Everything the Spurs are today started with the seed planted back in the 1970s, when they grew from an ABA afterthought to legitimate NBA contender. And the water was George “Iceman” Gervin, four-time NBA scoring champ and the No. 1 draw during their raucous days at HemisFair Arena.

We already know Ice pretty well around these parts. But it’s still fun to hear the echos of the 70s and early 80s in that smooth baritone. Gervin sat down for nearly an hour with Grantland’s Bill Simmons recently, plenty of time to touch on a variety of topics. Some highlights —

* Per Simmons, Magic Johnson considers George Gervin to be the best pickup player of all time.

* Julius “Dr. J” Erving used to challenge Gervin to 1-on-1 after practice during their brief time together with Virginia: “Doc operated. Then the Ice in me came out.”

* The impact of the NBA/ABA merger in 1976: “It changed the face of the NBA once we merged. We were younger. We had a lot to prove. We all knew it. They knew we belonged. We dominated.”

* Former teammate James Silas: “In the last second, I gave him the ball. He could back people down, and he could make foul shots. Ain’t no current guys like James.”

* Home-court advantage at HemisFair Arena: “Oh yeah, San Antone. We had a group called the Baseline Bums, and they gave it to anybody who came in there.”

* Lack of attention/respect for current Spurs: “They don’t really care, because all they do is win.”

* The collapse from 3-1 up against Washington in the 1979 Eastern Conference: “We made history, backwards.”

* The battle with David Thompson for the 1978 scoring title: “I missed my first six shots. Then it was like Caspar the Friendly Ghost was guarding me. I went through everybody.”

* All-time starting five from his era: “Kareem (at center). Magic at the point, me at the two, then I’d have Doc at the three. Then I’d have Moses at the four. That’s a hard team to beat.”

* Legendary ABA enforcers Warren Jabali and John Brisker: “Put them in a room, neither one of them are coming out.”

* Playing with Michael Jordan late in his career: “I started with Doc, I ended with Michael. He always called me…Old Man. He was young, trying to establish himself, so I’m not sure he wanted to hear anything I had to say.”

* His trade to the Bulls: “It was the game. It was time to go.”

* The famous Nike poster: “Never knew it was going to be as popular as it was. As the years went by, and they stopped making them, people would say I grew up with that poster. I’m still signing ‘em.”

* His reputation as the era’s greatest scorer: “I wouldn’t say (defenders) were scared of me, but they knew I was coming to town. I wanted to drop 55.”

The complete interview —

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Edited by: tyrone, Mar 6th, 2014 @ 6:38 am

I thought you believed he was from an inferior era.

And look at his opinion, " Former teammate James Silas: “In the last second, I gave him the ball. He could back people down, and he could make foul shots. Ain’t no current guys like James."

It certainly doesn't mesh with yours.


That said, great post.

http://vimeo.com/77733897

I'm sorry, but I had to.

Thanks.