EVEN those who might remember the Alamo can’t seem to recall the Spurs.

You know: Western Conference champs . . . favored to win their third NBA championship in seven seasons . . . sitting around San Antonio’s Riverwalk waiting for a run or a Billy Paultz sighting.

The Spurs are set to host Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, giving them eight days between series. Heck, Larry Brown doesn’t have that much of a layoff between jobs.

Twice within the last 72 hours, NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter felt duty-bound to conference call the Spurs and reassure them they weren’t locked out.

By the way, had I known the franchise would have been this good, I never would have sold my 1967 Dallas Chaparrals’ decoder ring.

Which reminds me, minus the mystique of the greatest prime time players of all-time, The Bondsman has bailed out more teams and drained more momentous playoff game shots than anyone in league history. Robert Horry is a rich man’s Reggie Miller – only with five titles and a matching bag of valuables.

While Hakeem, Shaq and The Big Fundamental have brought out the best in him as a venomous sniper, he’s perfected his own creations that do wonders at both ends of the tarmac: Expert entry passes or deflections of same; unslippable screens; snuffs out of nowhere; intrepid charge taking; cunning cuts; infuriating mind games; as well as put backs, pay backs and crack backs.

The Suns made a major mistake during the 1996-97 season by not immediately firing coach Danny Ainge after Horry threw a towel in his face.

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Soon after the Pistons erased the Pacers, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reported no Indiana player is untouchable and then identified Scot Pollard and Jamaal Tinsley (noting his “reasonable contract through 2010-11”) as two who could be moved.

So much for Wells’ comprehension of what management, the coaching staff and Tinsley’s teammates think of their pure playmaker. So much for his consciousness regarding Tinsley’s consequence to the Pacers’ success. So much for his awareness of the rareness on exhibit by Brooklyn’s gift to Indianapolis.

Moved for whom? Steve Nash? Jason Kidd?

Wells still must be under the influence of Isiah Thomas. Before Larry Bird fired Thomas, he wanted Tinsley traded, attempting to use the cover of Jermaine O’Neal and his free agent leverage; Jamaal was too street-wise to be fooled by his coach’s con.

I hate clueless people, especially those in position to know better.

If Wells can’t figure out how to get off the beaten path, he needs to do readers a favor and get off the beat.

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For the good of the Bucks it’s encouraging to hear rising free agent Michael Redd plans to explore his options (maybe Cleveland, maybe Denver) and not simply settle for Milwaukee.

If the Bucks couldn’t be moderately mediocre with Redd earning $3 million, I submit, how can they be expected to upgrade when he’s making $10M per or more?

The Bucks severed serious salary (Keith Van Horn and Mike James) directly before last February’s trading deadline and will lop a lot more off their cap (Anthony Mason and Jason Caffey) at season’s end. Still, after funding Redd to the mad max, will Senator Herb Kohl have enough to recruit another All-Star caliber talent?

More to the point, will the tightfisted owner be agreeable to overspend to become only plausibly better? Appeasing the fans by re-enlisting Redd and flaunting the draft’s pick of the litter (not a franchise player in the bunch) may be as much as Kohl is prepared to do.

Which is why Redd should get out of town while the getting’s good.

The Bucks, meanwhile, promoted scouting director Dave Babcock to director of player personnel. Babcock, younger brother of Rob Babcock, the Raptors’ GM, and Pete Babcock, the former Hawks’ GM, at once offered to trade Milwaukee’s No. 1 pick for Alonzo Mourning.

This just in: Camp Cablevision named Sheldon Silver as the Knicks’ new coach.