(Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/basketball-team-players-match-nba-8030918/)
They say everything is bigger in Texas. When it comes to the world of professional basketball, the Lone Star State certainly packs a pretty powerful punch. With the three Texan teams all offering tempting odds on the updated list of Texas sportsbooks, we will take a look at how Texan teams have performed and left a legacy in the NBA. Today, we’re going to take a look at the influence Texas has had on the NBA, discussing some of the great teams and players that have come from the state.
1970s: Texas gets its first NBA franchises
Texas got its first taste of NBA action in the early 1970s. Although the state had a proud tradition of college basketball, with institutions like the University of Texas and Texas Tech enjoying sporting success in the first half of the twentieth century, the professional game took a while to catch up. The four-year-old San Diego Rockets were on the verge of folding before a group of Houston-based financiers came to the rescue in 1971, relocating the franchise and moving it, fittingly enough, to Space City. While things did not start great, by the late 70s, the Rockets had begun to enjoy some winning seasons. However, they had found themselves with neighbors, and more would be on the way.
Before the National Basketball Association became the absolute top dog of American basketball, it had a series of rivals. While the American Basketball League didn’t last long or feature any teams from Texas, the American Basketball Association was a different matter. Founded in 1967, the league featured 11 teams and, crucially, one of them, the Dallas Chaparrals, was from the Lone Star State. The side moved cities to become the San Antonio Spurs in 1974. When the ABA was wound up two years later, the Spurs joined the Rockets in the NBA. If two’s company, then three is the sort of crowd that gives Texan basketball enthusiasts plenty of choice of who to root for. Texas pro basketball saw its third team enter the NBA at the start of the 1980s. With the league looking to expand, a group of businessmen in Dallas wanted the game back in their city. They founded the Dallas Mavericks, a new franchise, and joined the league in 1980.
1980s: New neighbors, slow growth
The 1980s were a period of nearly but not quite for Texas’s professional basketball teams. The Rockets managed to reach the NBA finals in 1981, losing to the Larry Bird-inspired, all-conquering Boston Celtics. The franchise got a boost when it drafted 7-foot-tall Nigerian-born center Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston in 1984. Within two years, they were back in the finals, where they lost, yet again, to the Celtics. Meanwhile, the Mavericks were enjoying consistent results, reaching the playoffs every year from 1983 to 1987 before returning in 1989, where they got as far as the conference finals before losing to the LA Lakers. As for the Spurs, they also enjoyed success, reaching the playoffs seven years out of 10.
1990s: Rockets soar, Spurs sparkle, Mavericks flop
If the 1990s were about one Texan team, it was the Rockets. While Olajuwon’s nickname of “The Dream” showed how much fans loved him, it was the Rockets’ faithful who had to pinch themselves in the middle of the decade. In 1994 and 1995, Houston won back-to-back NBA championships, as the center-led tactics of the side, managed by coach and former Rockets power forward Rudy Tomjanovich, provided a blueprint for future sides, and gave Olajuwon successive MVP titles. It wasn’t just the Rockets who enjoyed NBA glory in the last decade of the twentieth century. Continuing their consistent playoff performances, the Spurs finally took things to the next level in 1999 when they beat the New York Knicks 4-1 in the NBA Finals to secure their first championship. On the other hand, the Mavericks experienced frustration. After squeezing into the playoffs in 1990, the side’s fortunes declined, and their seasons ended when the regular season did throughout the decade. The problems were exacerbated when star centre Roy Tarpley was banned from the NBA for refusing to take a drug test in 1991. Things turned around in the second half of the decade, with the arrival of point guard Jason Kidd leading the team, if not to the playoffs, then to somewhat respectable records.
2000s: Creating a legacy
The new millennium saw a changing of the guard in Texas basketball. While the Rockets had previously been the state’s most successful team, it was time for the Spurs to take centre stage. With an international recruitment policy, overseas stars such as Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Manu Ginobili joined with native star Tim Duncan to help forge a dynasty under the leadership of coach Gregg Popovich, winning the NBA championship in 2003, 2005, and 2007. While the Spurs succeeded, the Rockets faltered. With Olajuwon gone, it was time for new blood, but not even 7’6” Chinese standout Yao Ming could bring the gold back to Houston, even if the side made the playoffs in the 2000s. Things were looking up for the Mavericks. After the 1990s was a decade to forget, the 2000s were much better. The franchise returned to its regular playoff position, qualifying for the postseason every year, but it was a case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride. However, there were good omens when German power forward Dirk Nowitzki became the league’s first European MVP in 2007, a year in which the Mavs won the Western Conference but were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Golden State Warriors.
The modern day: Mavs get the gold, records get broken
The last 15 years have been an interesting time for Texas basketball. One of the most remarkable events to have taken place was in 2010, when the NBA All-Star Game was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, drawing a world record 108,713 fans. Something else that would have looked remarkable in the dark days of the 1990s took place the following year. Led by a top-form Nowinski and coach Rick Carlisle, the Mavericks finally staked their claim to being the league’s top team when they won their very first NBA championship, beating the Miami Heat by four games to two. Meanwhile, the Spurs became champions again in 2014. However, things weren’t so good for the Rockets, who have spent a pretty barren decade and a half at the time of writing. In all, Texas has been a state where basketball has thrived. Whether it’s Popvich’s dynasty at the Spurs, the glory of Hakeem Olajuwon, or the Mavericks showing determination can pay off, Texas has a strong legacy of basketball, and it looks like it will continue for some time.