Franchise in Fragments: Mid-February Fiesta

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I was at the ’96 All-Star game. It was awesome. Although, let’s be honest- the Alamodome was a ridiculous venue for basketball games. Not necessarily more ridiculous than Cowboys Stadium, but still pretty ridiculous.

  • JT

    My honest opinion, I enjoyed the Rookies / Sophomore game much more than the All-Starts game.

  • Miggy

    While a bit oversized I like the dome as a venue for Spurs games, granted it was not built specifically for basketball but it was also a bit of an advantage cuz it allowed to double up the amount of fans than any other typical arena. Granted they didn’t sell out every night but I liked it, maybe I just got used to it growing up going to games there. Not to mention the fact that u could get pretty good seats for a reasonable price in the dome since there was more space.

  • ThatBigGuy

    We led the league in attendance every year while we were in the Alamodome, which wasn’t really all that big of a deal seeing as the A-dome capacity was close to 30 grand. The Center Formerly Known As The SBC Center has a max of 18 thousand and change. I think it was a great place to catch a game, especially with that fun zone behind the curtain. I had many a dunk competition on the 9 foot rim with my buddies back there while in high school.

    It holds a special place in my heart, because even though I attended a game or 2 at the Hemisphere Arena very early in life, my most formative Spurs memories were from the A-dome. Memorial Day Miracle, anyone?

  • td4life

    opposing teams hated coming there, it was disorienting, cavernous and acoustically much quieter than any other venue in the league… Tim Duncan and company didn’t like it for the same reason and wanted more of a Hemisphere/ Arco LOUD homecourt advantage… but we sure had alot of blowout wins in that building… though that curtain made it seemed kind of jerry-rigged and i think the spurs players were sort of embarrassed by not having a proper home… i loved going there, and wish the ATT Center was downtown, love the Center too though, very classy.

  • http://www.48minutesofhell.com Graydon Gordian

    Don’t get me wrong- I have some very fond memories of the Alamodome. It and the Frank Erwin Center are where I got my basketball education. But I’ve always just preferred smaller, more intimate arenas.

  • rj

    those all star games uniforms that year were terrible. not to mention that huge curtain at the alamodome. and the pink circle?!?!?! yikes. thanks for the makeover, F.O.

  • BigWhit

    I am old enough to have attended Spurs’ games in all three venues; H-Arena, A-Dome, and ATT. In fact I watched ABA Spurs in the Arena. (Jack in the Box used to give a 2 for 1 Spurs coupon for buying a Jumbo Jack!) I have good memories of all.
    The Arena was poorly laid out and had structural columns that obstructed views, but it was really, really loud and you were close to the action. The dome was the opposite, with a free-spanning roof but not intimate. It was a football stadium used for basketball. Many hate the dome looks, but I like the external structural skeleton and big bow trusses, and tension cables anchored to the ground. What I remember best about the Dome is that for most games, anyone could show up game day and get a reasonably-priced ticket, as it was rarely sold out. It was accessible to everyone, even at playoffs and was inclusive to the community. The ATT is modern, intimate, and a great venue; but, not as affordable as the other two.
    The three things that both the Arena and Dome had that the ATT does not are location, location, and location. The Spurs need to play at city center. The Spurs are an Icon of the city, right up there with the Alamo and the Riverwalk. I suspect there will soon come a day that the city will be faced with building yet another Spurs arena somewhere within walking distance (or modern assisted transport) to the Riverwalk, including the new river reaches. That day will have to wait till the next generation of Spurs win championships (all new faces) and a new generation of voters, willing to vote yes to a new arena imagine a modern and vibrant connected downtown. The ATT will be left for horses and hockey. Of course, I may be full of horse-hockey.