NBA Final Round Notes

The Spurs are in their seventh NBA final, having gone (5-1) in previous, after never advancing to one in their and the ABA’s nine seasons (’68-’76).

S.A. (San Antonio) won their first four final round entities all in different, (spanning the four) possible #’s. They 5’d their ’26 opponent, the Knicks, in ’99, 6’d the New York/New Jersey area, Nets in ’03, won in 7, clinching at home vs defending champion Detroit (Pistons) in ’05 and sweeping Mr. James and the Cavs in ’07.

After a tough 7 game(s) loss to Miami (Heat) (and James, who made his first “jump teams” there for ’11 (he was great in #7, Ray Allen saved him and the team in #6), in ’13, the Spurs 5’d them in 2014.

The Knicks are in their ninth final round entity, (2-6) in previous, all contested vs teams from (or located there now) California or Texas. (Thrice vs the L.A. Lakers, winning in ’70 and ’73, losing in ’72 and twice against the Minneapolis Lakers, losing in ’52 and ’53), The Rochester Royals with Arnie Risen, Bob Davies, Bob Wanzer and the man who guided the Knicks to both of their titles, William “Red” Holzman won in 7 vs the Knicks in ’51 and after incarnations in Cincinnati (think Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, the latter a big contributor to the ’73 title team), and Kansas City/Omaha (they became the Kings) are in California’s capital city of Sacramento as the Kings. Houston (Rockets) with the great and so under publicized, Hakeem Olajuwon 7’d the Knicks in the ’94 final, the same year the NHL Rangers ended a 54 year title drought by 7’ing the Vancouver Canucks in that league’s final).

William “Red” Holzman, as a Rochester Royals player, is pictured above.