This game is a personal favorite of mine because it officially signaled the arrival of the exciting Run TMC Warriors, featuring Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin.
The Spurs were a well-coached team that were seemingly prepared for any situation, with budding superstar David Robinson and ace coach Larry Brown. They won 55 games and were considered threats to Portland and the Lakers in the West. With Robinson, along with forward Terry Cummings, leading the way, they seemed like the team best equipped to deal with the exciting, but tiny Warriors. They were excellent defensively and post-oriented offensively, meaning they could just pound the small Warriors into oblivion.
Instead, Don Nelson and the Warriors got the well-disciplined Spurs all confused with their up-tempo game. It's funny to hear Marv Albert talk about Larry Brown trying to create "the perfect team" here, because that perfect team could not have been more out of sorts by the Warriors' game. San Antonio was the better team, but they allowed Golden State to dictate the style of play in the series. Ultimately, they lost this game in blowout fashion and lost the next two games to lose the series.
Maverick fans, does this story sound familiar?
(By the way, I'm including the opening by Marv and Mike just to show the priceless exchange where Marv says Mike confuses "fiesta" with "siesta" and Mike doesn't miss a beat. It's a sign of the great chemistry the two had, as this was their first year together.
12 окт 2024
