SAN ANTONIO (AP) -Lining the banks of San Antonio’s famed River Walk, tens of thousands of Spurs fans decked out in black and silver waited in the oppressive heat on Sunday to catch a glimpse of their favorite players and congratulate the team on its fourth NBA title in nine seasons.
“I’m so happy – I feel very blessed and it’s a privilege to play with a great team,” said Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who carried his finals MVP trophy with him on one of the early barges of the river parade. “Hopefully we’ll do it again next year.”
Parker, joined by his bride-to-be, actress Eva Longoria, joked that he’d slept with the trophy for the last couple of nights.
“I put Eva on the couch,” he said.
Famed tenor Placido Domingo sang a mariachi-flavored version of the national anthem and led the crowd in chants of “Go Spurs Go.”
Spurs owner Peter Holt, joined by the team’s mascot, a coyote, told the crowd he wants a repeat next year.
“Never gets old,” he said.
Fans said they came several hours ahead of the river parade to claim a spot. Many fans could be seen dunking their feet in the brown waters of the San Antonio River in an attempt to cool off. Others were dining at restaurants along the river to get their own comfortable front-row seat.
“If you’re born in San Antonio, you have to follow the Spurs,” said James Waclawczyk, 32, who was wearing the No. 20 jersey of his favorite player, Manu Ginobili. “It’s remarkable. To win it once is awesome – it takes a lot. But to win it four times, now that is something to be real impressed with.”
The Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Ohio for the title on Thursday. If the Cavs had managed to win just one game, the Spurs would still be in Cleveland, preparing for Game 5, which would have been Sunday night. Instead, the Spurs swept the Cavaliers in four games.
“I think it’s great. I think they’re a dynasty,” said Andres Palma, who wore the No. 50 jersey of retired San Antonio Spurs star David Robinson. “I think they can get it next year.”
The Spurs also won the NBA championship in 1999, 2003 and 2005.
“Timmy (Duncan) is the most important part of our team,” said Palma, 23, who grew up attending Spurs games.
Palma said talking about the team in terms of “our” and “we” shows how important the Spurs are to the city.
“They’re the only team in town,” said Diana Espinoza, 48, who wore silver and black beads around her neck. “They pick up everybody’s pride. We go crazy for them.”
The celebration was scheduled to continue at the nearby Alamodome after the river parade.
Police had no estimate for the size of the crowd.
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