Sports Eye
Spurs and a short story of San Antonio
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
I’M MAKING this piece (Friday) just few minutes after game four of the NBA Finals between defending champion Miami Heat and four-time titlists San Antonio Spurs. The Heat won, 109-93, avenging their infamous devastating third game loss, 113-77, to even the score with 2-2 apiece.
I’ve been to San Antonio once, in April 1978, a three-hour drive from Pharr, Texas where I migrated and the place of my father Jesus, Sr. It was the largest city in the state of Texas but some say Houston is now the largest city since NASA was formed and permanently built there. I doubt it. I knew a little about San Antonio because of the movie titled “The Alamo” which I watched twice during my teenage years, starred in by the late John Wayne.
Like the Philippines, the Anglo-Americans invaded the place and gained control of San Antonio in 1835. But Gen. Antonio Lopez Santa Anna who later became the president of Mexico was so defiant and with 5,000 soldiers at his back launched his troops on the walls of the Alamo three times, against the 150 defenders, mostly Anglo and Hispanic Texans headed by William Barrett Travis, James Bowie, David Crockett and Juan Seguin. The third attack was so furious that the Alamo defenders fought to the last man and all died except Seguin. The war took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836 and was so devastating to San Antonio that the population had been reduced by almost two thirds. The Alamo has now become a tourist spot of San Antonio because of that unforgettable Alamo battle. The warrior Seguin became a hero of San Antonio people and in 1842 run for mayor of San Antonio and was elected. After independence, he was also elected to the Texas senate. Fast forward to the 21st century, the Alamodome was originally the home court of the San Antonio Spurs until AT & T Center was built.
The Alamodome was the place where the former world featherweight champion and Dagupan City adopted son Luisito Espinosa knocked out world number one contender and Mexican dreaded boxer Alejandro “Cobra” Gonzales to retain the title; where boxing icon Manny Pacquiao stopped Mexican legendary boxers Marco Antonio Barrera in the 11th round on Nov. 15, 2003 and Jorge Solis in the eight round on April 14, 2007, to name a few. And last June 12, this was the place where the Spurs made history by clobbering the defending champions Miami Heat by a margin of 36 points in the third game of this year’s NBA Finals to lead the series, 2-1. The margin was the third biggest victory in the history of NBA Finals, next to the Chicago Bulls over Utah Jazz by 42 points in game three of the 1998 Finals and in 2008 by Boston Celtics over the Los Angeles Lakers by 39 points in game six.
San Antonio got only one world famous professional basketball team and that’s the Spurs winning the NBA crowns four times (1999, 2001, 2003 and 2007) and on the verge of winning its fifth tiara if lucky. It also has a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) team called Silver Stars but not as illustrious, unlike the Spurs. The city also has a professional football team called Talons joining the Arena Football League but unable to qualify yet for America’s biggest tourney called NFL (National Football League).
Like the four matches of the best-of-seven series, for sure I’ll be glued again to my chair to watch the remaining two games, or three if necessary. “It’s not over until it’s over” as the saying goes.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. GENESIS 6: 11-13
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