When the Spurs moved to San Antonio as an ABA team with the red-white-and-blue basketball, I had a friend who lived across the street from me. His mother worked for a local San Antonio businessman who was a part owner of the Spurs. At the time, the owners' section in the Hemisfair Arena was simply a roped-off area of seats at mid-court and maybe a dozen rows up. Occasionally, the part owner would give me and my friend his tickets and we could sit in the owner's section to watch a game as long as we promised to behave. We must have been early teenagers at the time. The Spurs mostly had players that I suspect would have been unable to play in the NBA of today (e.g., Mark Olberding, Swen Nater, Billy Paultz [the Whopper], Coby Dietrich, Mike Gale, Louie Dampier). I was at a couple of games where George Gervin made some crazy shots and hardly missed. I also saw some clutch performances by James Silas. I think most people know George Gervin was a great scorer, but I think many don't know what James Silas [Captain Late] was probably a more clutch shooter at the ending of games.
One of my earliest memories away from the Hemisfair Arena was sitting on the front porch of the McFarlin Tennis Center on San Pedro Avenue when George Gervin jumped over the hand railing and ran toward the parking lot. I asked the attendants inside what was up and they said he came in looking for a tennis racket, but his hands were too big for the largest handle they had in stock--his fingers wrapped all the way around the handle and overlapped on his thumb.
Paultz came in when Nater left.
Olberding came I believe in the third year and was no scrub. Pretty athletic bruiser type. The team of Silas, Gervin, Olberding, Kenon and Paultz was a very good basketball team and except for a couple of questionable calls in the 1979 eastern conference finals would have made it to the NBA finals.
Larry Kenon was also a very good player. And of course Silas was never the same after the knee injury. In the early years we would get two dollar tickets and move down. When they put the good team together thru the mid to late seventies, we would buy seven dollar tickets and sit in the first couple of rows right behind the basket. Great fun.
Last edited by rogcl1; 07-24-2022 at 10:09 PM.
I was at the first Spurs game. Saw all the home games the first two years, I was the popcorn peanuts kid-with the tray and the paper hat. I was also a gym rat and had some game for a scrawny kid.
Early team was OK but they could not match Kentucky and Indy (good lord i hated Louis Dampier and George McGinnis and Dan Issl and that giant Gilmore-oh and Dr J flying around)
I rooted for Silas, Bird Averette, George Karl, Rich Jones, Goo and Coby. Nissalke was the coach. Boy howdy things turned around when somehow the Spurs got Gervin mid season or so and then Nater.
The Baseline Bums were the real deal
The Hemisphere was at the place to be
Halcyon days for me for sure
I have posted this before, but one of my early memories was rebounding the ball for Mark Olberding and a teammate while they were shooting around before a game after the Spurs traded him, back when you could go into Hemisfair Arena at 4:00 for a 7:30 game. He and my dad were talking and Mark said he missed all the good Mexican pussy in San Antonio. To which his teammate said come on there's a kid here, to which Mark looked at me and said it's ok, he likes Mexican pussy too. He wasn't wrong.
Had to post that when I saw your usename.
It brings back memories to hear the old tales from the past. And of course there was the spurs own " Dancing Harry".
Thanks for the stories! I wish I could’ve seen the Gervin/Silas teams. My first in person game was David Robinson’s first game where he mauled the LA Lakers. David went for 23 pts and 17 boards. I guess it was Sean’s first game too, he went for 16 pts. To the older fans, what was it like being a fan after Gervin and before D Rob? Was there any optimism? Was Alvin Robertson popular in SA? Are there any parallels between Alvin’s Spurs and the Spurs we’re gonna see this year?
And of course i don't think those seven dollar tickets lasted into the NBA era but that first year in the NBA i would get standing room only and stand in the aisles to see some of the best NBA teams before the fire marshall cracked down.
I myself was involved in a very time consuming job and did not get to go near as much, but there was some tough years. No message boards and all that so it was different in that sense.
Good story. We were college kids .My friends and I also saw the first game. McGinnis was a man and that Kentucky team was tough. Young Julius Erving was a freak.
Robertson did not have much help. He wasn't a pure scorer but could play defense and good all around player. An example of the times was I believe was maybe in 1985 the The Spurs drafted Alfredrick Hughes with the 13th or 14th pick and he lasted one year in the league. Can you imagine SpursTalk on that happening today. I believe this years team is focused more on the youth and future prospects than those times. But again, I was very busy.
One year in the late 80s the Bums' tickets were $7.50 a game, it was unreal to get seats that good that cheap. I think it was probably 87-88 right after winning the draft lottery for David.
The time runs together for me a bit, but I know we got to see some fun basketball with really good seats for really cheap, even for that time.
That 85-86 season was depressing after Johnny Moore got sick and almost died, and then Alfredrik Hughes was the bust of all busts. I remember seeing people wearing bags on their heads like Clipper fans. Alvin was loved, people were furious when the Spurs traded him for Terry mings because we had been waiting two years to see David and Alvin together. Of course it ended up being an amazing trade with all the crap going on in Alvin's personal life at the time. None of us knew that at the time. I don't think there is anyone on this current team half as talented as Alvin, dude was like prime Ron Artest with a better offensive touch. Alvin was a ing wicked player and it kills me how his career went out of control in the early 90s.
One pick after Karl Malone.
Didn't Rick Barry say something like 'who ed the nachos in San Antonio' after that pick?
For people really old school, when did George Valle start waving that Texas flag at the games? I have a bunch of old Spurs games but the oldest one I could spot him on camera was I think 79. That dude could make a of brisket, even the players would show up when he was doing a BBQ for the Bums. RIP Big George. He also used to be a poster here years ago.
Although not a heavy poster by any means.
Actually I do remember that and the bags. I can't place the flag waving time specifically. Moore was heartbreaking. I played in a benefit game maybe around 1990 against some of the old Spurs and Moore was one of them. Once I think I tried to maybe steal the ball from him and he gave me a look like you really think you can do that?One pick after Karl Malone.
. Didn't Rick Barry say something like 'who ed the nachos in San Antonio' after that pick?
I did receive gratification when shooting a free throw(I did have really good form) and after making it with good form he looked at me with a look and then gave a nod of acknowledgement. Made my day. Thanks to all for the trip down memory lane.
Defensively, Alvin + D Rob would’ve been freakish. Terry mings was a great player, former rookie of the year and an all star. I can see why people were upset, but both players fell off a cliff a few seasons later. The they got Rod MFing Strickland to play point. David and Sean’s rookie season turned out to be a season to rememberShout out to Willie Anderson too.
TC blew his knee out in a pickup game right after Red McCombs was too cheap to pay Barkley and didn't trade TC and Willie Anderson for Charles when that deal was on the table. Then let Strickland walk for nothing to be replaced by scrub ass Del Negro, Negele Knight, and Chris Whitney. Basically wasted David's prime, thanks Red.Defensively, Alvin + D Rob would’ve been freakish. Terry mings was a great player, former rookie of the year and an all star. I can see why people were upset, but both players fell off a cliff a few seasons later. The they got Rod MFing Strickland to play point. David and Sean’s rookie season turned out to be a season to remember
I started going in 83 and did get to see "The Whopper" play during his second stint with the Spurs. I still think the best guys not named Gervin in that era were Johnny Moore and the great Mike Mitc . Sadly both are gone now. Best part about back then was after the first quarter you could move down and sit in the empty expensive seats. Oh yeah, "Volver" at the end of the 3rd quarter! Also, letting Strickland walk was a huge mistake, that guy may have been a jerk but he was a damn fine player when he was here.
Feb 28, 1993. Spurs vs Magic.
I was 7 and was a Shaq fan growing up just outside of Toronto. We had no televised NBA until after the Super Bowl and we would still get 1-2 Sunday games via NBA on NBC at the time.
Robinson went head to head with Shaq that game and outplayed him in a Spurs win and I jumped ship to become a Spurs fan.
in grade School I was Spurs nuts. All I rocked was Spurs gear. The memorabilia I have from those days is insane. Spending paper route money and other dough I made hustling to buy Spurs from 1-800 numbers out of SLAM magazine.
1999 in the 8th grade my dad took me to SA to see game one of the NBA finals. He was a baggage handler so he had flight privileges and we scalped 35 dollar tickets basically behind the ing curtain in the nosebleeds at the Alamo Dome.
Saw David Robinson and Malik Rose on a balcony of a hotel on the riverwalk the next day while doing to the boat tour. In those days they must’ve stayed in hotels even at home during the playoffs to sty locked in.
Red also brought us Tarkanian and Sweet Pea Daniels.
Moore and Mitchel were both good players.
In 1973 the cheapest seats were $3.00 which I think we're the green seats up high behind the backboard. I know because we use to buy them and then go down to the red seats which were the most expensive. Now when my Godfather Pete Anton started working the media door, he'd let us in free. On a goodnight there were 6000-7500 fans in that 10,124 seat arena.
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