Iceman Cometh And Scoreth

The Spurs' inaugural season in the NBA was highlighted by some fairly ridiculous inconsistencies; the team did things like whip the 76ers three out of four and lose four straight to Atlanta. Then, too, it was known around the league that the new boys from the old ABA could be intimidated and that if you got them down they weren't likely to come back.

All of that seemed in the Dark Ages last week when the Spurs proved how tough an opponent they have become—even when their Iceman is a-melting.

In a 118-114 overtime defeat by Portland and a 118-105 victory over Atlanta, Gervin fell into a shooting slump and missed 25 of 41 shots while receiving his standard double- and triple-teaming. Against Portland, San Antonio dropped behind by as many as 15 points in the first half and 12 in the second—formerly the club's point of no return—only to come roaring back to tie the contest and gain possession of the ball with 25 seconds left.

"I consider the game won when Ice has his hands on the ball in that situation," says Paultz. But, working from the 1-4 against Corky Calhoun, Gervin backed and sidled and slid to 23 feet, let the ball go too soon and missed the shot that would have meant San Antonio's second straight licking of the world champions.

Two nights later the Spurs were jingling and jangling when the ghost of James Silas past—who when healthy was the finest backcourt man in the ABA—appeared and scored 15 points in 17 minutes while his teammates were blocking 12 shots in the rout of the Hawks. The Spurs closed out the week by blowing a 24-point lead over Cleveland before Gervin threw in two late slingshot jumpers and two free throws to preserve a 112-108 victory. En route, the Iceman ended his shooting famine by converting 14 of 23 shots and scoring 36 points on a variety of spins and twists that needed to be seen to be appreciated.

This is not so easy.

CBS, which showcased the Spurs no less than eight times last season, has not televised a single San Antonio contest this winter, though one will be aired this Sunday. But with the rejuvenated Silas and the elegant Gervin providing fire and ice; with Kenon having another monster season (the former Net forward is averaging 20 points a game); with a maniacal offensive bench consisting of shooters like Allan Bristow, Lou Dampier and Green; and with Moe trying desperately to concentrate while his greyhound Blockwork runs him into the next tax bracket, the Spurs surely must be at least as attractive a television concept as strong men carrying refrigerators around on their backs.

Last week, in a wide-ranging interview that consumed at least 15 seconds, Gervin explained the phenomenon in Texas. "Now irregardless of where this team is goin' sometimes," he said, "whereas we can go anywhere and play the same gig and, otherwise, win most of the places. Yeah."

Which is the Iceman's way of announcing that otherwise the San Antonio Spurs be comin' atcha. Uh-huh.