San Antonio Spurs history

The 2015 San Antonio Spurs came into the season on a high—a redemptive championship run in 2014 that provided one more layer of greatness to the legacies of power forward Tim Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich. The ’15 Spurs were plenty good, but in a competitive Western Conference landscape, they slipped from championship level.

Duncan continued to amaze, and at age 38, the power forward averaged 14 points/9 rebounds and made 3^rd-team All-NBA. Tony Parker, the 32-year-old point guard, also scored 14ppg and averaged five assists a night. Danny Green continued to be a reliable three-point shooter, hitting 42 percent from behind the arc and averaging 12ppg. Manu Ginobili was now 37-years-old, but still coming off the bench and averaging double-digit points per game.

The depth of the last two seasons wasn’t as strong. In fact, it might have been fatal, if not for the fact that the player who seemed to be the franchise future, took another big step forward. Kawhi Leonard, now 25-years-old, had his best season at 17 points/7 rebounds. Leonard was also the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and the biggest reason the Spurs ranked second in the league for defensive efficiency.

San Antonio muddled out of the gate early on, going 5-4. But included in that stretch were wins over contenders in the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors. Then the Spurs got hot. They won eight in a row, including a 92-90 win at Cleveland, where LeBron James had just gone via free agency.

Consecutive losses to playoff teams in the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers, both in triple overtime, slowed the momentum. And in December, the Spurs went cold. They lost five of nine games, a stretch that ended with a 114-106 loss to Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas Day. San Antonio’s record was 18-12—not bad, but only good for seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

San Antonio won nine of eleven games during January. In February, they gave back what they had gained, with 4-5 stretch. They entered March with a 36-23 record, still seventh in the West.

The February-March timeframe had been when the Spurs heated up in previous years and 2015 proved no different. They ripped off 19 wins in 22 games. While Golden State was running away with the top seed in the West, the race from the 2 thru 6 spots was wide open. San Antonio entered the final game of the regular season at 55-26 and could land anywhere on that 2-6 ladder.

The regular season finale was in New Orleans. The Pelicans, led by Anthony Davis, were playing a win-or-go-home game. Those stakes, combined with the wide range of landing places for the Spurs, gave the game an intensity rarely seen in the NBA regular season.

New Orleans came out fired up and put San Antonio in a 34-19 hole after the first quarter. The Spurs crawled their way back into it, but lost 108-103. A 55-27 record would have been good for the 2-seed in the East. In the West, it left San Antonio at #6 and a long road back to the Finals.

The Clippers were the first-round opponent. With Chris Paul at the point, along with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan up front, the Clips were a title contender. So were the Spurs. A really good team was going to be knocked out early and this series was at the top of every NBA fan’s watch list in the opening round.

Game 1 played to the same script as the regular season finale. San Antonio was down 30-18 after a quarter. They got back into the game, but lost 102-97, thanks to 37 percent shooting from the floor. But they only needed one win on the road and in Game 2, the Spurs got it. Duncan stepped up with 28 points/11 rebounds. Kawhi added 23/9 and the 111-107 overtime win gave San Antonio control of the series.

Kawhi kept rolling with 32 points in Game 3 and a stirring defensive effort keyed a 100-73 blowout. The Spurs had the chance to drive in the knife in Game 4. Duncan did his thing with a 22/14 line. Kawhi added 26/7 and Parker scored 18. But the defense, so good all year, went soft and allowed the Clippers to shoot 54 percent. A 114-105 loss put homecourt back in LA’s hands.

Duncan just kept right on rolling, with a 21/11 line in Game 5. Even though Kawhi had a bad night shooting, the Spurs as a team went 11-for-23 from behind the arc. Patty Mills came off the bench to hit all four of his three-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Clippers were a miserable 1-for-14 from three-point range. Another 111-107 win gave the Spurs a chance to clinch this series at home.

But again, the Spurs could not drive in the knife on their homefloor. An all-around mediocre performance was punctuated by missing nine of 21 free throws. San Antonio lost Game 6, 102-96. If they were going to win this series, it would have to be in a road Game 7.

A national audience watched a great series be settled by an epic game. Duncan went off for 27 points/11 rebounds. Parker scored 20 points. But Kawhi did not play well, while Griffin did for the Clippers. And Chris Paul was coming through with 27 points of his own. When Paul hit a jumper just over the outstretched fingertips of Duncan with one second remaining, the Spurs were beaten, 111-109.

Losing any series like this is tough, especially in the first round, but there were plenty of reasons San Antonio fans could be at peace. Golden State was coming into their own as a powerhouse and it’s unlikely the Spurs could have stopped the Warriors from their eventual NBA championship. What’s more, Leonard had emerged. Even when Duncan finally declined and retired (if that ever happened), the future seemed bright.  

The 2014 San Antonio Spurs came into the season on a mission for redemption. They had come agonizingly close to winning the NBA championship in 2013—in fact as close as any team has come to winning the title without actually doing so. Most of their key players, especially Tim Duncan, were getting older. If this franchise was going to win a fifth title in the Duncan era, ’14 had to be the year. And it was.

Duncan was 37-years-old, but you would never know it from the way he performed. A 15 points/10 rebounds per-game average was just another vintage season for one of the greatest power forwards to ever play the game.

Tony Parker was 30-years-old and the point guard knocked down 17ppg while averaging six assists a night. Parker made 2^nd-team All-NBA. Manu Ginobili, another one of the proud veterans of the three championships during the early ‘00s (Duncan’s first title came in 1999), came off the bench to chip in 12 points and four assists per game

The Spurs had gotten a needed injection of youth with Kawhi Leonard and the 24-year-old forward continued to come into his own. The per-game average of 13 points/6 rebounds was good enough. Even better was his play on the defensive end, as he made 2^nd-team All-Defense.

Help up front came from Tiago Splitter, with six rebounds a night. Boris Diaw offered creativity in the passing game and scored nearly ten points a game.

What helped separate San Antonio from other teams was their tremendous depth and nowhere was that more evident than in the three-point shooters. Head coach Gregg Popovich rotated in everyone from Danny Green to Marco Belinelli to Patty Mills. They all shot 40 percent or higher from behind the arc and joined with Ginobili to give the Spurs tremendous ability to spread the floor.

San Antonio struggled in the early going against good teams. They lost in Portland, where the Trail Blazers were off to a hot start. On the night before Thanksgiving, the Spurs lost to Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder. San Antonio dropped a road game to the L.A. Clippers, who had Chris Paul in the backcourt and Blake Griffin up front.

The Spurs lost to James Harden and the Houston Rockets, along with the Indiana Pacers, who were the second-best team in the East. A Christmas Day showdown with the Thunder ended up as another loss, 113-100.

But the good news was that San Antonio was at least cleaning up on the teams they were expected to beat. They were 22-7 after the Christmas loss and only a game and a half back of OKC and Portland in the Western Conference standings.

Things started to pick up after Christmas, with nine wins in ten games, a run that included successive wins over eventual playoff teams in the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.

But the Spurs lost again to the Blazers and yet again to the Thunder. On January 6, San Antonio went back to the scene of the crime—Miami, where they had dropped crushers in Games 6 & 7 of the previous year’s Finals. LeBron James and the Heat handed the Spurs a 113-101 loss. Two days later, San Antonio lost again to Houston.

Consistency still had its value though—the Spurs took care of business against the lesser teams and there were a lot more of those. They were 33-13 by the end of January, still good for third in the West.

February was when the veterans really started to round into form. The Spurs beat the Clippers and the Blazers. And on February 26, they started a 19-game winning streak that included a 111-87 revenge rout of the Heat. San Antonio beat Portland two more times. The Spurs moved past the Blazers and then the Thunder and eventually led the West by as many as 3 ½ games.

With a final record of 62-20, they ended up with the best record in all of basketball. It was a remarkable tribute to the consistent effort in never letting down against anyone. Now it was time for the playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks had won an NBA title as recently as 2011, and their 49-33 record as the 8-seed demonstrated the vast superiority of the Western Conference over the East. Dallas was led by 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki up front and explosive guard Monta Ellis in the backcourt.

San Antonio was able to turn Game 1 into a defensive affair. Leonard and Spitter combined for 21 rebounds and helped the Spurs control the glass. Duncan delivered 27 points/7 rebounds and the Spurs grabbed the opener 90-85. But in Game 2, they were sloppy and got blown out. Twenty-two turnovers led to a 113-92 loss. Homecourt advantage was now in the hands of the Mavericks as the series shifted to Dallas.

The tension grew higher in Game 3. A thrilling back-and-forth affair woke up the echoes the epic playoff series these two franchises played back in 2006. Duncan scored 22 points. On the down side, Ginobili struggled to 4-for-14 shooting from the floor. San Antonio dropped a 109-108 heartbreaker.

Now the pressure was on for a road Game 4 that was all but must-win. The Spurs brought their defensive effort and held the Mavericks to 38 percent shooting. A dominant second quarter was enough to give San Antonio a 93-89 lead and reclaim the homecourt edge.

Game 5 saw Splitter step out of his role player mode and become an unlikely hero. He scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out five assists. With Parker going for 23 and Duncan adding a 16/12 line, the Spurs got a 109-103 win. They were one win from surviving this stiff first-round challenge.

After three quarters in Game 6, San Antonio had a five-point lead and the opportunity to close the series out. Parker scored 22 points. But with Ginobili having another off-night shooting, the lead slipped away. The Spurs suffered another tough road loss, this one 113-111. The entire dream of redemption was now down to one game.

San Antonio’s veterans met the moment. Parker sizzled, scoring 32 points on 11-for-19 from the floor. Ginobili stepped off the bench and knocked down 20, hitting five of his seven shots from the field. As a team the Spurs shot 57 percent. On the defensive end, they forced the Mavs into 40 percent shooting. Finally, a win came easy, by the final of 119-96.

Portland was up next. The Trail Blazers were a long way from their high point of the regular season’s first half and had slipped to the 5-seed by playoff time. Their decline was on full display in this series.

Parker went off for 33 points and nine assists in the opener. The Spurs led by 26 points at the half, shot 50 percent and held the Blazers to 38 percent. They won 116-92. In Game 2, the offense was more balanced—Kawhi’s 20 points led seven players who scored at least 12—but the final result was much the same. The Spurs were up 19 by intermission, outshot the Blazers 53%-43% and cruised home, 114-97.

The series shifted to the northwest, but the results didn’t change, at least in Game 3. Parker scored 29 and handed out six assists. Kawhi’s line was 16/10. The margin was plus-twenty at the half and with the Spurs making all 25 of their free throw attempts, the 118-103 win came easy.

Poor shooting from behind the arc finally cooled the Spurs off in Game 4, a 103-92 loss. But they went back to San Antonio and picked up where they left off. The backcourt role players stepped up, Green with 22 points and Mills with 18. Kawhi added 22 more and the 104-82 win sealed the series.

The showdown with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals was up. If you wanted to be skeptical of San Antonio, you could point to three factors—the Spurs lost to the Thunder in this same round in 2012. The 2013 playoff run was made easier by Durant’s season-ending injury in the first round. And with Durant enjoying an MVP season this year, the Thunder had basically owned the Spurs head-to-head.

Durant was joined by Russell Westbrook in the backcourt and Serge Ibaka up front. OKC had won 59 games and, along with San Antonio and Miami, were considered among the league’s legitimate championship contenders.

Ibaka missed the first two games and the Spurs took full advantage. Duncan posted a 27/7 line and Parker passed for twelve assists in Game 1, an easy 122-105 win. Game 2 was even easier. With Green nailing seven treys, Parker scoring 22 and Duncan and Splitter combining for 22 rebounds, the Spurs rolled to a 112-77 win.

But San Antonio fans had seen this movie before—in those ’12 conference finals, the Spurs had also won the first two games and looked unstoppable. Then they never won again. Ibaka got back in the lineup for Game 3. And the series took a different turn. Even though Ginobili scored 23 points, the Spurs as a whole shot 40 percent and lost 106-97. They struggled to another 40 percent shooting performance in Game 4 and lost 105-92.

It was time for this proud team to stand up and stop the bleeding. They did just that back home in Game 5. Six players scored at least 14 points and the proudest vet of them all, Duncan, had a big 22/12 night. The Spurs dominated the boards and rolled to an easy 117-89 win.

San Antonio went back on the road for Game 6 and led by ten points after three quarters. It was the same margin they had led by against Miami in the sixth game of last year’s Finals. And this lead got away too, and ended up in overtime. But this time, the ending would be different. With Diaw stepping up with 26 points, the Spurs controlled the extra session and won 112-107.

They were back in the NBA Finals. LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were waiting for them. The Redemption Tour was at its decisive moment.

The heat was turned up in Game 1 and quite literally. It was exceptionally hot inside San Antonio’s AT&T center. The ball was slippery  and the Spurs struggled with turnovers. But Miami had a bigger problem. LeBron couldn’t stay hydrated and cramped up so badly he had to go to the bench. San Antonio, after trailing by two to begin the fourth quarter, pulled away to a 110-95 win. Duncan, impervious to the conditions, posted a 21/10 line.

After a couple days of media haranguing over his cramps, LeBron stepped back up with a big 35-point night in Game 2. Duncan had another vintage game, an 18/15 line. Parker scored 21. But the rest of the Spurs did not shoot well, Bosh hit a huge shot down the stretch and San Antonio dropped a 98-96 decision.

Miami held homecourt advantage now in their bid for three consecutive titles. The question being asked was whether the Spurs could simply “steal one” on the road and reclaim homecourt. As it turned out, San Antonio did a lot more than that. They were about to define their legacy.

Kawhi had not played well in the first two games. That all changed in Game 3. Leonard hit 10 of 13 shots and scored 29 points. The Spurs positively sizzled from the floor and shot 60 percent. They grabbed the game by the throat early, forced the Heat into twenty turnovers and cruised to a 111-92 win.

With the nation expecting Miami to return volley on their home floor, San Antonio shocked everyone and did it again. This time, Kawhi went for 20 points and 14 boards. Duncan’s eleven rebounds further added to the decisive edge the Spurs enjoyed on the boards. They shot 57 percent for the game, were up 19 by halftime and won 107-86.

Back home for Game 5, the San Antonio crowd came ready to party. For a brief stretch in the early going, Miami looked ready to bounce back, taking a very early 15-point lead. But the lead was cut to seven by the end of the first quarter. The Spurs were up seven at halftime, thanks to a strong second quarter from Ginobili. And in the third quarter, San Antonio blew it wide open.

Mills nailed five treys. Kawhi put the finishing touches on his Finals MVP performance with 22/10. As a team, the Spurs hit 12-for-26 from behind the arc. The second half was the long party the fans had come for, ending as a 104-87 rout.

The long road to redemption had been completed and in utterly spectacular fashion over the last three games. When asked the meaning of the championship, Duncan replied succinctly “It means last year doesn’t have to hurt as much.” The San Antonio Spurs were five-time NBA champions in the Duncan era. Their already-established place in history had its finest hour.

The 2013 San Antonio Spurs had a magnificent season, a tremendous playoff run and they battled in one of the great NBA Finals of all-time. A pair of crushing losses left them just short of the title, but the ’13 Spurs marked Tim Duncan’s return to the Finals for the first time since 2007 and set the stage for crowning redemption in 2014 .

Duncan was 36-years-old, but age didn’t stop The Big Fundamental from throwing down an average of 18 points/10 rebounds per game. He could also still defend in the low post, earning 2^nd-team All-Defense honors.

Two more veterans with a championship pedigree held down the backcourt. Tony Parker was 30-years-old and made 2^nd-team All-NBA with his 20 points/8 assists per game. Manu Ginobili came off the bench as the sixth man, and the great 35-year-old was still good for 12 points/5 assists a night.

A second-year forward by the name of Kawhi Leonard injected some youth into the lineup, with a 12 points/6 rebounds nightly average. Tiago Splitter added further depth up front, with a 10/6 average line. Danny Green, a three-point marksman, rounded out the backcourt with 11 points per game.

All in all, the Spurs ranked seventh in the NBA in offensive efficiency and a sparkling third in defensive efficiency. After two consecutive years of getting the top seed in the Western Conference, but losing in the playoffs, San Antonio was hungry to get back to the Finals.

They got off to a strong start, winning seven of their first eight. The only loss was on the road to a contending Los Angeles Clippers team that had Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan. In November, San Antonio went 5-1 on a eastern road swing.

The only loss was the final game of the trip at LeBron James’ Miami. It was a game when Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich famously sent Duncan and Parker home to rest, essentially mailing in a nationally televised game and incurring the wrath of the league office.

December was a little more sluggish. San Antonio lost four of five in the middle of the month. They were still 21-8 on Christmas, but narrowly trailing both Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder and the Clippers in the Western Conference standings.

Over January and February, the Spurs picked up steam. They ripped off 24 wins in 30 games. There were a pair of eleven-game win streaks, including a nice win over the Clips. San Antonio’s record reached 45-14. They had the lead for pole position in the Western playoffs, up one game on Oklahoma City and three on both the Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

When the Spurs knocked off both the Clippers and Thunder in March, their lead extended as high as three games and they appeared in line for a third straight year as the 1-seed. But the home stretch of the regular season did not go well. San Antonio lost four out of seven games, including head-to-head at Oklahoma City and at the surging Denver Nuggets.

The Spurs still finished the season with a 58-24 record, but the Thunder got to 60-22 and grabbed the top seed. In 2012, these teams had met in the Western Conference Finals with OKC coming out on top. They looked destined for a rematch, but San Antonio now appeared to be stumbling a bit and would have to go on the road if the Thunder were indeed in their future.

First things first. The Los Angeles Lakers were the opening playoff opponent. The Lakers had been a hyped team prior to the season, adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to a core that was already led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. But the Lakers had not played well. They went through an early coaching change, played spotty defense and even a playoff berth looked questionable for a while.

And the Spurs wasted no time taking control of this series. They forced 18 turnovers in Game 1, while Duncan, Parker and Ginobili combined for 53 points. The final was a 91-79 win. In Game 2, Kawhi knocked down 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting while Parker torched the soft Los Angeles defense to the tune of 28 points and seven assists. The Spurs held serve at home with another double-digit win, 102-91.

Nash was unable to go with a hamstring problem, but even acknowledging his Hall of Fame career, it wasn’t going to make much of a difference. The Spurs shot 61 percent in Game 3, dominated the boards  and got 20-plus points from both Duncan and Parker. A 120-89 blowout put them on the brink of wrapping this up. And they finished the job in Game 4, forcing 21 turnovers and getting 23 points from Parker. The easy 103-82 win secured the sweep.

A young team in the Golden State Warriors were waiting in the second round. The backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson was making their first appearance on the postseason stage. And these kids, destined for much bigger things in the very near future, would give the veteran Spurs a run for their money.

Curry dropped 44 points in Game 1. Parker answered with a brilliant 28/8/8 line, while Green knocked down six treys and scored 22 points. The game went two overtimes. The difference was turnovers. The veteran Spurs only committed fourteen, while the Warriors gave it up 21 times. It was enough for San Antonio to survive 129-127.

But they weren’t as fortunate in Game 2. A poor 39 percent shooting night put the Spurs in a 19-point hole by halftime and they lost 100-91. Homecourt advantage had shifted to Golden State as the series went west.

The veterans dug deep. Parker poured in 32 points on the road at Oracle Arena. Duncan posted a 23/10 line. The defense held the Warriors to 39 percent from the floor and San Antonio reclaimed homecourt with a 102-92 win. They essentially mailed in Game 4, getting crushed on the boards and shooting poorly in a 97-87 loss. The series was tied at two games apiece.

Defense told the story in Game 5. The Spurs held both Steph and Klay to single-digit point totals. Combined with Parker rolling for 25 points and handing out ten assists, it was enough for the Spurs to go on cruise control and win 109-91. And that tough defense stayed with them on the road in Game 6.

The Spurs forced the Warriors to 39 percent from the floor in Game 6. Ginobili came off the bench to deal out eleven assists. In a game that wasn’t pretty offensively, San Antonio hit 21-for-25 from the foul line and held a narrow 46-40 edge in the glass. It produced the 94-82 win that finally dispatched this rising force from Golden State.

On the other side of the West bracket, the biggest development came early in the first round. Russell Westbrook, Durant’s spectacular sidekick in Oklahoma City, tore up his knee. While the Thunder still won that series, the loss of Westbrook had reshaped the playoff dynamic. Facing a tough Memphis team, OKC lost several tough games and was ousted.

So the Spurs were back to having homecourt edge in these conference finals, but the Grizzlies were not an opponent you could overlook. They had a physical frontcourt of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay. They had a young and capable point guard in Mike Conley. And above all, they could make your offense’s life miserable, ranking second in the NBA in defensive efficiency. San Antonio was the favorite, but no one was expecting this series to be easy. And it wasn’t.

Well, the first game was. The Spurs sizzled from downtown, hitting 14-for-29 from behind the arc. Kawhi was particularly hot, nailing four of his five three-point attempts. San Antonio jumped out to a 17-point lead after the first quarter and cruised home, 105-83.

But Game 2 was where Golden State stole their road win, and Memphis was ready to roll in this spot as well. The game turned into a tough, ugly defensive battle, the kind the Grizzlies could excel at. Parker only shot 6-for-20. But proud veterans can win in spots like this. Parker found a way to still dish out 18 assists. It took overtime, but the Spurs survived, 93-89.

Game 3 in Memphis was a little prettier on the offensive end, but it was still a battle and for the second straight game, the Spurs and Grizzlies went to overtime. Once again, it was the veterans who delivered. Parker scored 26. Duncan went for 24/10 and Ginobili chipped in 19. San Antonio pulled away in the extra session to win 104-93.

The Spurs continued to show they could play defense and won Game 4, 93-86, behind 37 points from Parker. For the series, San Antonio held Memphis to 38 percent shooting. The final three games of these Western Conference Finals had been fierce battles, but the war as a whole was a rout. The Spurs were heading back to the finals on the strength of a four-game sweep.

LeBron and Miami were the defending NBA champs. Over February and March of this season, they had ripped off a 27-game winning streak, just six shy of the all-time record. They finished 66-16 and were back in the NBA Finals.

But league observers expected a good Finals. There were questions over whether the Heat had perhaps peaked too soon. It took them seven games to survive the Eastern Conference Finals with the Indiana Pacers. San Antonio was playing well and their veterans would not be intimidated by the stage. The battle was at hand.

In a series opener that was basically evenly played, Duncan scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, while outplaying LeBron. Parker scored 21 and outplayed the great Dwayne Wade. Parker hit the game’s biggest shot, a runner in the lane just before the shot clock expired that secured a 92-88 win.

A road win in hand, the Spurs played what we’ll kindly call less than exceptional basketball in Game 2. They turned it over 16 times. A game that was tied after the first quarter gradually turned into a Miami rout, punctuated when Splitter had a breakaway dunk blocked by LeBron. The game ended 104-83.

The schedule format of the NBA Finals from 1985-2013 was 2-3-2, to the Spurs would get all of their home games in succession. In theory, they could close out the title without ever returning to South Beach, although no one on the planet expected any such thing. But the homecourt was good to San Antonio.

Green was sizzling hot from behind the arc in the early games of this series and he hit 7-for-9 from downtown in Game 3. Gary Neal, a reserve guard, hit six of his ten three-point shots. The Spurs blew this game wide open in the second half and it ended a 113-77 laugher.

But Game 4 again saw San Antonio get sloppy after a big win. They turned the ball over 18 times. A game that was tied at halftime and still competitive after three quarters ended up a 103-93 loss. The Spurs now realistically had to win Game 5.

And that’s what they did. Green continued his hot shooting with 24 points, a performance that had people talking about him as a frontrunner for Finals MVP if the Spurs could close this out. Parker scored 26. Ginobili went for 24, while Duncan added a 17/12 line. San Antonio jumped out to a 32-19 lead after a quarter and kept Miami at arm’s length the rest of the way, winning 114-104.

They were going on the road, but there was just one more win to go. The one downside—and it was a big one—that loomed over the Spurs—was that Parker was playing with a bad hamstring. They just needed the proud point guard to hold on a little longer.

For five games, the 2013 NBA Finals had been competitive in general sense, in that the teams were trading wins. But after Game 1, the individual games had not been compelling. That was about to change in a very dramatic way.

Game 6 was one of the classics in league history. Smelling his fifth ring, Duncan went off for 30 points and 17 rebounds. Kawhi added a 22/11 line. The Spurs led by ten points after three quarters.

LeBron heated up and Miami pulled even. San Antonio calmly responded and nudged back out to a five-point lead with less than thirty seconds to play. The championship trophy was being maneuvered into position for a celebration.

Then some sloppy defense from Green let LeBron free for an open look at three-pointer. The Miami star buried it and cut the lead to two. No problem. Kawhi was fouled and simply had to hit the free throws to secure the championship. But Leonard only made one of two.

Miami could still tie as the clock wound down. LeBron fired from three. He missed. A long rebound ensued. Duncan had been removed from the game to allow for more perimeter defense. Miami’s Chris Bosh chased the ball down and flipped it out to Ray Allen who was backpedaling rapidly behind the three-point line. Allen nailed one of the epic shots in NBA lore. Tie game.

The Heat won in overtime. Popovich faced questions over why Duncan had not been on the floor for the game’s decisive possession. So many chances missed. Now San Antonio’s vets, with just one day to recuperate, had to try and do it all over again.

One thing the Spurs always had was heart and watching them play Game 7, you would never have guessed how thoroughly their hearts had been broken just two nights earlier. Duncan went off for 24/12, while Kawhi added 19/16. But Parker’s hamstring was giving out. He couldn’t shoot any more and only hit 3-for-12. LeBron answered with 37 points, while Wade knocked down 23.

Late in the game, the Spurs trailed 90-88, but got a big defensive stop. Duncan got the ball in the open court, one-on-one against veteran Miami reserve Shane Battier. Duncan got close to the hoop, went in for a layup that was strongly contested, but also one that he had made a thousand of in his career…and missed. The Heat won 95-88.

The ending of these Finals was devastating. Spurs players and coaches would freely admit to being haunted by the missed opportunities all summer long. The hurt and pain drove the veterans to dig even deeper. And they came back in 2014, got a rematch with Miami in the NBA Finals and won it.

Simply on the merits, the 2013 San Antonio Spurs were a great story—an outstanding basketball team with no quit in them. The fact they got redemption a year later for their biggest hurts makes this two-year sequence one of the outstanding stories in all of sports. They were more than a great basketball team. They taught life lessons by the way they played the game and bounced back from adversity.

After winning their fourth NBA championship with Tim Duncan in 2007, the Spurs had been—at least by their standards—in a bit of a dry spell. 2009 and 2010 had each seen the final regular season win total in the low 50s and a playoff exit prior to the conference finals. Good basketball to be sure, but not what Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich were used to. The 2011 San Antonio Spurs spent the better part of the season back in the league’s elite, before a crashing playoff collapse ended it all.

Duncan was now 34-years-old and starting to slow down a bit, as he averaged 14 points/9 rebounds per game. The Spurs got their offensive production from Tony Parker at the point guard spot, who scored 18ppg and handed out seven assists per night. George Hill provided some young legs in the backcourt and knocked down 12ppg. Richard Jefferson joined Duncan up front and was a double-digit scorer.

Popovich also found rebounding help off the bench. Antonio McDyess was a 36-year-old veteran. DeJuan Blair was a 21-year-old kid. Combined, they chipped in twelve rebounds a game and provided valuable relief for Duncan and Jefferson.

But the lynchpin of the San Antonio attack in 2011 was Manu Ginobili. His final stat line was 17 points/4 rebounds/5 assists per game. Ginobili made 3^rd-team All-NBA and keyed an offense that ranked second in the NBA in efficiency.

The Spurs wasted no time and coming out of the gate strong. The schedule wasn’t particularly loaded in the early going and San Antonio split their two toughest games, home dates with the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks, but the Spurs were consistent. By Christmas Day, the record stood at 25-4 and they were a game and a half up on the Mavericks for the best record in the Western Conference.

Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers were the real target though. The Lakers were coming off back-to-back NBA championships and they came to San Antonio on December 28. The Spurs’ defense forced Kobe into an 8-for-27 shooting night. Blair came up big, with 17 points/15 rebounds off the bench. San Antonio delivered a decisive 97-82 win.

Two nights later they went to Dallas and with Mavs’ star Dirk Nowitzki not in the lineup, the Spurs owned the glass. A 50-35 rebounding advantage, combined with 21 points off the bench from Gary Neal, were the reason for the 99-93 win.

San Antonio went east and dropped a couple games, including one in Boston where the Celtics were fresh off an NBA Finals appearance. But by the end of January, the Spurs were rolling at 40-7 and their lead in the West had soared to eight games.

A nine-game road trip in February had the potential to be a stumbling block, but San Antonio picked up six wins. The biggest came at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Parker knocked down 21. The defense again forced Kobe into a bad night, this one 5-for-18 from the floor. The Spurs pulled out an 89-88 road win.

By the beginning of March, San Antonio was cruising along at 49-10 and still six games clear of the field in the West. Perhaps they lost their edge. Maybe the fact they only finished 16^th in the league in defensive efficiency started to catch up to them. Whatever, the reason, the Spurs stopped playing basketball at an elite level.

The Lakers came into town for a nationally televised Sunday afternoon game and handed the Spurs an ugly 99-83 loss. Taken by itself, the defeat was no big deal. But San Antonio also lost six in a row later in the month. By the time the season ended, they were still 61-21 and still the 1-seed in the West. But Chicago now had the best record in the league overall. The Bulls, the Miami Heat in their first year with LeBron James, along with the Lakers and Mavericks, all seemed in better shape.

But there was nothing to suggest San Antonio couldn’t regain their momentum. They had what seemed an ideal draw for the first round of the postseason. The Memphis Grizzlies were in the playoffs for the first time in three years. They had never won a playoff series in their comparatively short franchise existence. One of their top players, small forward Rudy Gay, was out.

What the Grizzlies did have was two other terrific frontcourt pieces. Zach Randolph could get physical down low. Marc Gasol was capable of stepping outside and stretching the floor. Mike Conley was an up-and-comer at point guard that could run the show.

Memphis came into San Antonio and shot 55 percent in Game 1. Duncan played well, getting 16 points/13 rebounds, but no one else did and the Grizzlies immediately took away homecourt advantage with the 101-98 win.

The Spurs toughened up the defense for Game 2, got another solid performance from Duncan, this one good for 16/10 and got a 93-87 win. Now they needed to go on the road and reclaim the homecourt edge.

But San Antonio fell behind by ten points at halftime of Game 3. They shot just 2-for-15 from three-point range. Even though Ginobili went for 23 and Duncan continued to deliver, this time 13/11, there was no depth to the production and the Spurs lost 91-88.

Game 4 was more of the same and worse. On top of more cold shooting behind the arc, San Antonio also turned it over 17 times and Duncan had his worst game of the series. A bad 104-86 loss put the Spurs on the brink of elimination.

No one was counting San Antonio out. Even in a 3-1 series hole, they just needed to defend their home floor and find a way to sneak out a road win in Game 6. The backcourt stepped up with an electric performance in Game 5. Ginobili lit it up for a 33/6/6 line. Parker scored 24 and dished nine assists. Duncan hit the boards for twelve rebounds.

But it’s revealing that in spite of this, the Spurs still needed overtime to get a 110-103 win and stay alive. When they went back on the road, the result was shaky defense—the Grizzlies shot 52 percent—and poor rebounding, losing the board battle 43-32. The season ended with a 99-91 loss. Randolph and Gasol had combined to average 35 points/21 rebounds per game in the series. Duncan’s consistency wasn’t a sufficient answer.

The hard end to the season was a bitter pill to swallow, but with the passage of time we know that 2011 did indeed mark the beginning of one last great run for the Duncan-era Spurs. This was the first of four straight years as a serious title contender. They reached the conference finals in 2012, the NBA Finals in 2013, and in 2014 the Spurs captured Duncan and Popovich’s fifth ring.

After the title runs of 2003, 2005 and 2007, the Spurs of Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan had started to take modest steps backwards. They lost in the conference finals of 2008 and then in the first round of the 2009 playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers had usurped the role of Western Conference frontrunner and were the defending champs. The 2010 San Antonio Spurs continued the pattern of the previous two years, but also showed that a renewed push for the top of the NBA was not far away.

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Duncan continued to be the foundation for the Spurs and The Big Fundamental averaged 18 points/10 rebounds per game in 2010. Tony Parker ran the show at point guard, averaging 16 points/6 assists. Manu Ginobili went for 17 points/4 rebounds/5 assists per game.

Parker missed over thirty games with injuries but second-year point guard George Hill was starting to come into his own. Hill averaged a 12/3/3 line. Richard Jefferson knocked down 12ppg. And San Antonio got solid rebounding help from Antonio McDyess and 20-year-old rookie DeJuan Blair, who combined to average twelve boards a night.

The Spurs did a lot of stopping and starting over the season’s first half and at the end of January were 27-19. That continued through February, although it might have been worse. There was an eight-game road trip that could have sunk San Antonio. But even though they lost in Los Angeles, 101-89, the Spurs split the eight games and reached the beginning of March with a 33-24 record.

San Antonio’s schedule was filled with marquee games down the stretch of the regular season and the Spurs started to show some real life. Even though they lost again to the Lakers, San Antonio knocked off LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs beat the Finals-bound Boston Celtics by 21 points.

On a Sunday afternoon in early April, San Antonio went to Los Angeles. Duncan put on a vintage 24 points/11 rebounds performance for the national television audience and the Spurs coasted to a 100-81 win. They finished the season 50-32.

The Western Conference was exceptionally good at the top and all eight teams who made the playoffs won at least 50 games. San Antonio finished in a three-way deadlock for sixth in the conference and tiebreakers put them as the 7-seed in the bracket.

Dallas was the first round opponent. The Spurs had played an epic seven-game playoff battle with the Mavericks back in 2006 and matched up again in 2009. San Antonio lost both of those series. This Dallas team was coming in with 55 wins. Dirk Nowitzki was leading the way, averaging 25/7. Dirk was supported by Caron Butler, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion, while 36-year-old Jason Kidd was running the show at the point.

It was rebounding that beat the Spurs in Game 1 though. They lost the board battle 45-37 and were outscored at the foul line 25-12. Duncan’s 27 points and Ginobili’s 26 couldn’t save San Antonio from a 100-94 loss.

They only needed one road win though and the Spurs came out hitting the glass in Game 2. McDyess and Jefferson combined for 17 rebounds. And Duncan? The big guy went off for a 25/17 night. San Antonio won 102-88 and got out of Dallas with a split.

Now they had to defend their home floor in the middle games. Dirk stepped up with a big 35-point night in Game 3. But the big German didn’t have a lot of help. Duncan’s 25 and Parkers’ 23 were enough to pull out a 94-90 win. And to show how different basketball has become even in the last 10-plus years, San Antonio won this game without making a single three-point shot.

The Spurs dug themselves an 11-point halftime hole in Game 4 and were in danger of handing back homecourt advantage. Duncan was a non-factor. Enter George Hill. The kid hit 5-for-6 from behind the arc. He scored 29 points. San Antonio had a dominant third quarter to get the lead and then pulled out a 92-89 win.

On the verge of advancing, the Spurs went back to Dallas for Game 5 and basically took a night off. They were outrebounded 52-41, shot 36 percent from the floor and were blown out, 103-81. Clearly, they were going to put their eggs in the basket that was Game 6 back home.

The defense came out in lockdown mode and San Antonio led 22-8 after the first quarter. Hill again shot the ball well, 7-for-12 from the floor and scored 21 points. Duncan delivered an efficient 17/10 night. Ginobili poured in 26. It was all enough to overcome another big night from Dirk, who scored 33, but lacked sufficient help. A 97-87 win clinched the series.

Phoenix was up in the conference semifinals. Steve Nash, the Hall of Fame point guard, was at the top of his game and averaged 11 assists per night. Amar’e Stoudemire was a force down low, averaging 23/9. The Nash-Stoudemire combo was what drove the Suns, with support from Jason Richardson and 34-year-old Grant Hill.

Nash was brilliant in Game 1 and San Antonio had no answers. They shot poorly and George Hill’s magic from the Dallas series wore off, as he went 0-for-5 from three-point range. The Spurs lost 111-102.

It was a Game 2 road win that turned the Dallas series around and San Antonio came out ready to do it again in Phoenix. They took a nine-point lead after the first quarter. Duncan and Jefferson were lights out, combining to score 67 points on 28-for-47 shooting. But they were also the only ones that rebounded. Phoenix controlled the boards overall and the Spurs lost 110-102.

The NBA playoffs are driven by homecourt advantage though, and San Antonio could certainly get back in this series in the friendly confines of home. They again took a nine-point lead after the first quarter of Game 1. The lead was chipped down to a single point after three quarters. The defense wasn’t slowing down the Suns, who shot 53 percent. The fourth quarter was a disaster and ended as 110-96 loss.

This series was all but over. San Antonio didn’t roll over and die. They again took a first-quarter lead, this time a six-point margin. But Phoenix was again shooting the ball efficiently, this time from downtown. Ginobili struggled to a rough 2-for-11 night and the season ended with a 107-101 loss.

Being swept out of the playoffs always leaves a little sting, but San Antonio’s strong finish to the regular season and upset of Dallas signaled more typical Spurs days ahead. The next two seasons saw them finish as the 1-seed in the West even though they lost in the playoffs. In 2013, San Antonio returned to the Finals. And in 2014, they won another NBA championship.