laughs)

SI.com: On the last day of the '77-78 season, you needed to score at least 58 points in order to beat out the Denver Nuggets' David Thompson for the league scoring le. Earlier in the day, Thompson rang up an impressive 73 points to put the pressure on you. After missing six straight shots in the season finale against the Utah Jazz, you scored a record 33 points in the second quarter and re-established an NBA record set earlier that evening when Thompson scored 32 in the first quarter. Courtesy of your 63-point night, you narrowly edged by Thompson for the scoring le (27.22 ppg vs. 27.15 ppg). Has he ever forgiven you?

GG: Ha! We talk about it all the time. I had the advantage because he played earlier that day. So I knew I needed 58. Fortunately for me, Doug Moe asked the guys if they would help me get the scoring le back, and the guys agreed. To score 20 points in the first quarter after missing my first six shots and then score 33 to break another one of David's records was special for me. I ended up scoring 63 in 33 minutes, which is kind of unheard of in basketball.

SI.com: Your Spurs won three division les and made three trips to the conference finals. But in the '79 Eastern Conference finals you let a 3-1 lead against Washington Bullets slip away. The next generation of Spurs, led by David Robinson and Tim Duncan, won two les and are a perennial le contender. Do you like what you see in the Spurs now?

GG: Yeah, I think they've got a good ball club. When you've got a guy like Tim Duncan as the foundation, his personality and his respect for the game really makes them a special team. When we played, we didn't stop people like the current Spurs team can. And that's the difference; that's why they've got two championship rings.

SI.com: Still, you had some pretty good talent, with the likes of Artis Gilmore and Billy Paultz at center --

GG: We also had some great forwards with Larry Kenon and Mike Mitc . But all kinds of things happened in Washington during that Game 7 in '79 to keep us from winning that game. We were up by about 15 points in the fourth quarter when the lights went out for 12 minutes. It changed the momentum, and they came back to beat us by two or three points.

SI.com: The lights went out for 12 minutes?

GG: That's right. And the guy who is the culprit behind it is the guy who's with us right now, Danny Ferry. He was a kid at that time and he swears up and down that he turned out the lights. So every time I see him I want to hit him in the mouth.

SI.com: That's right! His Dad rean the team.

GG: You got it. It was dirty trick but it worked for them. And for him to be proud of it -- I know he's 6-10 but, man, I'd like to take a few guys and rap him in mouth a couple of times. (laughs)

SI.com: Former Spurs owner Angelo Drossos, may he rest in peace, was a legendary dealmaker who, among other things, pioneered the incentive clause and 3-point shot. Had also bullied the Virginia Squires at the negotiating table and in court to acquire you in '75. During those court battles, you were out of basketball and in a state of limbo. For a while you had to lay low. What was that like?

GG: I remember going to Utah with the Squires, and Angelo sent me ten Western Union telegrams that said I couldn't play for Virginia and that I belonged to the Spurs and that if I played for Virginia they were going to sue me. Drossos was a hard businessman. So I flew from Utah to San Antonio, where I stayed at the Hilton for months without playing -- just waiting on the judge to rule one way or another.

SI.com: Sitting around idle for a whole month must have been pretty weird?

GG: Yeah, man, it was like I was a fugitive from basketball.

SI.com: Drossos once said, "George Gervin was to San Antonio what Babe Ruth was to New York." In 100 years, will visitors to San Antonio say "remember the Alamo" or "remember the Iceman?"

GG: Well, I'm quite sure they'll remember the Alamo but in that same breath they'll remember the Iceman. My impact on this community was something special. It was a small town when first came here -- maybe 500,000 people. Look how we have grown since my playing days. Now it's a basketball Mecca. I'm very proud of my contribution to the San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio community. I've been with the Spurs for 28 years. I still work in front office. We have two world les and the team gave me two rings. They made me feel a part of it and I'll always be appreciative


Dave Hollander's book, 52 Weeks, a collection of his interviews with famous sports figures and personal stories about his experiences in sports comes out in Fall 2005 with The Lyons Press.

Link

[whottt]

Great article.

Ice underestimates his impact on Jordan...Doug Collins said Jordan credits Gervin with teaching him how to win scoring les..."4 baskets a quarter".

He also underestimates how well he is remembered...he's not just remembered in San Antonio...he's still well remembered in the NBA, and as one of the stars of the ABA.

I don't think he's lost any popularity at all...

But he does have the small market curse on him...

Everyone raves about Jerry West...everyone raves about Jordan...Ice came between them he was every bit as dominant in his era as they were in theirs, maybe moreseo...but you never hear him mentioned with them.

We should all be glad that Ice excelled after the Spurs came to the NBA...otherwise basketball in Central Texas might just be a dim memory.

And I think calling him the Babe Ruth of San Antonio basketball is a fitting le...

[RobinsontoDuncan]

agreed ^ even though i know absolutley nothing about Spurs basketball pre 1996 when I first read an article about David Robinson that made fall in love with the team.


BTW, is it true Gervin was a coke fiend?

[Jimcs50]

That little er Danny Ferry.

I always thought Larry O'Brien had the lights turned off....because at the time, the Spurs were dominating the game and the only reason why Washington came back was because Motta had those 15 mins to sit his team down and explain how they must play with more intensity and rebound the ing ball.

After that, it was a whole new ball game.

I am 100% sure that had those lights not gone off, the Spurs won that game by double digits and they would have beaten Seattle in the Finals, because they had owned them in reg season.

I always thought it was a conspiracy, now I know it was that little Duke er.

[Jimcs50]

agreed ^ even though i know absolutley nothing about Spurs basketball pre 1996 when I first read an article about David Robinson that made fall in love with the team.


BTW, is it true Gervin was a coke fiend?

Not a fiend, but he did do cocaine like a good portion of the athletes in those times.

Had Len Bias not died in 84 from cocaine, I think it would have remained somewhat popular in basketball and with the young people with money. But that publicity from Bias' death really made players look at the bad side of coke and they smartened up.

Me too, for that matter.

[samikeyp]

GG: Well, I don't think they owe me anything. But I owe the Doc quite a bit because when I was a rookie he took me under his wing. After practice I would be headed to the locker room and Julius would pull me back say, "Hey rook, not yet; we've got some one-on-one to do." That time as a rookie was the most I ever practiced. Julius helped me gain the confidence to be the player I would become.

Damn....who wouldn't pay good money to see those battles! Great article.

[wildbill2u]

Somewhere I still have a copy of the official stat sheet from one of Ice's classic shooting nights at the old Hemisphere Arena in a triple overtime. He was hooked up against Mike Newlin from Minnesota who was no mean shooter himself. They went at each other with first one scoring and then the other. Newlin scored 48 but Ice pulled away and we won the game in the third overtime. Ice had 73 as I recall.

Nice that he gave James Silas and Larry Kenon some props as he should have. Ice was always a man who gave his teammates credit.

[samikeyp]

Ice never scored over 70.

[Jimcs50]

Somewhere I still have a copy of the official stat sheet from one of Ice's classic shooting nights at the old Hemisphere Arena in a triple overtime. He was hooked up against Mike Newlin from Minnesota who was no mean shooter himself. They went at each other with first one scoring and then the other. Newlin scored 48 but Ice pulled away and we won the game in the third overtime. Ice had 73 as I recall.

Nice that he gave James Silas and Larry Kenon some props as he should have. Ice was always a man who gave his teammates credit.

Drob has Spurs scoring record...he is the only Spur to go over 70.

Ice's best was the 63.

[alamo50]

"A lot of the smaller two guards would ask me, "Why don't you go back to playing forward?" I'd say, "Why? It's easy playing against you little guys."

[samikeyp]

Ice still holds the record for points in a quarter with 33.

[tlongII]

I wonder if the story about Ferry turning off the lights is true?

[jcrod]

The Iceman speaketh
Gervin explains role in Spurs, San Antonio's history
Posted: Tuesday April 12, 2005 5:25PM; Updated: Tuesday April 12, 2005 5:25PM

GG: Nobody turned me on to him. I'm from the Detroit where he's legendary. That ain't where I got my nickname from, though.

SI.com: No?

GG: No. Ain't nothing pimpish about me.

SI.com: Well, then how did you come by the nickname "Iceman?"

GG: Fatty Taylor is the guy who named me Iceman. When I was in the ABA at age 19, I was probably 165 pounds, so I didn't sweat that much. We'd play and everybody's uniform would be soaking wet but mine. After he saw that enough times, he said, "Man, you just like ice."


GG: I remember playing with the Bulls in Dallas, and he was sitting on the bench hurt. I scored 35 points in the first half and I ended up with 40-some points. Jordan started laughing at me and said, "Ha! You got a little tired on me." I said "Mike, I'm old now. buddy."

GG: "Why don't you go back to playing forward?" I'd say, "Why? It's easy playing against you little guys."


GG: That's right. And the guy who is the culprit behind it is the guy who's with us right now, Danny Ferry. He was a kid at that time and he swears up and down that he turned out the lights. So every time I see him I want to hit him in the mouth.

GG: You got it. It was dirty trick but it worked for them. And for him to be proud of it -- I know he's 6-10 but, man, I'd like to take a few guys and rap him in mouth a couple of times. (laughs)

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Ice never scored over 70.

Right. His high was the 63 discussed in the article.



It seems like he would have had a 70 point game, but no.



I remember him putting up 40 point games like it was nothing for him.

[ShoogarBear]

There was an article in the E-N (or maybe it was ESPN or SI) sometime in the last month or so about Danny Ferry and his new front office role.

They rehashed the lights story in that article. He adamantly denies actually turning them out, but says he likes telling Gervin he did whenever he sees him.

[spurster]

GG: Doug's way of coaching was to try to try and get up as many shots as we could. His philosophy was that if we shot the ball 20-25 times more than our opponents, we'd win most of the time. So we came in running and gunning. He was definitely one of my favorite coaches.

Pop, are you paying attention?