--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Texas makes a strong statement By Glenn Rogers San Antonio Express-News Web Posted : 12/13/2002 12:00 AM The Triangle is back. That's how Orlando Magic coach Doc Rivers describes it, and he's not referring to a recent flight he endured in the notorious Bermuda Triangle. He's concerned about disappearing in the Texas Triangle of Dallas, San Antonio and Houston when he travels to the state near the end of the NBA regular season in April. "It's not the place to go when you might be in a fight for playoff position," Rivers says. "It's not the place to go when you need some W's." Most recently, Rivers and other NBA coaches have worried most about games in San Antonio and Dallas. Houston for the past three seasons has been a lottery team. That apparently is changing with the arrival of No. 1 pick Yao Ming. Ever since Yao started piling up double-doubles and casually shooting over and dunking on opposing centers, the state of Texas has emerged as a dangerous place to make three stops on one road trip. In the past, teams got a break when one of the three teams was struggling. The Mavericks, entering the league for the 1980-81 season, were contentious in the mid-to-late '80s, when they floored various lineups starring Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper or Roy Tarpley. But when Dallas or Houston, with Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, notched 45 or more wins during the '80s, San Antonio struggled. Dallas nose-dived during the '90s, when San Antonio and Houston flexed serious muscle. The Spurs' surge came with David Robinson and then Tim Duncan. Olajuwon sparked the gang at the other end of Interstate 10. The Robinson-Olajuwon matchup turned the I-10 series into must-see games during most of the '90s. Houston and San Antonio combined for three NBA titles, while they toyed with Dallas. But just as Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash started to fire up the crowds in Dallas, Olajuwon and the Rockets started to fade. This year, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio all could make the playoffs for the first time since 1989-90. "There used to be a weak link there, but no more," said Clippers coach Alvin Gentry, whose team was overwhelmed by the Mavericks on Wednesday night and is scheduled to play the Spurs tonight and the Rockets on Saturday night. Most teams will avoid the Texas Three-Step — one road trip through all three cities — this season. For the others less fortunate, they will face a solid ballclub every night. Dallas has a 19-3 record, best in the NBA. Houston is 12-8 and San Antonio 13-9. Moreover, all three are tough at home — the Mavs are 10-0, the Rockets 8-1 and the Spurs 10-3. On top of that, each has a different style of play. "... It's like three entirely different teams you have to prepare for," Gentry said. "With Dallas, you have all the shooters on the floor. They spread the floor and dribble and penetrate. "In San Antonio you basically have isolation with Duncan. In Houston you've got Steve Francis and now Yao Ming. It's three different scenarios." Spurs guard Steve Kerr said it used to be more common for visiting teams to play all three Texas franchises on one trip. "I think that's when the 'Texas Triangle' phrase started," Kerr said. "It was always a daunting task to come out of there relatively unscathed. "It was almost unheard of to sweep all three. If you could win two it was great. One wasn't too bad, either." If it's a perilous trip for outsiders, consider intrastate competition. Each of the Texas teams has to play the other four times, two and two. That means each team has to worry about losing at least the four away games against the other two and perhaps one or more of the home games. Thus far, San Antonio is 1-1, having lost in Houston before winning at home Wednesday night against the Mavericks. Dallas coach Don Nelson smiles and recalls when his Mavs were the weak angle in Texas. No more, but he sees the difficulty in trying to be boss of the state. "We know what San Antonio is all about," he said before facing the Spurs on Wednesday night. "San Antonio hasn't played up to its potential yet, but it's still San Antonio. "And now Houston. I mean, you talk about our team being the team of the future. Houston is the team of the future. They have a lot of pieces, and I look to them to be dominant." Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik, who escaped doing the three-step this season, said: "Texas could have its own pro league, and it would be a good one." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Texas Triangle Thought this article was a good read. This is the kind of thing that makes bball exciting to me. To see a team go through a rebuilding process and go from a lottery team to a team to be feared. Teams now know that getting a win in Texas is not easy. "Don't Mess With Texas" baby!!! (sorry couldn't help myself).
Nelly giving some serious props. "Dominant". HA "And now Houston. I mean, you talk about our team being the team of the future. Houston is the team of the future. They have a lot of pieces, and I look to them to be dominant."
"And whilst the sentiment is one I share" I thought to myself, "there one thing bothers me." "It is written like crap," I think. "Crap is how it is written." Typically, smaller paragraphs and little arc or narrative are used because people are perceived as having the "concentration of a dead bush," says Dabney Coleman in the movie "Modern Problems." But in that movie, Chevy Chase prevailed, if logical trains of thought did not. And like Chevy Chase, readers are not as feeble-minded as sports newpaper writing may indicate. "June 5th," says Coleman into a tape recorder, wearing a robe on the beach in one of the movie's most memorable scenes. "A partial list of my favorite things. My interview in Playboy. Mozart's Brandberg concertos. Mr. Martin Scorcese. Strenberg's women, all of them. Collecting my $200 for passing 'Go.' Roots, the book, not that television horses---. The view from my office window. Women on beaches. In fact, it may be the writers who are thick. CBFC
Don't Mess with Texas Feel most sorry for the point guards and centers: Guards have to look forward to facing Nash, Francis, super-quick Parker, Van Exel Centers have to face Yao, Duncan, Robinson, Dirk, hyper-active Rose
