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136-711: The Paradise Rock Club opened as the Paradise Theater on September 22, 1977. It was owned by The Don Law Company, a Boston music giant that also controlled the Boston Garden and the Cape Cod Coliseum . Don Law was a former BU student who got his start working as a promoter for the Boston band The Remains. Identifying Boston's large student population as a key music market, Law and colleague Frank Barsalona began purchasing Boston venues to capitalize on

272-619: A "lend-lease" deal with the Dallas ownership group. Drossos and his group would lease the team for three years with an option to purchase. After the deal was signed, the team was renamed the San Antonio Gunslingers. However, before they even played a game, the name was changed to Spurs. The team's primary colors were changed from the red, white, and blue of the Chaparrals to the now-familiar black, silver and white motif of

408-509: A $ 56.8 million, 16,000-seat arena that would be paid for by tax-exempt bonds floated by an Arena Authority and by raising the commonwealth's hotel tax from 5.7% to 8%. The naming rights to the proposed arena were sold to Sheraton for $ 2 million. Tsongas' proposal died in the state legislature . San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio . The Spurs compete in

544-689: A 1930s vintage 4160V switchgear failed and the emergency generator did not start during game four of the Finals between the Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers , causing the game to be suspended; game four was replayed in its entirety in Edmonton two days later. Two years later, on May 15, 1990, the lights went out during an overtime finals game between the same two teams. However, the lights were on an automatic timer and could be turned back on this time with

680-455: A broken foot sidelined him for the rest of the season. Elliott also missed more than half the season due to injury. Forward Chuck Person would miss the entire season with a back injury. Without Robinson and Elliott, the Spurs were a rudderless team. The lone bright spot was Wilkins, leading the team in scoring with an average of 18.2 points per game. The Spurs ended the season with a 20–62 record,

816-491: A dark time in Spurs' history with the team having a combined record of 115–213 from 1985–86 until 1988–89 . The losing seasons and dwindling attendance often caused the Spurs to be mentioned as a potential candidate for relocation to another city. The lone bright spot during this period was the Spurs being awarded the top pick in the 1987 NBA draft through NBA draft lottery. The Spurs used this selection on United States Naval Academy standout David Robinson . Although Robinson

952-623: A fire escape before a performance. The Grateful Dead have released Dick's Picks Volume 12 and 17 culled from performances at the Garden on June 28, 1974, and September 25, 1991. Detroit rocker Bob Seger recorded a bulk of his 1981 double live album Nine Tonight at The Boston Garden in October 1980. Five years before, The J. Geils Band recorded most of their November 1975 show at The Boston Garden for their 1976 double live album Blow Your Face Out . The Geils band returned again, and had

1088-524: A kidney transplant from his brother prior to the season, returned and played in the last 19 games. As the season wound down, Duncan suffered a knee injury and the Spurs finished in second place with a 53–29 record. Without Duncan, the Spurs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns in four games. The long-term viability of the Spurs franchise in San Antonio was, however, achieved during

1224-556: A new 18,000-seat arena to be built near South Station . Plans for the arena fell through when Storer Broadcasting , then-owner of the Boston Garden and the Bruins, announced they would not be able to pay the $ 24 to $ 28 million required for the new arena. Storer Broadcasting ended up selling the Bruins and the Boston Garden to Jeremy Jacobs who owned Delaware North in 1975. In 1977, the Boston Celtics negotiated with

1360-598: A new arena unless the Boston Bruins, who owned the Garden, agreed to lower the rent. The team met with Ogden Corp., owners of Suffolk Downs , who proposed a $ 20 million, 18,000-seat arena to be built near the racetrack. They also met with the Boston Redevelopment Authority , who proposed $ 40 million, 15,000-seat arena that would be built behind the existing Garden and paid for with state bonds. The Bruins meanwhile announced plans to move to

1496-738: A new league. The Spurs, the Denver Nuggets , the Indiana Pacers and the New York Nets joined the NBA for the 1976–77 season. The Spurs and the other three ABA teams added in the merger agreed to pay the owners of two other strong ABA teams that folded instead of joining the NBA. John Y. Brown, Jr. , the owner of the Kentucky Colonels , received $ 3 million, which he used to purchase the NBA's Buffalo Braves and later

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1632-530: A popular draw at the Garden. In 1930, construction on the Hotel Manger , a 500-room hotel connected to the Boston Garden through an elevated skyway , was completed. The hotel (later known as the Hotel Madison) closed in 1976 and was demolished in 1983. Under the leadership of manager Dick Dunn , the Boston Garden booked a wide variety of events, including an Aimee Semple McPherson revival ,

1768-642: A proposed $ 50 million sports complex on the site of the then closed Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire . The plans for the Salem site were eventually killed by the New Hampshire General Court . Meanwhile, the track remained closed until May 26, 1984. In response to the Bruins' plans to leave the state, U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas established a committee to put forward a plan for a new Boston arena. The committee, chaired by Tsongas, proposed

1904-539: A record of 56–26–vaulting from the worst record in franchise history to the best in franchise history. They also jumped all the way to first place in the Midwest Division, their first division title in seven years. Robinson had one of the most successful rookie seasons for a center in NBA history, finishing the season as the unanimous Rookie of the Year while averaging 24.3 points and 12.0 rebounds. The Spurs began

2040-577: A second-round series with the Phoenix Suns as the key series in the entire NBA playoffs, as this series featured the teams with the two best records remaining in the NBA. The Spurs went on to win 4–2 in the contentious and controversial series versus the Suns. The series featured a Robert Horry foul on Steve Nash toward the end of Game 4 which resulted in Horry being suspended for two games. Those who said

2176-573: A shortened 50-game season, the Spurs won their first two games of the season, against the Kings and the Timberwolves respectively. However, the Spurs lost their next three games to the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers, the latter a 99–89 road loss. The Spurs finished the regular season with an NBA-best 37–13 record (.740 win percentage), the only season during Duncan's tenure with the Spurs that

2312-645: A standard size for rinks. This size matched the size of the Boston Arena ice surface, the original home of the Bruins. When the Bruins moved in as tenant, the Boston Arena had had a 220-by-90-foot (67 m × 27 m) ice surface; this was reduced so as to add more seats. The Boston Arena, later renamed the Matthews Arena, modified its ice surface in 1995 to the standard-length 200-by-80-foot (61 m × 24 m) rink, still in use in

2448-431: A strong performance by David Robinson who recorded 27 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks for the Spurs. The next game, Sean Elliott recorded 23 points and David Robinson added 18 points and 19 rebounds as the Spurs got their first win of the season against the visiting New Jersey Nets. The Spurs finished with the NBA's best record at 62–20, cracking the 60-win mark for the first time in franchise history. Robinson

2584-618: A tie for fourth place overall in the Eastern Conference. This was done in spite of significant handicaps the NBA imposed on the incoming ABA teams, limiting their draft picks and television revenues during their early time in the merged league. They gained a new rival in the form of the Houston Rockets , who had played in Texas for five years prior to the merger. During the 1977–78 season , Gervin battled David Thompson of

2720-578: A welterweight championship bout between Young Jack Thompson and Lou Brouillard , New England's first rodeo event, and a Reinald Werrenrath concert. Dunn was able to bring the Garden from a deficit to a $ 200,000 profit in his first year as manager. The Boston Garden also promoted events at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire , including the New England States Fair, automobile races, and Grand Circuit harness racing stakes races . The Garden suffered economically during

2856-760: The Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as rock concerts, amateur sports, boxing and professional wrestling matches, circuses, and ice shows. It was also used as an exposition hall for political rallies such as the speech by John F. Kennedy in November 1960. Boston Garden was demolished in 1998, three years after

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2992-467: The Boston Celtics , after selling star guard Louie Dampier to the Spurs. The owners of the Spirits of St. Louis received a portion of all television profits during their NBA tenure, which amounted to approximately one-seventh of the Spurs' television profit every year. This agreement placed particular financial pressure on the Spurs and the other three surviving former ABA teams. In 2014, 38 years after

3128-683: The Boston Pops , U2 , Bruce Springsteen , Guns N' Roses , Nine Inch Nails , Tom Petty , Grace Slick with Jefferson Airplane , Jethro Tull (who had 15 headlining performances there between 1971 and 1980 which is the most for a band, their last being on 1980's A Tour before switching to the Worcester Centrum in 1982), Bob Dylan with The Band , Diana Ross & the Supremes , The Jackson 5 , Queen , Rush , Styx and George Burns and Gracie Allen among others. The opening of

3264-604: The Chicago Stadium . Due to the success of the Celtics in the 1980s, the Boston Garden was one of the most difficult buildings for visiting NBA teams. During the 1985–86 season, the Celtics were 40–1 at home, setting the NBA record for home court mastery (before the San Antonio Spurs tied the record 30 years later in the 2015–16 season). They also finished the post-season undefeated at home. Combined with

3400-769: The Dallas Mavericks as they held the two best records in the Western Conference all season, battling for first place. In the end, the experience of the Spurs would be the difference as they won the Southwest Division again with a new franchise-best record of 63–19. The Spurs met the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs, but it would be Dallas coming out on top 4–3, including a 119–111 overtime victory in Game 7. The Spurs struggled during

3536-712: The Great Depression . Boxing was at a low point in Boston, as fighters chose to work in other cities, wrestling attendance was down, and hockey attendance waned after Ace Bailey suffered a severe head injury at the hands of Bruin Eddie Shore in 1933. In 1934, the Madison Square Garden Corporation sold its interest in the Boston Garden to the Boston Arena Corporation, led by Henry G. Lapham . This resulted in

3672-596: The Hollywood Victory Caravan came through town, a Jewish anti-Nazi rally was held at the Garden. The United War Fund hosted a rally headlined by Jimmy Durante , Greer Garson , and the Boston Symphony Orchestra . The day before the 1960 presidential election, a rally for John F. Kennedy drew 20,000 while police estimated that there were another 100,000 people in the streets outside the Garden. Other politicians to hold rallies at

3808-532: The Ice Capades . Rudy Vallée and his orchestra performed at the Garden on April 21, 1932. Vallée returned to the Garden on October 23–24, 1938 for a "battle of the bands" with Benny Goodman that drew 25,000. The first rock concert held at the Garden was on November 30, 1956, when the building hosted Alan Freed 's "Biggest Show of 1956". The Beatles played a show at the Garden during their first US/Canada tour on September 12, 1964, staying at

3944-552: The National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference . The team plays its home games at Frost Bank Center . The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association (ABA) teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger , one of two former ABA teams to have won an NBA championship (the other being the Denver Nuggets ), and

4080-692: The Rookie of the Year award ) and George Gervin from the Virginia Squires in January. The ABA tried to halt the Gervin deal, claiming it was detrimental to the league; however, a judge ruled in the Spurs' favor and Gervin made his Spurs debut on February 7, 1974. The Spurs finished their inaugural season under that banner with a 45–39 record, good for third place in the Western Division. In

4216-616: The Tarrant County Convention Center , as well as Lubbock , at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum , but this proved a failure and the team returned full-time to Dallas in time for the 1971–72 season , splitting their games at Moody Coliseum and Dallas Convention Center Arena . While the Chaparrals had been modestly successful on the court, they were sinking financially by their third season. The financial difficulties were largely caused by

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4352-625: The Worcester Centrum and the Great Woods Amphitheater caused a massive drop in concerts at the Garden from the early 1980s until the early 1990s. The age of glam metal practically passed the Garden by completely, as most bands from that era played the Centrum in the winter and Great Woods in the summer. Poor acoustics, a busy sports schedule, expensive booking fees, and difficulty with local unions all contributed to

4488-474: The 1960s, but stopped this practice by the 1970s. Likewise, the Bruins made a new set of banners when they moved to the FleetCenter, which were again replaced after the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals with six new banners, each using the contemporary logo of the Bruins when each Cup victory occurred. The Bruins also raised numerous Adams Division , Presidents' Trophy and Wales Conference championship banners at

4624-517: The 1976 tour. The Who's last performance at the Garden was in December 1979 on their first tour following Moon's death. That performance was almost canceled after several fans at a Who show in Cincinnati died while trying to get in early for a general admission show. The Boston City Council held a televised hearing on whether to allow the show to go forward and decided to permit it because there

4760-456: The 1990s with great optimism. The team became a perennial playoff presence, although unable to advance further than the second round of the NBA playoffs under Brown's tutelage. Midway through the 1991–92 season , McCombs fired Brown and replaced him with Bob Bass for the remainder of the season. Without a healthy David Robinson, the Spurs were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns. McCombs made national headlines during

4896-552: The 1996–97 season was for the Spurs, the off-season proved to be the opposite. With the third-worst record in the league, the Spurs won the NBA draft lottery, which gave them the top pick in the 1997 draft . The Spurs used their pick to select Wake Forest product and consensus All-American Tim Duncan . Paired together, the 7'1" Robinson and the 6'11" Duncan became known as the Twin Towers. The Twin Towers played together for

5032-465: The 1999–2000 season, as Bexar County voters approved increases in car rental and hotel taxes which would allow for the construction of a new arena next to the Freeman Coliseum . The Spurs finished with 58–24 records for both the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons but found themselves suffering playoff ousters in both seasons from the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers , getting swept from

5168-569: The 2001 Conference Finals and losing in five games during the second round in 2002. Entering the 2002–03 season , the team knew it would be memorable for at least two reasons, as David Robinson announced that it would be his last in the NBA and the Spurs would begin play at their new arena, the SBC Center , named after telecommunications giant SBC , whose corporate headquarters were located in San Antonio (SBC became AT&T after its acquisition of its former parent company). To mark this occasion,

5304-423: The 21st century for college hockey . Visiting players were frequently thrown off their games by the differing setup of the players' benches being on opposing sides of the ice, as well as the non-standard penalty box locations. This also was the setup in the Boston Arena. This setup, still occasionally seen in college hockey, was done to ensure that each team could have a bench connected to their dressing room. Towards

5440-422: The Boston Garden. Wrestling became big due to the popularity of Gus Sonnenberg . Sonnenberg defeated Ed "Strangler" Lewis at the Garden in 1929 in a fight that set an attendance record for a wrestling match (19,500) and drew a record gate ($ 77,000). Paul Bowser promoted wrestling in Boston at this time and when the sport began to lose popularity, he brought Danno O'Mahony from Ireland to Boston. O'Mahony became

5576-511: The Boston area, was held at the Garden annually on the first week of February. Boston Garden was the first arena to host the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals at the same time in 1957. It occurred again in 1958 and 1974. The Boston Garden was a frequent host of Vince McMahon's WWF for many years throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in the form of wrestling " house shows " (non-televised matches), and superstars like Hulk Hogan , André

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5712-574: The Brighton Music Hall in partnership with Live Nation. In 2010, Paradise Rock Club completed a three-month renovation that moved the stage fifteen feet to the left, relocated the box office to the front of the venue, demolished the bar and positioned it to the back of the venue. These renovation features provided an open view of the stage. The artist rooms were relocated to the second floor, and upgraded with televisions and refrigerators, as well as doubled in room size. Other new additions to

5848-658: The Denver Nuggets all year long for the NBA scoring title. On the final day of the season, Thompson took the lead by scoring 73 points in an afternoon game against the Detroit Pistons . That night Gervin knew that he needed 58 points against the Jazz in New Orleans. Gervin got off to a good start by scoring 20 points in the first quarter. In the second, Gervin set a single period record with 33 points. Early on in

5984-575: The Forum in the 1983 series. They lost every home game in both series in 1982 and 1983 vs the Lakers as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and co. were too strong. The Spurs did not make the conference finals until 1995. After the 1984–85 season , Gervin, who had been the Spurs' biggest star, was traded to the Chicago Bulls in what effectively signaled the end of the era that began when the Spurs first moved to San Antonio. The next four seasons were

6120-518: The Garden audience and the city to peacefully remember King, and James Brown's words and presence was credited with helping to keep the peace in Boston. WGBH rebroadcast the concert twice that night, an action which helped keep people off of the street at a time other major cities were erupting in riots. The performance was released on DVD as Live at the Boston Garden: April 5, 1968 . Elvis Presley performed in Boston only once, at

6256-405: The Garden include Aimee McPherson (1931), Billy Graham (1950) Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1953), and Jimmy Swaggart (July 29–31, 1983). The Garden was also the site of a number of political rallies. 20,000 people attended a 55th birthday celebration for President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 29, 1937. FDR also drew another 20,000 for a political rally 1940. On May 2, 1943, the night after

6392-484: The Garden include presidential candidates Thomas Dewey and Dwight D. Eisenhower and former Boston mayor and Massachusetts governor James Michael Curley . Former Irish Prime Minister and President Éamon de Valera spoke at the Garden On March 24, 1948 (Easter Sunday). British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke there March 31, 1949 as part of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Convocation. By

6528-414: The Garden on November 10, 1971, pulling a full crowd of about 16,500 and receiving high praise from Rolling Stone journalist Jon Landau for his performance. In 1972, The Rolling Stones were scheduled to perform at the Garden when two members were detained by Rhode Island police. Fearful that angry Stones fans (already in the Garden awaiting the show) would riot, mayor Kevin H. White intervened with

6664-424: The Garden's closure. The Garden had no air conditioning, resulting in fog forming over the ice during some Bruins' playoff games. During Game 5 of the 1984 NBA Finals , the 97 °F (36 °C) heat in the facility was so intense that oxygen tanks were provided to exhausted Lakers players. The Bruins' Stanley Cup finals appearances in 1988 and 1990 were both disrupted by power outages. On May 24, 1988,

6800-401: The Garden, with six shows scheduled for September 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, and 19, 1995, which were canceled due to the death of Jerry Garcia on August 9, 1995. The ticket for the 19th stated "we’re gonna tear this old building down" referencing the song " Samson and Delilah ". The Dead did not play at the Garden for a number of years following an incident in which they were caught grilling lobsters on

6936-612: The Garden. The 1932 series did not involve the Bruins; Game 2 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers was played there due to a scheduling conflict at MSG III. The facility has also hosted games in the 1957 , 1958 , 1959 , 1960 , 1961 , 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , 1965 , 1966 , 1968 , 1969 , 1974 , 1976 , 1981 , 1984 , 1985 , 1986 , and 1987 NBA Finals , in which the Celtics won nine of their championships on home court in 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1984, and 1986. The only visitor to claim

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7072-429: The Giant , Randy "Macho Man" Savage , Tito Santana , Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and many others would regularly appear there. But despite this relationship, the Boston Garden was host to only one pro wrestling pay-per-view in its history: the 1993 Survivor Series . The WWF held their final house show in the Boston Garden on May 13, 1995. The Boston Garden hosted many religious conclaves. Evangelists who appeared at

7208-428: The Knicks' home arena, Madison Square Garden . Duncan was named the NBA Finals MVP . The Spurs became the first former ABA team to reach and win the NBA Finals. Coming off their first NBA Championship, the Spurs were still among the best teams in the West and battling for first place in the Midwest Division during the 1999–2000 season . On March 14, the Spurs playoff spirits got a lift when Sean Elliott , who received

7344-408: The Midwest Division of the Western Conference), 48–34 in 1981–82 , and 53–29 in 1982–83 . Despite their regular-season success, the Spurs were unable to win any NBA championships, losing in the Western Conference playoffs to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 1981 and the Los Angeles Lakers in four games in 1982 and in six games in the 1983 Western Finals despite getting both wins at

7480-401: The NBA championship at the Garden were the Los Angeles Lakers , who won the 1985 Finals. In addition to championship rounds, the Garden also hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1951, 1952, 1957, and 1964, and the NHL All-Star Game in 1971. The NCAA Frozen Four was contested there from 1972 to 1974. Starting in 1955, the Beanpot tournament, featuring the four major college hockey programs in

7616-452: The NBA standings. They would battle all year for the top spot in the Western Conference, as they ended the season on another strong note winning their final 11 games. However, they would fall one game short of a division title and the best record in the West, posting a record of 57–25. In the second round of the playoffs, the Spurs found themselves in another showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs would win Games 1 and 2 at home, but drop

7752-419: The NBA, even though San Antonio, then as now, was a medium-sized market. Although San Antonio proper had over 650,000 people at the time (and has since grown to become the seventh-largest city in the United States ), the surrounding suburban and rural areas have never been much larger than the city itself. In June 1976, the ABA–NBA merger took place, moving San Antonio's sole professional sports franchise into

7888-425: The Rhode Island authorities and secured the musicians' release so they could play their set in Boston. The band had also played at the venue in 1965 and 1969 and would again in 1975. In 1973, The Who was scheduled to perform at the Garden and nearly didn't perform due to the band being detained by police after destroying a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec , Canada, where they'd appeared the previous evening. The band

8024-410: The Spurs became an exciting fast-break team. The team finished the season with a 51–33 record and finished in second place in the West. In the playoffs, the Spurs fell to the Pacers in six games. Even though playoff success would elude the team before the merger, the Spurs had suddenly found themselves among the best teams in the ABA. Moreover, their gaudy attendance figures made them very attractive to

8160-421: The Spurs bowed down to the home team, the Golden State Warriors, 106–98. The Spurs christened the SBC Center in style on November 1, 2002, by defeating the Toronto Raptors 91–72. The next game, the Spurs were on the road to face the winless Memphis Grizzlies . In that game, the Spurs and the Grizzlies went to overtime. In the first minutes of the OT, the Grizzlies held a 7-point lead before Tim Duncan answered

8296-433: The Spurs celebrated the club's 50th anniversary. Spurs players are active members of the San Antonio community, and many former Spurs are still active in San Antonio, including David Robinson with the Carver Academy and George Gervin with the George Gervin Youth Center. The Spurs set several NBA attendance records while playing at the Alamodome including the largest crowd ever for an NBA Finals game in 1999, and

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8432-550: The Spurs continue to sell out the smaller Frost Bank Center (formerly SBC Center and AT&T Center) on a regular basis. Since 2003, the team has been forced into an extended road trip for much of February since the Frost Bank Center hosts the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo during that month. This is informally known as the "Rodeo Road Trip". The Spurs have consistently posted winning road records during this period, including an NBA-record longest single road-trip winning streak (eight games out of nine, achieved in 2003). When

8568-435: The Spurs defeated the Suns, Lakers and Mavericks en route to facing the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals . The series against the Nets marked the first time two former ABA teams played each other for the NBA Championship. The Spurs won the series 4–2, giving them their second NBA Championship in franchise history. Duncan, after having been named NBA MVP, was also named Finals MVP. Coming off their second NBA Championship,

8704-433: The Spurs from 1997 to 2003. Both Robinson and Duncan were skilled offensive players, and the Twin Towers also anchored the Spurs' formidable defense. The duo helped lead the team to NBA championships in 1999 and 2003. Duncan quickly emerged as a dominant force in the NBA during the 1997–98 season , averaging 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game as a power forward. He was named First Team All-NBA while winning Rookie of

8840-421: The Spurs have won the NBA title, the team's victory parades have been boat trips on the San Antonio River Walk . The San Antonio Spurs started out as the Dallas Chaparrals of the original version of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Coached by player/coach Cliff Hagan , the Dallas Chaparrals were one of 11 teams to take the floor in the inaugural season of the upstart ABA. The Chaps' second season

8976-409: The Spurs led the series 3–1 but the Bullets came back to win the last three games and came from behind to win the seventh game 107–105 handing the Spurs a heartbreaking loss. The Spurs would have to wait another 20 years to make it to their first NBA Finals. The Spurs would go on to capture five division titles in their first seven years in the NBA and became a perennial playoff participant. However, in

9112-417: The Spurs looked forward to the 1998–99 season . Prior to the beginning of training camps, however, the NBA owners, led by commissioner David Stern , locked out the players in order to force a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). The season was delayed for over three months until resolution on a new labor agreement was reached in January 1999. Playing

9248-550: The Spurs looked to regain the NBA crown. With the acquisition of guard Brent Barry from Seattle , the Spurs would get off to a quick start, posting a 12–3 record in November. The Spurs would stay hot through December as they established a 25–6 record entering the New Year. With the later additions of center Nazr Mohammed from New York (acquired in a midseason trade of Malik Rose ), and veteran forward Glenn Robinson from free agency , alongside regulars Bruce Bowen , Robert Horry , Tony Parker , Manu Ginóbili , and Tim Duncan ,

9384-400: The Spurs lost Games 3 and 4 by big margins as the Pistons tied the series. Faced with a third straight loss in Detroit, the Spurs would play tougher in Game 5, which would go into overtime. After going scoreless in the first half, Robert Horry hit a clutch three-point shot with nine seconds remaining to give the Spurs a dramatic 96–95 win. The series moved back to San Antonio for game six, but

9520-426: The Spurs revamped their "Fiesta Colors" logo and reverted to the familiar silver and black motif (though, during the time of the Fiesta logo, the uniform remained silver and black). This version of the Spurs was very different from the team that had won the title a few years earlier. Second-year French star Tony Parker , drafted by the Spurs in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft , was now the starting point guard for

9656-400: The Spurs were dealt by the visiting Trail Blazers their first home loss of the season. The Spurs would not get off to a flying start as they had just a 19–13 record heading into January. In January the Spurs began to gel and seemed prepped to make a run, when they embarked on their annual Rodeo Road Trip, a nine-game road trip from January 25 to February 16. However, it would be hardly a bump in

9792-475: The Spurs were unable to close out the series, setting up a deciding Game 7. In Game 7, Duncan had 25 points as the Spurs pulled away late to win their third NBA Title in seven years with an 81–74 win. Duncan was named Finals MVP , becoming the fourth player to win the MVP award three times (joining Magic Johnson , Shaquille O'Neal , and Michael Jordan ). Coming off their third NBA Championship in seven years, there

9928-417: The Spurs won 50 games each season, setting a record of 18 consecutive 50-win seasons. In the 2018–19 season, the Spurs matched an NBA record for most consecutive playoff appearances with 22. The team's recent success has coincided with the tenure of current head coach Gregg Popovich and with the playing careers of Spurs icons David Robinson (1989–2003) and Tim Duncan (1997–2016). In the 2022–23 season,

10064-401: The Spurs would be near the top in the Western Conference all season, battling the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA. Just as it appeared the Spurs would cruise toward the playoffs their season suddenly hit a bump in the road when Tim Duncan suffered an ankle injury. The Spurs struggled the rest of the season, finishing just 59–23. However, by the time the playoffs rolled around, Duncan

10200-529: The Spurs, with the branding taking effect for the 1973–74 season . In their first game at HemisFair Arena , the Spurs lost to the San Diego Conquistadors despite attracting a crowd of 6,000 fans. A smothering defense was the team's trademark, as they held opponents to less than 100 points in an ABA-record 49 games. The early Spurs were led by ABA veteran James Silas , and the team grew stronger by acquiring Swen Nater (who would go on to win

10336-478: The Spurs. The squad featured a variety of newly acquired three-point shooters, including Stephen Jackson , Danny Ferry , Bruce Bowen , Steve Kerr , Steve Smith and Argentine product Manu Ginóbili , a 1999 second-round draft choice playing in his first NBA season. The Spurs started the 2002–03 season with an 87–81 road win over the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers . The following game,

10472-422: The Year honors. The team ended up at 56–26, breaking their own record from 1989 to 1990 for the biggest single-season improvement for wins, but once again lost to the Jazz in the Western Conference semi-finals. While both Duncan and Robinson played low-post roles, the two seamlessly meshed on the court. With a healthy Robinson and Duncan and the additions of playoff veterans such as Mario Elie and Jerome Kersey ,

10608-489: The band escaped being arrested. The band decided not to play at the venue again, instead opting for the Providence Civic Center and Foxboro Stadium on their 1987/1988 and 1994 tours, respectively. Grateful Dead performed at the Boston Garden more times than any other band, with 24 performances from 1973 to 1994 (as an opener or middle of bill or headliner), and were intended to be the last band to play

10744-541: The band rode a giant hot dog float above the audience; the hot dog is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland . The facility hosted games in the 1929 , 1930 , 1932 , 1939 , 1941 , 1943 , 1946 , 1953 , 1957 , 1958 , 1970 , 1972 , 1974 , 1977 , 1978 , 1988 , and 1990 Stanley Cup Finals where the Bruins won two of their championships at the Garden in 1939 and 1970. The 1929 Stanley Cup championship

10880-456: The band's show. Turning on the generosity of their hosts, some of the fans rioted, broke into the Garden and trashed the seating area, the ice, and most of the refreshment stands, leading then-mayor White to cancel the upcoming show and ban the group for five years. In 1976, KISS was banned from performing at the Garden because the band refused to comply with the venue's no pyrotechnic policy after fire marshals had watched their flamethrowers hit

11016-448: The band, unknown to the venue's owners, used pyrotechnics during their performance (the exploding pig for " Pigs (Three Different Ones) " and firework displays on " Sheep " and " Money "). However, the band's road crew outsmarted the fire marshals by removing the pyro props quickly after they used them in the shows to prevent the band from being banned and also according to Mason's book since their manager had an Irish name ( Steve O'Rourke ),

11152-564: The basketball would bounce off any section of the floor; this was one contributing factor to the Celtics' many NBA championships. The floor became as much a part of Boston sports lore as the Green Monster of Fenway Park . The parquet floor was used at the FleetCenter until December 22, 1999. Portions of the original floor are integrated with new parquet. The floor was cut into small pieces and sold as souvenirs along with seats and bricks. The Naden/Day Industries overhead scoreboard (which

11288-489: The ceiling at the Orpheum. Pink Floyd was the first band to perform at the Boston Garden with a stage set that cost over $ 1 million on their 1977 Animals tour (they first played there in 1975 on the band's Wish You Were Here tour). According to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason 's book Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd , Pink Floyd almost got banned from the Boston Garden after their 1977 performances because

11424-608: The city of Quincy to have a $ 30 million, 21,000-seat arena built there. Partially due to the deteriorating conditions in the Boston Garden, the Celtics did not play a full 41-game home schedule at the arena during its final 21 seasons. Between the 1974–75 and the 1994–95 seasons, the Celtics played a few home games at the Hartford Civic Center (now XL Center ) in Hartford, Connecticut . In 1979, Boston Celtics owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. threatened to build

11560-435: The completion of its successor arena, TD Garden . Rickard built the arena specifically with boxing in mind, believing every seat should be close enough to see the "sweat on the boxers' brows". Because of this design theme, fans were much closer to the players during Bruins and Celtics games than in most arenas, leading to a distinct hometown advantage. This physical proximity also created spectacular acoustic effects, much like

11696-466: The completion of the merger, the Spirits' owners reached an agreement with the NBA to end the perpetual payments and take a lump sum of $ 500 million instead. Although there was some initial skepticism in league circles regarding the potential success and talent levels of the incoming ABA teams, the Spurs would prove worthy of NBA inclusion during the 1976–77 season with a record of 44–38, good for

11832-529: The construction of a new North Station facility, which would include a sports arena. A group led by Rickard, John S. Hammond , and William F. Carey of the Madison Square Garden Corporation, as well as Boston businessmen Charles F. Adams and Huntington Hardwick , signed a 25-year lease for the arena. Sheldon Fairbanks was chosen to be the arena's first general manager. Boston & Maine shareholder Edmund D. Codman challenged

11968-456: The cost for New York's arena three years earlier – Boston Garden turned out to be the last of Rickard's proposed series, a decision fueled by rising costs and Rickard's untimely death in early 1929 due to a ruptured appendix, the arena was only 2 months old when Rickard died. The Garden's first event was on November 17, 1928, a boxing card headlined by Boston Native "Honey Boy" Dick Finnegan's defeat of Andre Routis . The first team sporting event

12104-776: The creation of the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation . George V. Brown served as general manager of the Garden under the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation until his death in 1937, when he was succeeded by his son, Walter A. Brown . During the Depression, Sonja Henie 's Hollywood Ice Revue and the Ice Follies were successful draws and kept the Garden afloat. In 1939, a financial dispute between Henie and her managers led Walter Brown and eight other arena managers to found

12240-535: The early 1970s, Boston Garden was deteriorating. The building had no air conditioning and some seats were obstructed by structural pillars. The seats were decades old and terribly cramped. With a capacity of less than 15,000, it was one of the country's smallest major league sports arenas. The Garden also lacked luxury suites, which had become an important and much-needed source of revenue for teams in professional sports. In 1972, Boston Mayor Kevin White announced plans for

12376-462: The end of the Garden's life as an arena, the NHL required all rinks to have both benches on the same side: the Garden obliged by moving the penalty boxes (formerly adjacent to the Bruins' bench) to the side vacated by the visitor's bench, and as such visiting teams were required to skate across the ice to head back to their rooms. The Garden's earlier Bulova -crafted "Sports Timer" game clock system using

12512-470: The end to come to San Antonio for the 1989–90 season . While it was thought that Robinson's arrival would make the Spurs respectable again, no one expected what happened in his rookie season. Led by Robinson, 1989 draftee Sean Elliott from Arizona , and trade acquisition Terry Cummings from the Milwaukee Bucks, the Spurs achieved the biggest one-season turnaround in NBA history, finishing with

12648-481: The first half of the 2006–07 season , which led to discussions of trading away veteran players to build for the future. The team remained intact, and the Spurs would win 13 games in a row during February and March, and were an NBA-best 25–6 in the final 31 games, as the Spurs were able to claim the 3-seed in the West. The Spurs cruised through the first round, while the first-seeded Dallas Mavericks were upset. This set up

12784-414: The following regular season, the Celtics' Garden record was 79–3 between the 1985–86 and 1986–87 regular seasons. While the parquet floor was an important part of the history of the Celtics, it was not originally part of the Garden. The parquet floor was built and installed in the Boston Arena (first home of the Bruins hockey team) and moved to the Garden in 1952. It is said the Celtics knew which way

12920-488: The gaff where the doors we smashed" to "remember Montreal at the hotel we trashed" or variations of the band being arrested. Almost three years later in March 1976, Moon collapsed at his drum kit during the second song "Substitute" after downing muscle relaxers and brandy before the show. The band had to reschedule the performance for early April and the rescheduled performance turned out to be one of The Who's best performances of

13056-460: The game ending with a 3–2 triple overtime win for the visiting Oilers. Tex Rickard, the noted entrepreneur and boxing promoter who built and operated the third Madison Square Garden , sought to expand his empire by building seven "Madison Square Gardens" around the country. On November 15, 1927, Homer Loring , chairman of the Boston & Maine Railroad , announced that plans had been finalized for

13192-496: The historical distinction of being the first band in history to sell out a three-night stand in 1982 at the Garden featuring hometown favorites Jon Butcher Axis as opening act. Hometown band Aerosmith performed at the Boston Garden ten times from 1975 to 1995 and twice played New Year 's shows there, ringing in the 1990 and 1994 New Years. Other acts that performed at the Garden include Pavarotti , Frank Sinatra , Liberace , Duke Ellington , Judy Garland , Arthur Fiedler and

13328-418: The legality of the railroad constructing a non-railroad building. The Massachusetts General Court passed legislation expanding the corporate powers of the Boston & Maine Railroad which was signed by Governor Alvan T. Fuller on March 6, 1928. Codman's Bill in equity was dismissed by Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice John Crawford Crosby in October 1928. Built at a cost of $ 10 million – over double

13464-539: The migration to more modern venues outside of Boston. Under new Garden President Larry Moulter, bands started returning to the Garden in the late 1980s and early 1990s, highlighted by Pearl Jam 's multi-night stand in 1994, and the Dead's lengthy residences there before the Garden finally closed. The final New Year's Eve show at the Boston Garden was performed by the Vermont band Phish on December 31, 1994. On that night,

13600-406: The most important off-season acquisition would be the signing of veteran Robert Horry . The Spurs, playing with nine new players, struggled early as they missed the presence of Robinson while the new players struggled to fit in, as they held a 9–10 record on December 3. However, the Spurs would turn it around, as they ended December on a 13-game winning streak and quickly climbed back to the top of

13736-527: The next two in Los Angeles. In Game 5 back in San Antonio, Duncan seemingly delivered the Spurs a 73–72 win as he hit a dramatic shot with just 0.4 seconds remaining. However, the Lakers' Derek Fisher would launch a game-winner as time expired, giving the Lakers a stunning 74–73 win to take a 3–2 series lead. Demoralized the Spurs would head back to Los Angeles where they would lose the series in six games. After their disappointing second-round collapse,

13872-399: The old Garden, but due to lack of space, they consolidated them into one single banner each upon moving to TD Garden. The Garden's hockey rink was undersized at 191 by 83 feet (58.2 m × 25.3 m), some nine feet shorter and two feet narrower than standard (200 ft × 85 ft or 61 m × 26 m), due to the rink being built at a time when the NHL did not have

14008-514: The only former ABA team to have won multiple championships. The franchise has won NBA championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. As of the 2022–23 season, the Spurs had the highest winning percentage among active NBA franchises. As of May 2017, the Spurs had the best winning percentage of any franchise in the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada over the previous three decades. From 1999–2000 to 2016–17,

14144-421: The ownership group's refusal to invest much money on the team. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972–73 season , nearly all of the owners wanted out. The team decided to sell the team to a different city, and the Chaparrals had to choose between San Antonio and El Paso . A group of 35 San Antonio businessmen—led by Angelo Drossos , John Schaefer, and Red McCombs —worked out

14280-545: The playoffs, the Spurs could never catch a break, losing to teams like the Washington Bullets, the Boston Celtics , the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers . As the 1980s progressed, the Spurs would see their shares of highs and lows. For the first few seasons of the decade, the Spurs continued their success of the 1970s with records of 52–30 in 1980–81 (in that season, the Spurs were moved to

14416-430: The playoffs, the team was defeated by the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the first round. San Antonio embraced the Spurs with open arms; the Spurs drew 6,303 fans per game, surpassing the Chaparrals' entire total attendance in only 18 games. Drossos, Schaefer and McCombs knew a runaway hit when they saw it. After only one year, they exercised their option to tear up the lease agreement, buy the franchise outright and keep

14552-438: The playoffs, which led to the immediate firing of Lucas as head coach. Prior to the season, the Spurs traded fan-favorite Elliott to the Detroit Pistons in return for rebounding star Dennis Rodman . Elliott returned to the Spurs at the following year. Lucas was replaced by former Pacers coach Bob Hill for the 1994–95 season . On their first game of the season, they were defeated by the visiting Golden State Warriors despite

14688-659: The retirement of David Robinson left a void in San Antonio's daunting defense, while playoff hero Steve Kerr and veteran forward Danny Ferry also retired. Meanwhile, backup point guard Speedy Claxton left for the Golden State Warriors , and Stephen Jackson left for the Atlanta Hawks . With several holes to fill in their rotation, the Spurs would make several key signings in the off-season. Rasho Nesterović and Hedo Türkoğlu were brought in to replace Robinson and Jackson, respectively. What proved to be

14824-403: The road for the charging Spurs, who won eight of the nine and began to climb their way to first place. The Spurs went on to erase their seven-game deficit and finished the season in a tie with the Dallas Mavericks for the best record in the NBA (60–22). Thanks to a tiebreaker, the Spurs won their third straight Division title as Tim Duncan claimed his second straight NBA MVP. In the playoffs ,

14960-489: The run with a 9-point run by himself. With a tied score of 111–111 with 0.8 seconds remaining, Duncan made a 12-foot jumpshot to defeat the Grizzlies. The following game, the Spurs were down by three points at halftime against the visiting Warriors, but then scored 31 points in the third quarter to put the game away, clinching their fourth win of the season. Tony Parker led the Spurs after scoring 21 points. Three days after,

15096-593: The second-round series against the Suns was the true NBA Finals would be proven right, as the Spurs easily dispatched the Utah Jazz in five games to reach the NBA Finals . In the Finals, the Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers and captured their fourth title in nine years. Tony Parker , who dominated in the Finals averaging 24.5 points per game on 57 percent shooting, was named Finals MVP and became

15232-468: The strong local music scene and willing audience. The band Phish 's first large Boston show was at The Paradise in January 1989. Paradise management initially refused to book the group, so band management rented out the venue instead. It ended up being a sellout, with over 200 people excess outside the club unable to attend. The Paradise was transferred to SFX Entertainment (now Live Nation ) in 1998 when The Don Law Company ( dba Blackstone Entertainment)

15368-539: The summer of 1992 with the hiring of former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian . The Tarkanian experiment proved a flop, as the coach was fired 20 games into the 1992–93 season with the Spurs record at 9–11. After Rex Hughes filled the coaching shoes for one game, NBA veteran John Lucas was named head coach. It was Lucas' first NBA coaching assignment, although he had gained recognition in league circles for his success in helping NBA players rehab from drug abuse. The Lucas era started out successfully. His coaching propelled

15504-556: The team did not win at least 50 games in a season, a feat that extended through the 2016–17 season. The team was just as dominant in the playoffs, rolling through the Western Conference with a record of 11–1. In the NBA Finals , they faced the New York Knicks , who had made history by becoming the first eighth seed to ever make the NBA Finals. The Spurs won the series 4-1 and the franchise's first NBA Championship in Game 5 at

15640-554: The team in San Antonio for good. The team quickly made themselves at home at HemisFair Arena, playing to increasingly large and raucous crowds. Despite a respectable 17–10 start during the 1974–75 season , Coach Tom Nissalke was fired as the team's ownership become tired of the Spurs' slow playing style. He was replaced by Bob Bass , who said, "It is my belief that you cannot throw a set offense at another professional team for 48 minutes. You've got to let them play some schoolyard basketball." Gervin and Silas took that style to heart, as

15776-412: The team to a 39–22 finish over the rest of the regular season, and the team reached the Western Conference semi-finals. In 1993, local businessman Peter M. Holt and a group of 22 investors purchased the Spurs from Red McCombs for $ 75 million. In the 1993–94 season, the Spurs' first in the newly built Alamodome , Lucas led the team to a 55–27 record but the team suffered a loss in the first round of

15912-535: The then-attached Hotel Madison . James Brown played a notable show at the Garden on April 5, 1968, the night after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated . Only 2,000 attended the sold-out show, because the mayor, Kevin White , and community leaders had encouraged people to obtain refunds on their tickets and instead to watch a hastily arranged television broadcast of the concert on the local public station WGBH-TV . Mayor White appeared on stage, asking

16048-421: The third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden , it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later shortened to just "Boston Garden") and outlived its original namesake by 30 years. It was above North Station , a train station which was originally a hub for the Boston and Maine Railroad and is now a hub for MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains. The Garden hosted home games for

16184-559: The third period, Gervin scored his 58 points on the way to 63 capturing the scoring title. While Gervin was lighting up the scoreboard the Spurs were winning the Central Division with a 52–30 record. However, in the playoffs, the Spurs would be stunned in six games by the Washington Bullets despite an outstanding series from Gervin who averaged 33.2 points per game. The following season in the 1979 Conference Finals

16320-479: The typical analog dial-type game clock design of that era, said to have been installed at the Garden early in the 1940s, and essentially identical in appearance and function to the one used in the Chicago Stadium until September 1975, was removed and replaced by an all-digital-display unit created by the Day Sign Company of Toronto in time for the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs , and remained in use until

16456-479: The venue were a separate space provided for opening acts and a private bathroom with a shower installed next to the newly added dressing rooms. In addition, a new washer and dryer were also installed as "All the bands that come through are always looking for the nearest laundromat, so we figured, why not," said Declan Mehigan. Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts . Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard , who also built

16592-438: The worst in franchise history—and the last time they missed the playoffs until the 2019–20 season. Hill only lasted 18 games as coach that season, eventually being fired and replaced by general manager Gregg Popovich , who had also served a stint under Brown as an assistant coach. Wilkins would play his lone season in 1996–97 for San Antonio, knowing his minutes and playing time would greatly diminish next season. As disastrous as

16728-563: Was a bit of a disappointment, as the team finished in fourth place with a mediocre 41–37 record. In the playoffs, the Chaparrals quickly fell to the New Orleans Buccaneers . The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. In fact, during the 1970–71 season , the name "Dallas" was dropped in favor of "Texas" and an attempt was made to make the team a regional one, playing games in Fort Worth , at

16864-483: Was a sense that the Spurs were the class of the NBA, and once again would be the team to beat in the NBA for the Championship. For the 2005–06 season , the Spurs acquired the two-time All-Star Michael Finley and one-time All Star Nick Van Exel . Not surprisingly, the Spurs would come flying out of the gate, winning 16 of their first 19 games. Once again, the Spurs would get challenged within their own division by

17000-521: Was an original investor in the team and helped solidify local ownership for the team. Additionally, the 1988–89 season featured the debut of Larry Brown as the Spurs head coach who moved to San Antonio after winning the NCAA National Championship with Kansas in 1988. Although there was speculation that Robinson might choose not to sign with the Spurs and to become a free agent once his Navy commitment ended, Robinson decided in

17136-486: Was drafted in 1987, the Spurs would have to wait until the 1989–90 season for Robinson to be a Spur because of his prior two-year commitment to serve in the United States Navy. The Spurs seemingly bottomed out in 1988–89 with a record of 21–61, the worst in franchise history at the time. However, the 1989–90 season was notable for several reasons. It was the first season of full ownership for Red McCombs, who

17272-741: Was electro-mechanical, not electronic, as more recent arenas used) hung in the Boston Garden-themed food court of the Arsenal Mall in Watertown until 2018, when the mall began to undergo renovations. The Celtics' old championship banners and retired numbers now hang at the team's now-former practice facility in Waltham ; a new set of banners were made for the move to the FleetCenter (now TD Garden ). The Celtics used to raise Eastern Division championship banners at Boston Garden in

17408-541: Was eventually released from jail and managed to arrive at the Garden in time for their show and took out their frustrations for being arrested the night before by delivering a blistering set and taunting the Montreal police, dedicating their performance of " Won't Get Fooled Again " to them. Who drummer Keith Moon (for the rest of the Quadrophenia tour) changed one of the lyrics to the song "Bell Boy" from "remember

17544-474: Was held on March 24, 1929. The Boston Garden was originally owned by the Boston and Maine Corporation and controlled by Rickard and the Madison Square Garden . During the early years of the Boston Garden, the building's main draws were boxing, wrestling, and Bruins hockey. Johnny Indrisano , Lou Brouillard , Ernie Schaaf , Al Mello , and Jack Sharkey were among the boxers who fought at

17680-475: Was held three days later, an ice hockey game between the Bruins and the archrival Montreal Canadiens , won by the Canadiens 1–0. The game was attended by 17,000 fans, 2,000 over capacity, as fans without tickets stormed their way in. The game started 25 minutes late. Windows and doors were broken by the fans in the action. The first non-sporting event, a conclave featuring evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith ,

17816-434: Was named All-NBA Third Team for the Spurs that season. The Spurs finished the 1995–96 season under Hill at 59–23 and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals. Few observers could have predicted how far the Spurs would fall during the 1996–97 season , especially with the signing of Dominique Wilkins . Robinson missed the first month of the season due to a back injury. He returned in December, but played only six games before

17952-632: Was named the league's Most Valuable Player. The Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual NBA Champion Houston Rockets . Throughout the season, and particularly in the playoffs, there appeared to be friction developing between Rodman and several Spurs' teammates, most notably Robinson. Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls after the season, and helped the Bulls win three titles from 1996 to 1998. Rodman

18088-435: Was no general admission seating in Boston. The show was marred by a fan throwing a firecracker on stage, causing Pete Townshend to scream obscenities in the general direction of the source before getting on with the tension-filled show. In 1975, Led Zeppelin was banned from performing at the Boston Garden after concert fans were allowed in the lobby due to sub-freezing temperatures while waiting for tickets to go on sale for

18224-495: Was ready to return. In the postseason , The Spurs went through the West relatively easily, culminating with a 5-game victory in the Conference Finals over the Phoenix Suns . In the NBA Finals , the Spurs would face the defending champion Detroit Pistons . The first two games in San Antonio were both Spurs' victories as Ginóbili led the way with 26 and 27 points respectively. However, as the series shifted to Detroit,

18360-482: Was sold for a reported $ 80 million to SFX. But the venue was purchased back by Don Law and partner David Mugar in 2009 and subsequently owned by Don Law, Declan Mehigan and Joe Dunne . It is now owned by Law, Mehigan, Dunne and Mugar. The Don Law Company is now Crossroads Presents and still prominent players in the Boston music scene as owners of The Paradise, the Orpheum Theater , House of Blues Boston, and

18496-544: Was won at New York's Madison Square Garden (III) . The 1941 Stanley Cup championship was won at Detroit's Olympia Stadium . The 1972 Stanley Cup championship was won at New York's Madison Square Garden . The Montreal Canadiens claimed the Stanley Cup at the Garden in 1958, 1977 and 1978, while the Detroit Red Wings won the cup there in 1943. In 1990, the Edmonton Oilers claimed their fifth Stanley Cup at

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