Vipers kick off NBA D-League championship series
Overseeing multi-million dollar business projects is all in a day’s work for local real estate developer Alonzo Cantu.
No big deal.
Watching the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as their season was on the line Wednesday?
Well, that’s another story.
“My blood pressure was so high,” Cantu said. “I don’t get stressed from my regular work, but that game was so stressful.”
The game in question was the NBA D-League’s deciding third game between the Vipers, a team in which Cantu is the principal owner, and the Austin Toros. A crowd of more than 4,800 roared in Hidalgo’s State Farm Arena when star forward Mike Harris scored what turned out to be the winning basket with eight seconds remaining in the Vipers’ 99-98 victory.
“I don’t think that, even when there were more people in the arena, that is has ever been that loud,” Harris said. “Feeling the adrenaline and excitement from the fans was tremendous. Going into this next one, I think it’s going to become even more exciting.”
This “next one” is the league’s best-of-three championship series against Tulsa that begins today. The first game is scheduled for 4 p.m. today at the Tulsa Convention Center. Game 2 will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at State Farm Arena. If Game 3 is necessary, it will be played at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at State Farm Arena.
“It’s great,” Cantu said. “Hopefully, this is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m glad we’re getting to play for a championship so soon.”
The Vipers are in their third season of existence. After consecutive losing seasons in their first two years, the team qualified for the postseason for the first time this year. They advanced to the finals by defeating Reno in three games in the first round and then Austin in three games in the second round.
The Vipers’ skyrocketing success this season can be traced to their hybrid affiliation with the NBA’s Houston Rockets. The partnership, announced in June 2009, splits operations two ways.
The Rockets make all the personnel decisions regarding coaches and players. The Vipers run the business end of things locally with marketing, ticket sales and merchandising. The hybrid partnership is the only one of its kind in the D-League.
The Phoenix Suns are said to be exploring establishing a D-League team in Prescott Valley, 100 miles to the north, and reportedly want to model their partnership on that of the Vipers and Rockets.
While he couldn’t speak of Suns’ interest in the D-League, Vipers president Brian Michael Cooper said that several existing franchises have inquired about their affiliation with the Rockets.
“It’s always interesting to be the first,” Cooper said. “All eyes were on us to see how it worked. I think it’s a great model. It brings together the best of both worlds. … The idea is to show people that the D-League has the full force of the NBA behind it. From a marketing perspective, it shows in the quality of the product, hopefully.”
The Rockets spared nothing in putting together this year’s roster. They used their scouting resources to construct the team, and the results speak for themselves. Last week, Harris was named the league’s most valuable player and Chris Finch was named the league’s coach of the year.
In addition, the Vipers had five players get called up to the NBA this season. Harris was called up three times — twice with the Rockets and once with the Washington Wizards. He signed with the Rockets last month for the rest of the season and is on assignment from the Rockets.
Current Vipers guards Will Conroy (Rockets) and Antonio Anderson (Oklahoma City Thunder) have been called up to the NBA, too. San Antonio Spurs guard Garrett Temple, a rookie from Louisiana State University, played 30 games for the Vipers this season. Guard Kenny Hasbrouck played 10 games with the Vipers before signing with the Miami Heat. League-wise, it was a record year for call-ups, with 27 players finding their ways to NBA rosters.
“This is what the D-League brings to the table,” Cooper said. “These guys are making the move to the next level. It’s great to see highlights of a Spurs game and see Garrett. We want fans to think, ‘I want to see Mike Harris before he becomes an NBA star. I’ve seen Garrett Temple before he was an NBA star.’ They have that chance to do that now.”
Rockets guard Aaron Brooks is perhaps the team’s most popular alum, although his Vipers career lasted a mere two games two seasons ago. Other Vipers alums in the NBA include C.J. Watson of the Golden State Warriors, Jawad Williams of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brooks was named the NBA’s most improved player last week. More importantly, Brooks has not ignored his Vipers’ past, as brief as it lasted. He has returned to the Valley several times for charity events.
Other Rockets have made local appearances, too. Yao Ming attended a game at State Farm Arena in March. Luis Scola sat next to Cantu for Monday’s playoff in Game 2 against Austin. Clyde Drexler, who helped the Rockets win the 1994-95 NBA championship, made an appearance and did color commentary during the Vipers radio broadcast for a game in December.
Without the close ties between the Rockets and the Vipers, the Rockets likely never would have played last October’s exhibition game with the Boston Celtics in Hidalgo. The game brought superstars like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace to the Valley. The Rockets and Orlando Magic are scheduled to play an exhibition Oct. 5 at State Farm Arena.
“That would have never happened before,” Cantu said. “(The Rockets) have gone above and beyond the call of duty.”
The D-League differs from the leagues that carry the Valley’s other minor league squads.
The Edinburg Roadrunners and Harlingen-based Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings are members of six-team United League Baseball. The league is considered independent because none of the teams are affiliated with Major League Baseball teams.
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees compete in the 15-team Central Hockey League. The league is not considered independent because three teams are affiliated with squads in the National Hockey League. The Killer Bees are not one of them.
The talent levels between the Vipers and the Valley’s other minor league teams are drastically different. The ULB has only had two players ever play in the major leagues. No Killer Bees player has made it to the NHL.
Cooper said the Vipers’ brand name is beginning to stick with area fans. In the Vipers’ first season of existence, they battled another minor league basketball team for local support — the Rio Grande Valley Silverados of the Continental Basketball Association.
The Silverados played their home games at the McAllen Convention Center but moved their operations to Beaumont in 2009 and are now the Southeast Texas Mavericks.
“Partnering with the Rockets has demonstrated that we are here and we want to be part of the community,” Cooper said. “We’re still a relatively young franchise. The first year we were here, we had the two teams and there was a lot of confusion. That dissipated toward the end of last year. And now the Rockets partnership has driven this point home.”
This week, the Vipers and Rockets will find out if their hard work translates into a D-League championship.
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David Hinojosa covers the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442.
