Yahoo Sports NBA writer Marc Spears was a Tulsa World staff member in 1995-97.
MIAMI, Fla. – A native and current resident of California’s Bay Area, Marc Spears graduated from San Jose State University and was a Dallas Morning News intern before joining the Tulsa World staff in 1995.
For the World, he covered Arkansas Razorback football and basketball.
“It was a great opportunity to spend time around Nolan Richardson – the guy I consider to have been the best college basketball coach at that time,” says Spears, who recently turned 40. “To cover SEC football and basketball right out of college – it was an amazing experience.”
After spending slightly more than two years at the World, Spears worked for the Los Angeles Daily News, the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal, the Denver Post (covering the Nuggets and the NBA) and the Boston Globe (covering the Celtics).
“A couple of days after interviewing with the Globe, the Celtics got Kevin Garnett,” Spears recalled. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to get this job.’ I ended up covering Boston’s Big Three and their championship (in 2008).”
Since 2009, Spears has covered the NBA for Yahoo Sports. For 17 years, he has been among my best friends in the business. On Wednesday, while seated at courtside as the Oklahoma City Thunder prepared for practice at Miami’s American Airlines Arena, Marc and I talked basketball.
Me: “Pre-1980, who are Marc Spears’ five top NBA guys?”
Marc: “Wilt Chamberlain is definitely my guy. I’ve got to respect Bill Russell, being from the Bay Area. Oscar Robertson. Sam Jones. We’ll throw The Logo (Jerry West) in there. Being The Logo counts for something.”
Me: “Some guys would be good in any era. Jerry West would be an All-Star today. Since 1980, who are Marc Spears’ top five guys?”
Marc: “Magic. Bird. Kobe. I’ve got to put Jordan in there. I have to go with Tim Duncan.”
Me: “My post-1980 five would include Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.”
Marc: “I could go with Hakeem, but Tim Duncan won more championships.”
Me: “Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook scores 43 in the Game 4 Finals loss to Miami. There are a lot of different opinions of Westbrook. What is yours?”
Marc: “I think we have to stop looking at him as a point guard. I covered Allen Iverson. He used to tell me, ‘I’m not a point guard. I’m a guard.’ That’s what Russ is. He’s a scorer – one of the best in the league.”
Me: “In consecutive seasons, Westbrook has been an All-NBA second-team guy. That would seem to define him as one of the 10 best players in the league. Is he one of the 10 best?”
Marc: “Yes, I think so. I really respect his work ethic. I’ve been in the gym when he and Derrick Rose worked out together in Santa Monica. They work hard, man. You’d be hard-pressed to find two guys who work harder than them.”
Me: “In your mind, is Kevin Durant a great player or still just a great scorer?”
Marc: “He’s a great scorer who is evolving into a great player. In the Finals, he’s learning that he needs to get stronger. I still think he’s evolving as a defender, but he’s probably the best offensive player in the world right now. With his height and his skills, there’s nothing he can’t do.”
Me: “You spent two years in Oklahoma. When it became official that the Thunder would move from Seattle to Oklahoma City, did you expect the franchise to thrive the way it has?”
Marc: “I felt bad for Seattle, but from my time in Oklahoma, I knew it was a good sports market. The way they love college sports there, and the way they loved the Hornets when they were there, I knew Oklahoma could (support an NBA team). I kind of felt bad for the rest of the state because Oklahoma City was so thirsty for its own identity. To this day, I think they should be the Oklahoma Thunder – not the Oklahoma City Thunder.”
Me: “Do you expect OKC to sustain itself as a championship contender for several years?”
Marc: “We’ll see how the Lakers retool and how some other teams retool, but (the Thunder) has shown me that they are the best team in the Western Conference. I don’t think there’s a close second right now, especially with other teams getting older and having uncertainty. (The Thunder) is young. We’ll be talking and writing about them for a while.”
Me: “Thursday night – Game 5 of the Finals. An elimination game for Oklahoma City. The Thunder came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Spurs. Can Oklahoma City overcome a 3-1 deficit against Miami?"
Marc: “My guess is that it’s over because of the focus of LeBron and the Heat – the team basketball they are playing. It just seems like the Miami focus is a lot different than a year ago. (Oklahoma City) would need a phenomenal performance (to win Game 5). They’ll have to play their best game of the season. This place is going to be wild.”
-- Bill Haisten
