Nice, Kurt Thomas Liked Our Wave..

[ABM]

A bit of a Spurs recap.. from My San Antonio

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kurt Thomas has been in the NBA for 14 seasons, but he can’t recall the last time he saw an entire arena execute “the wave” as elegantly as the sellout crowd at The Rose Garden did on Sunday night.

A relic of 1980s and ’90s sporting events, that rolling, section-by-section exercise in self-adulation has been passé in the new millennium.

But so thorough was the Portland Trail Blazers’ 102-84 domination of the Spurs, most of the spectators who hadn’t already opted for a head start out of the parking garages managed to keep the thing going on five round trips.

“I thought we were playing in Europe,” Thomas said. “It was very impressive.”

Spurs captain Tim Duncan had another take on the throwback cheer, which began with 3:40 remaining in what became the Spurs’ second straight loss.

“I think they were bored,” he said............. ( )


.........................Duncan was playing for the first time in a week, and the effect his return had on his teammates was open for debate. The Spurs had beaten the Blazers in San Antonio on Wednesday without him.

“Maybe, in the back of our minds, we thought that would carry over,” said guard Roger Mason Jr. “We have to realize the Blazers are playing great at home, and they’re going to be amped up for the game.”................


.....“To start the game that way against a team you had beaten pretty good recently was quite disappointing,” (Popovich) said, “because it shows a possible laissez-faire attitude, in a way.

“I would have expected us to come out knowing we were in for a hell of a battle. I’m not sure we came with the approach, or respect, that we needed.”

Duncan spent the entire fourth quarter on the Spurs’ bench, ice bags already on his knees, watching the wave and ruminating on a mini-comeback that had been a flop.

“Obviously, we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Duncan said. “We got our butts kicked in just about every facet of the game.

“Whether it be someone’s focus or not, I’m a player. I’m with these guys. There’s no pointing fingers, except at yourself.

“I’ll take the blame for it. I had a terrible night.”

 

[Mediocre Man]

I was embarrassed to be a fan during the wave. C'mon Portland!!!!! Small thinking is why you only have one pro sports team and are looking to add soccer instead of one of the other major sports.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

^^ You're crazy. "Small Thinking"??? (Mixum, is that you?) The wave is classic! Old school!

 

[julius]

I was embarrassed to be a fan during the wave. C'mon Portland!!!!! Small thinking is why you only have one pro sports team and are looking to add soccer instead of one of the other major sports.

Have a little fun once in a while. It's attitudes like that, that make sports events boring and make you look small.

"Sit down, I can't see" or "quiet, I paid good money for my seats" or "that's small town thinking".

It's supposed to be a fun place to go, where people are loud, and cheer. There was a wave at a Chargers game this year. Is San Diego "small town" ?

 

[SodaPopinski]

I liked the wave at that point. Normally I hate the wave, but when you are so utterly and completely dominating another team, breaking out the wave is a slap right across the face of the other team.

Good form.

-Pop

 

[wastro]

I liked the wave at that point. Normally I hate the wave, but when you are so utterly and completely dominating another team, breaking out the wave is a slap right across the face of the other team.

Good form.

-Pop

It IS a slap in the face of the other team, and that's the problem. If we get to the playoffs and have San Antonio in the first round, do you think they won't remember that?

I'm just pissed about the wave because it totally and completely distracts from the game. I don't care if it's a 20-point blowout. The guy who started the wave was two sections to my right, and every 30 seconds or so, you had my section trying to help him start the wave. It was annoying and took away from the game.

 

[Minstrel]

The wave may be out of fashion, but I still think it looks great if executed well. The one in the Blazers game was apparently executed flawlessly (didn't see it, but according to printed descriptions).

 

[SodaPopinski]

It IS a slap in the face of the other team, and that's the problem. If we get to the playoffs and have San Antonio in the first round, do you think they won't remember that?

Yeah, I'm sure Poppovich will write "The Wave" on the grease board before the game to try to motivate his team to come out and beat us. Please. You're really reaching there.

I get it if you don't like it - that's a personal preference - but the whole "bulletin board material" take on the wave is ridiculous.

-Pop

 

[Natebishop3]

I don't see anything wrong with the wave, and I don't understand how it's small town. I always got a kick out of it.

And you really think that's going to get a rise out of the Spurs? From what I can tell, San Antonio has feelings or emotions.

 

[alex42083]

Have a little fun once in a while. It's attitudes like that, that make sports events boring and make you look small.

"Sit down, I can't see" or "quiet, I paid good money for my seats" or "that's small town thinking".

It's supposed to be a fun place to go, where people are loud, and cheer. There was a wave at a Chargers game this year. Is San Diego "small town" ?

Agreed. It was great! Loved every minute of it. Better than just seeing people sit on their hands for the fourth quarter, waiting for the game to end.
And bulletin board material? Oh please... then I'm sure the Spurs will write 'chalupa' on their board too. It was just in good fun, even some of the Blazers were doing it.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

as i mentioned in another thread, we were doing the wave in the playoffs for the dodgers last year. not small time.

its kind of lame though. but when its a diss, quite funny.

 

[BlazerBeav]

I agree with the writer - that was about as good a wave as I've ever seen at a sporting event.

 

[handiman]

Duncan's take on it was that the fans were bored. That's a commentary on his own play. You really think the Spurs took offense?

 

[ABM]

Duncan's take on it was that the fans were bored. That's a commentary on his own play. You really think the Spurs took offense?

Exactly. That's why I laughed. I'm sure it was very entertaining. The Spurs sure thought as much. Good stuff all the way around.

Geez, why do fans here have to freakin' over-analyze stuff so much?!

 

[crandc]

I'm not a big wave fan, to put it mildly, because at least at baseball it seems to have no connection with what's going on in the game.

But I'd still rather see a spontaneous wave then a sign reading "NOISE" and everyone starts to scream. Give people something to make noise about and you don't need a sign.

 

[Boob-No-More]

^^ You're crazy. "Small Thinking"??? (Mixum, is that you?) The wave is classic! Old school!

That's exactly what my 9-year old called it - Old School!

It was fun, it was spontaneous, and gave the fans something to do during a timeout in the 4th quarter of a game that was (surprising) decided before the end of the 1st quarter. It really was the most boring game I've been to this season - and that includes the 42-point stomping of Miami. It was basically one great quarter followed by 3 quarters of garbage time.

And, it was more than 5 complete rounds - I counted it going around at least 8 times.

This is one of the things I love about going to Blazers games - the crowd is great. They get into the game and always seem to find ways to energize the team. There's a reason the Blazers have one of the best home records in the league. If you want to call it small town, or small minded, go ahead, but it's hard to argue with the results:

Home: 26 - 5
Away: 13 - 17

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

BTW, I don't think any of my kids were even born the last time I saw a wave exectuted at a sporting event. So, it was kind of a fun experience for them. They are at that phase where anything "retro" is cool. So, they got to experience a little bit of the 80s/early 90s first hand.

BNM

 

[ABM]

Wow, Wheels hates the wave.

Stick-in-the-mud, I tell ya.

 

[Spud147]

That's exactly what my 9-year old called it - Old School!

It was fun, it was spontaneous, and gave the fans something to do during a timeout in the 4th quarter of a game that was (surprising) decided before the end of the 1st quarter. It really was the most boring game I've been to this season - and that includes the 42-point stomping of Miami. It was basically one great quarter followed by 3 quarters of garbage time.

And, it was more than 5 complete rounds - I counted it going around at least 8 times.

This is one of the things I love about going to Blazers games - the crowd is great. They get into the game and always seem to find ways to energize the team. There's a reason the Blazers have one of the best home records in the league. If you want to call it small town, or small minded, go ahead, but it's hard to argue with the results:

Home: 26 - 5
Away: 13 - 17

BNM

Old school Rip City is back and in honor of our making the play offs for the first time in years (yes, I'm counting my chickens before they're hatched - sue me) I think we should take it up a notch and make the wave reverse directions... BAM!

 

[THE HCP]

We had a camera on the Spurs bench last night. When that was going on, Parker and Finley were cracking up!

 

[ABM]

We had a camera on the Spurs bench last night. When that was going on, Parker and Finley were cracking up!

Jackals.

 

[Spud147]

Jackals.

Way to get in shape for the play offs ABM!

 

[ABM]

Wow, Wheels hates the wave.

Stick-in-the-mud, I tell ya.

Conversely, Nate loved it!

 

[ABM]

Conversely, Nate loved it!

So did KP. In fact, participated in it, as well!!

 

[Uther TheGardener]

My group at the game thought the Fan was sweet and a lot of fun, Mom's birthday gift and dad's first Blazers game!

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

whatever. 110,000 people in a wave.

[video=youtube;UNoZipK1g-I]

 

[Ed O]

Yeah, I'm sure Poppovich will write "The Wave" on the grease board before the game to try to motivate his team to come out and beat us. Please. You're really reaching there.

I get it if you don't like it - that's a personal preference - but the whole "bulletin board material" take on the wave is ridiculous.

Haha. Beat me to it, SP.

Ed O.

 

[Ed O]

I'm not a big wave fan, to put it mildly, because at least at baseball it seems to have no connection with what's going on in the game.

But I'd still rather see a spontaneous wave then a sign reading "NOISE" and everyone starts to scream. Give people something to make noise about and you don't need a sign.

Agreed... a step worse than either of these things, in my opinion, is when the stadium plays music over the live action of the game.

Ugh.

Ed O.