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Tim Duncan Spurs

1998 San Antonio Spurs–The Beginning Of The Tim Duncan Era

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The David Robinson era that began in San Antonio with such promise in 1990 had gone through seven years of regular season success and playoff disappointment, before an injury to Robinson resulted in the Spurs going 20-62 in the 1997 season.

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But the reward was great—with the #1 pick in the draft, the Spurs took power forward Tim Duncan. Robinson was coming back healthy, and the 1998 San Antonio Spurs were set to usher in a glorious new era for the franchise.

Robinson was now 32-years-old and coming off a broken foot, but the center could still play—he averaged 22 points/11 rebounds per game to go with defensive domination of the interior in 1998. Duncan was a fresh 21-years-old, but showed how ready he was for the NBA with averages of 21/12, and winning Rookie of the Year honors.

The combination of the two gave San Antonio an inside tandem no one in the league could match. Avery Johnson was still a skilled point guard, averaging eight assists per game. The rest of the team was pieced together with role players, from Jaren Jackson and Vinny Del Negro in the backcourt to Sean Elliot—whose game had faded since its high point in the mid-1990s—at small forward, to Will Perdue down low.

Overseeing it all was another new find San Antonio came up with in their lost season of 1997. Eighteen games into that year, the Spurs named Greg Popovich their new head coach and life in the NBA would never be the same.

San Antonio won six of their first seven games, but they were subsequently blown out by the Seattle SuperSonics (today’s Oklahoma City Thunder) and Utah Jazz, the last two Western Conference champions and who would finish with the best two records in the West this season. The Spurs slipped to 10-10 before finding their footing.

A seven-game winning streak was the beginning of a 19-4 stretch, and the overall record grew to 34-14 in early February. The Spurs stayed very steady and consistent, something that would become their hallmark in the Popovich/Duncan era.

They finished with a record of 56-26. But it was only good for the 5-seed in the West. The large shadow of Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls was temporarily covering up the fact that the West was top-to-bottom a much deeper conference. Once Jordan retired at the end of this season, that reality burst into the open.

Thus, the first San Antonio playoff series of the Tim Duncan era would begin on the road, against the Phoenix Suns in what was then a best-of-five first round. If the rookie had nerves, they didn’t show—Duncan put up 32 points/10 rebounds, Robinson posted a 26/15 line and Johnson knocked down 22 points. San Antonio, after trailing by six to start the fourth quarter, took over and won 102-96.

A 108-101 loss in Game 2 evened the series, but the Spurs could clinch the series if they held serve at home in Games 3 & 4. Defensively, even Robinson and Duncan weren’t containing Phoenix’s Antonio McDyess in Game 3, who went for 26/17. But the Spurs shot 49%, Duncan answered with a 22/14 performance and he had more help than McDyess. Del Negro and Jackson knocked down 18 apiece and the Spurs won 100-88.

Game 4 saw San Antonio close the series the way they opened it—by owning the fourth quarter. They trailed at the half, and led by five after three quarters, but took over in the final period, winning the game 99-80. Duncan had a rough game in first close-out spot, but Robinson hauled down 21 rebounds and Johnson stepped out of his playmaking role to drill 30 points on 11-for-15 shooting.

Utah, with the best record in the NBA, was next, with its tandem of John Stockton at the point and Karl Malone at power forward. Duncan was ready for them in Game 1, getting 33 points and pulling in 10 rebounds. But Robinson struggled mightily, shooting 5-for-17, and the Jazz escaped with an 83-82 win.

The trio of Duncan, Robinson and Johnson all were clutch in Game 2, combining for 68 points, and the team as a whole shot 55 percent. But there was no depth to be had—the Jazz bench outscored their Spurs counterparts 42-20 and Utah’s 109-106 win put San Antonio’s back to the wall as the series shifted to Texas.

San Antonio played like a desperate team defensively, holding Utah to 29 percent shooting in Game 3 and just nine points in the third quarter of an 86-64 rout. It gave the Spurs a chance to get back in the series in a big Game 4. But Robinson, who had struggled against this opponent in 1996, again could not get untracked offensively.

Robinson shot just 5-for-13, while Malone went off with a huge game, shooting 17-for-28, scoring 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Utah survived 82-73. The Western Conference semifinals ended back in Salt Lake City in Game 5 with another rough night for the Admiral—he shot 5-for-16, and Duncan only took ten shots in an 87-77 loss.

Without the benefit of hindsight, this was the same old Spurs. A good team to be sure, and nothing to complain about. But from 1990-96, they had won three division titles at a time when the league was only split into two divisions per conference. There had been three more second place finishes. But only once had the Spurs gotten past the second round of the playoffs. 1998 was no different.

Of course we have the benefit of the hindsight, and know that Duncan got his feet wet and that one year later San Antonio would finally be on top of the basketball world. And they would get there four more times (and counting?) with Duncan leading the way.

The 2005 San Antonio Spurs Make It Three Rings In Seven Years

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The San Antonio Spurs came into the 2004-05 season as a team whose star player and coach had nothing to prove. Tim Duncan and Greg Popovich won rings in 1999 and 2003. But they had also been knocked out by the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Surely, Pop and Duncan were hungry, and they had Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on hand to help. The 2005 San Antonio Spurs would make it three rings in seven years for this great franchise.

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Duncan was in the prime of his career, at age 28. Ginobili was 27 and Parker was only 22. The Spurs of recent years have become renowned for their depth. In 2005 they had some veteran help in Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry, but the Big Three played a more disproportionate role, in both minutes and production, then would the excellent teams we’ve seen over the last few seasons.

San Antonio got 20 points/11 rebounds per game from Duncan. Parker and Ginobili each averaged 16 ppg and each shot better than 50 percent from the floor. The Spurs came rolling out of the gate and was 25-6 by the New Year and 41-12 at the All-Star break, before a mediocre finish saw them end the year at 59-23. It was still good for the 2-seed in the Western Conference, trailing only the Phoenix Suns.

The Western Conference was, by far, the superior conference, just as is the case ten years later. The Denver Nuggets might have been a 7-seed, but they won 49 games and had 20-year-old Carmelo Anthony averaging 21 ppg. The Nuggets got solid floor leadership from Andre Miller and had Marcus Camby to bang with Duncan down low.

Denver forced Duncan into a 7-for-22 shooting night, they controlled the fourth quarter and they surprised everyone in the NBA by stealing Game 1, 93-86. To say the Spurs came out strong for Game 2 understates the case—San Antonio was up 31 by halftime and tied the series with a 104-76 win.

San Antonio now needed to reclaim homecourt, and they hit the boards hard in Game 3, overcoming some bad shooting. Duncan personified both ends of that, shooting just 5-for-19, but getting 11 rebounds and leading the way to an 86-78 win.

For Game 4, Duncan simply lit it up. He poured in 39 points, while Parker scored 29 and Ginobili went for 24 off the bench. It was the first game of the playoffs that the trio really got rolling and they won in overtime 126-115. One more strong rebounding effort awaited back home for Game 5. This time it was Nazr Mohammed coming off the bench for 13 boards and the Spurs closed out the series with a 99-89 win.

Up next was the Seattle SuperSonics (today’s Oklahoma City Thunder). Seattle was led by Ray Allen and Rashad Lewis, who averaged 24 ppg and 21 ppg respectively, but they didn’t have anyone who could match up with Duncan. San Antonio dominated each of the first two games at home. They led by 27 points at halftime of Game 1, and by 12 after one quarter of Game 2. Parker scored a combined 51 points in the two games and victories of 103-81 and 108-91 gave the Spurs the early series edge.

San Antonio lost a little bit of the edge when the series went to Seattle. Duncan was the only one who bothered rebounding in a tough 92-91 loss. The Sonics were off the mat and they rode Allen to a win in Game 4. The man who would one day break San Antonio’s heat when he was with the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals, kept Seattle alive in this game. Allen drilled 32 points and overcame a big 35-point night from Duncan, the Sonics took over the fourth quarter and won 101-89.

Homecourt advantage still reigned back in San Antonio in Game 5 and it was Ginobili that came up big. He came off the bench and shot 10-for-15, including four three-pointers and finished with 39 points. Mohammed shot 8-for-10 and scored 19. In spite of bad nights from Duncan and Parker, the Spurs won the pivotal game 103-90.

Game 6 in Seattle is somewhat of a mystery. The Spurs were outplayed in all facets of the game, as measured by the boxcore. But they found a way to steal a 98-96 win and advance to the conference finals.

Now it was time for the showdown with 62-win Phoenix for the Western Conference championship. The Suns were coached by Mike D’Antoni, who orchestrated an explosive offense. Steve Nash, one of the game’s great passers, averaged 11 assists per game and won the league MVP award. Joe Johnson knocked down 17 a night as his backcourt mate. Amare Stoudamire led them all with 26 ppg and Shawn Marion averaged 19/11 each night.

Consequently, no matter how much respect one had for San Antonio, no one could have foreseen what was about to happen.

No one would ever accuse a D’Antonio-coached team of playing excessive defense and the Suns didn’t in the fourth quarter of Game 1, as San Antonio scored 43 points. Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Brent Barry were all 20-plus point scorers in a 121-114 win. The Spurs again controlled the fourth quarter in Game 2. They got a combined 80 points from Duncan, Parker and Ginobili and won a tight 111-108 win.

A team controlling their homecourt is no surprise, but the fact San Antonio kept it going right into Phoenix was. It was the Spurs that rebounded like the desperate team, with a 49-35 edge on the boards. Duncan went for 33/15, they were ahead by seventeen at the half and won 102-92. Even though a poor shooting game from Parker cost the Spurs a sweep, they came home for Game 5 and closed it out, 101-95, behind a 31/15 night from Duncan.

The last hurdle was the Detroit Pistons, who won the 2004 NBA title and then got back to the Finals by taking a Game 7 on the road from the Miami Heat.

With 54 wins, the Pistons were well-balanced, with Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince all averaging between 15-19 ppg. Ben Wallace was a force in the middle, averaging 12 rebounds per game, and Antonio McDyess was a quality sixth man. The Eastern Conference top-to-bottom might not have been very good, but these Pistons could compete with anyone.

It was a homecourt series for four games, and each of the games were ugly. San Antonio took the opener 84-69, behind a plus-14 edge on the glass and a 24/17 night from Duncan. Game 2 was a rout, as the Spurs got control in the first quarter and rolled to a 97-76 win behind 27 points/7 assists from Ginobili.

The worm turned in Detroit and now it was San Antonio that couldn’t score. They only mustered 76 points, and with Ben Wallace fighting Duncan to a draw on the glass, the Pistons were able to pull away for a 97-76 win. They tied the series with a 102-71 win, with Duncan shooting 5-for-17 and no one in the Spurs lineup able to pick him up.

The NBA Finals were played in a 2-3-2 format from 1985-2013, so the crucial Game 5 would be in Detroit. And it was here that the Finals really got good.

Duncan scored 26 points and got nine rebounds, but the story of the game was Horry. Starting late in the third quarter he hit five three-pointers. The game went to overtime and Detroit led 95-93 with nine seconds left.

Horry inbounded the ball to Ginobili. The two players executed a simple give-and go and Horry got open for his final three. “Big Shot Rob” nailed it, and the Spurs had control of the Finals with a 96-95 win.

Game 6 back in San Antonio was a good game, albeit ugly. The Spurs shot 8-for-28 from three-point range and the Pistons were able to make the key plays in the second half to win 95-86. For the first time since 1994, the NBA Finals would see a seventh game.

It looked like the Spurs might manage the unprecedented feat of losing the final two games of a series at home when the trailed by nine in the third quarter. Duncan didn’t let that happen. He scored 10 quick points before the quarter was out, got the game back to even and San Antonio won 81-74.

Everyone already knew that the Spurs had a great organization and that Duncan was a Hall of Famer in the making, as he collected his third Finals MVP.  The 2005 San Antonio Spurs, by making it three rings, took that to a new level.

The 2008 San Antonio Spurs Suffer The Even-Year Curse

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The San Antonio Spurs won their fourth NBA championship in an eight-year span in 2007. Their championships had an odd quality to them—as in odd years, in 1999, and then going every other year in 2003, 2005, and 2007. So you know what that means for the following year—the 2008 San Antonio Spurs were a good team and a contender all the way to the end, but the bid for a repeat title came up short in the even-numbered year.

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San Antonio was starting to get a little long in the tooth. Tony Parker, at age 25, was the only player in the top thirteen, who was younger than 30. It helped that one of the 30-plus players was Tim Duncan, who continued to churn out good years, with a 19 points/11 rebounds per-game average. It also helped that Manu Ginobili, at age 30, had his best season, with 20 points/5 rebounds/5 assists.

Parker himself had a great year, with 19 ppg and dishing six assists per game. The veteran help in the backcourt came from shooter Michael Finley and defender Bruce Bowen, while Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas were the older players brought in to rebound.

The Spurs started 20-7, and had an 11-game win streak in March, then another eight-game win streak later in the month and extending into April. But they also had a stretch where they lost six of seven. The record was 56-26 in a ruthlessly competitive Western Conference where every playoff team won at least 50 games.

San Antonio finished tied with the New Orleans Hornets for the Southwest Division title. The Hornets got the tiebreaker and the 2-seed. Thanks to a rule change now two years old, the Spurs could be seeded #3, rather than having to be behind all three division winners. San Antonio was one of the reasons for the change—two years earlier, fans didn’t like that their epic series with the Dallas Mavericks came in the second round, with the Mavericks having to be seeded #4 in spite of the second-best record in the West behind the Spurs.

This year’s Spurs would meet the Phoenix Suns in the first round. It was the rematch of a second-round battle that was San Antonio’s toughest test en route to the 2007 title. The Suns still had Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudamire, and they’d added a familiar foe—the 35-year-old Shaquille O’Neal. Phoenix won 55 games and presented a stiff test.

Duncan answered the bell with a big Game 1, going for 40/15, while Parker scored 26.  The game went double-overtime and both starts played over 50 minutes in a 117-115 win. They still had enough in the tank for Game 2. In spite of trailing by seven at the half, the Spurs dominated the third quarter. Parker went for 32, Ginobili for 29, while Duncan hit the boards for 17 rebounds and a 102-96 win.

If you were expecting Phoenix to come out strong on their home floor for Game 3, you’d have been disappointed. Parker went off for 41 points, San Antonio got out to a quick 14-point lead and rolled to a 115-99 win. An anticipated showdown series had become anticlimactic. The Suns won in a blowout for Game 4, but San Antonio came back home and closed it out. Duncan posted 28/17, and Kurt Thomas’ 12 rebounds keyed an edge on the glass. Parker’s 31 put the finishing touches on a 92-87 win.

New Orleans was up next and this one was a showdown. The Hornets were led by Chris Paul, and had David West and Tyson Chandler down low. This had the look of a franchise ready to be on the scene a long time. It didn’t work out that way, but there were a formidable opponent in 2008.

The Spurs-Hornets series became one of those “good bad series”, or “bad good series”, however you want to phrase it. The series was good, because it went the distance. The series was bad because the individual games were lopsided.

New Orleans dominated their home floor and Duncan played his worst postseason game in Game 1, with five points and three rebounds and the Hornets owned the glass in a 101-82 win. Paul controlled Game 2, with 30 points and 12 assists. While Duncan played better, the Hornets took over the third quarter and won 102-84.

The change in scenery brought a change in San Antonio’s play. They hit 11 treys in Game 3, four by Bowen and three by Finley to key a 110-99 win. Defense and rebounding led the way in Game 4. The Spurs held the Hornets to 40 percent shooting from the floor and won rebounding 45-36, as Duncan looked like the Duncan we’ve come to know and love, with a 22/15 night.

Game 5 was close at the half, but New Orleans took over from there. Duncan had 23 rebounds, but on a team-wide basis, the glass belonged to the Hornets. The night belonged to West, who went for 38/14. And the game belonged to New Orleans, 101-79.

Back in San Antonio, the three-point show resumed. Ginobili hit 6-for-9 from behind the arc, scored 25 points and the Spurs collectively hit 11 treys. They won 99-80 and forced Game 7.

Game 7s are about experience and homecourt advantage, and those conflicted in this case—San Antonio with the former and New Orleans with the latter. Score one for experience. Neither team shot very well, but I was the Spurs who rebounded, led by Duncan’s 14 boards. They hit enough three-pointers to keep an offense going, led by Ginobili’s four treys and 26 points. San Antonio led by fifteen points after three quarters and won 91-82.

San Antonio was back in the conference finals and there was a familiar foe—the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaq may have been gone, but Kobe Bryant was still there, and coming off his one and only MVP year. The Lakers were the top seed in the West and the favorite to win the NBA title.>

Duncan went to the Staples Center and dropped a 30/18 night in Game 1, but he was the only Spur to show up. The team shot 40 percent and they lost 89-85. Game 2 got away completely from the Spurs—they shot 35 percent, no one played well and the Lakers won 101-71.

There must be something about the shooting background in their home arena that the Spurs’ shooters like, because the three-ball carried them again at home in Game 3. They hit 10-for-18 behind the arc, with Ginobili going for 39. Duncan had a big 22/21 game and a 103-84 game gave San Antonio the chance to get back in the series.

It wasn’t to be. In spite of a 29/17 game from Duncan, the Lakers won the rebounding battle, got 28 from Kobe and escaped with a 93-81 win. San Antonio didn’t roll over on their trip to LA for Game 5. They led by thirteen at the end of the quarter, but it slowly got away. Parker and Duncan played well, but Kobe drilled 39, Gasol had 19 rebounds and the Lakers won 100-92.

Los Angeles lost the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, but the Lakers were beginning a new period of ascendancy in the Western Conference. For the Spurs, the playoff loss represented the start of a brief (and relative) step back.

The 2006 San Antonio Spurs Repeat Bid Falters In An Epic Series

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The San Antonio Spurs had three NBA championships under their belt in a seven-year window. The only thing that was missing was back-to-back titles, with the rings coming in 1999, 2003 and 2005. The 2006 San Antonio Spurs made a noble run at a repeat crown, and were only derailed by a crushing defeat one of the great postseason series ever played.

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Tim Duncan continued to anchor the Spurs, though his scoring dipped below the 20ppg, and Duncan averaged 19 points/11 rebounds. Tony Parker, now 23-years-old, averaged 19 a game himself, along with six assists. Manu Ginobili popped in 15, and Michael Finley, signed as a free agent away from the Dallas Mavericks kicked in 10 a game.

San Antonio had a defensive stopper in 34-year-old Bruce Bowen, but the one thing head coach Greg Popovich did not have was great depth. The Spurs were heavily dependent on the Big Three of Duncan/Parker/Ginobili.

It didn’t stop the Spurs from ripping off a great regular season. They were 21-6 going into Christmas Day. They lost to the Detroit Pistons on the holiday, the rematch of the previous year’s NBA Finals, but San Antonio promptly won 10 of 12, and then nine a row after that.

A seven-game win streak in March saw the Spurs roll to a 63-19 record. They were the #1 seed in the Western Conference, and just a game behind the pace set by the Pistons for the best record overall.

The Sacramento Kings were the first-round opponent in the playoffs. This was no longer the same Kings team that had been one of the league’s best in the early ‘00s, and were denied the 2002 NBA title only by the worst officiating travesty in the history of the league. But they still won 44 games, with the trio of Mike Bibby, Bonzi Wells and Ron Artest leading the way.

San Antonio blitzed Sacramento in Game 1. They used a 41-15 second quarter rout, and a 51-32 rebounding edge to key a 122-88 win. No Spurs starter went over 25 minutes of game time. And that rest proved fortuitous, because Game 2 was an overtime battle.

This time, the Kings hit the board and won the rebounding battle. They held Duncan to 14 points. The difference was Ginobili stepping up with 32 points, and Brent Barry’s 22 off the bench keying a 52-10 edge in bench scoring. So much for that depth problem, at least for one game.

The series went to northern California, but while Duncan and Finley played well in Game 3, it appeared no one else made the trip and Sacramento stayed alive with a 94-93 win. Thus off the mat, the Kings stepped up and shot 50 percent from the floor in Game 4. Duncan and Parker combined for 39 points, but again, no one else stepped up. The depth that had delivered in Game 2, was now the reason the series was tied heading back to Texas for Game 5.

Wells went off for 38 points, but San Antonio’s Big Three all brought their A-games. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili combined for 72 points, more or less evenly distributed among them. The Spurs pulled away in the third quarter to win 109-98. At that point, the Kings seemed to crumble. Game 6 back in Sacramento was close for a quarter, but San Antonio put it away with a 105-83 blowout, with Parker scoring 31 points on 11/20 shooting.

Now it was a time for Texas-sized battle with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs had won 60 games and were the second-best team in the West, but because they finished behind the Spurs in the Southwest Division, Dallas was stuck as the 4-seed, right on San Antonio’s side of the bracket.

Dallas was coached by someone San Antonio was familiar with—Avery Johnson, who had been their floor leader for the 1999  title run. The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki, who was ably supported by Jason Terry, Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse in the backcourt, along with Josh Howard.

It would be a championship-level fight in the second round, and the Mavericks and Spurs made sure this series lived up to its billing.

Duncan shot 12/24 in Game 1, the one good shooting performance night in a game that was mostly ragged. San Antonio led 87-85, when Stackhouse had an open jumper to tie the game. He opted not to take the shot, and instead dribbled out to the three-point line to shoot a contested trey to win it. The dubious decision failed and the Spurs had the opener.

Game 2 got away from San Antonio in the second quarter, and Dallas blew it open to a 113-91 win, taking excellent care of the basketball in the process. The middle games in Big D went down to the wire and appeared to tip the series irrevocably in the Mavs favor.

In spite of a 35/12 night from Duncan in Game 3, the Mavericks got balanced from scoring. Harris and Terry combined for 43. And though Dirk couldn’t get it going from the floor, he repeatedly got to the line, sinking 21/24 foul shots. Dallas escaped with a 104-103 win.

Nowitzki continued to get to the line in Game 4, shooting 14/15. For all of Dallas’ correct griping about how the 2006 NBA Finals were officiated in favor of the Miami Heat, the Mavs were getting their share of free throws in this series. Dallas as a team shot 50 percent from the floor, and the game went to overtime. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were great, combining for 90 points, but there was no help. Dallas won 123-118.

The Spurs came back home and shot 54 percent from the floor themselves. Duncan continued to be electric, posting a 36/12 line while Parker scored 27. In yet another game that went to the wire, the Spurs survived 98-97.

Game 6 was tied after three quarters, as the Dallas fans implored their team to clinch at home. The Spurs brought their defense to this must-win battle. They held the Mavs to 39 percent shooting from the floor and Ginobili dropped 30. San Antonio was back from the grave—they won 91-86 and were going home for Game 7.

In the early part of Game 7, it appeared the Spurs were out of gas. Dallas led by as many as 20 points. But San Antonio came all the way back, and this classic series would have a classic ending. Duncan and Dirk were both magnificent, with Duncan scoring 41 points, while Dirk went for a 37/15 night. Terry and Parker staged their own battle in the backcourt, with 27 and 24 points respectively.

With the scored tied 101-101, Ginobili hit a three-pointer with 32 seconds left. Dallas came back down the floor. Dirk took it to the hole, scored, got fouled and tied it with a free throw. With six seconds left, Ginobili drove the lane. His shot missed, but Duncan was in position for a put-back at point-blank range. Dirk got his hand on the ball clean and altered the shot. We were going overtime.

The missed opportunity at the end was the last one for the Spurs. Dallas got off to a quick six-point lead in overtime and went on to win 119-111. It was the conclusion of a series where five of the seven games were within a basket in the final minute of regulation and two of those games went to overtime, including the decisive battle.

It would be impossible to ask for a better series. The 2006 San Antonio Spurs didn’t get their repeat title, but if you’re going to lose, they went down about as proudly as a team can go down.

The 2004 San Antonio Spurs Repeat Bid Gets Derailed By A Debatable Call

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It was a time of change for the 2004 San Antonio Spurs. Even though David Robinson had been displaced by Tim Duncan as the best player on the team five years earlier, the retirement of “The Admiral” after the championship run of 2003 still marked a crossing point in Spurs history. San Antonio had another strong season in ’04, but with a little bit of transition and the rival Los Angeles Lakers beefed up, the Spurs bid for a repeat title came up short–with no small assistance from a controversial call that may have significantly altered history.

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San Antonio gave more playing time to Manu Ginobili who stepped up and averaged 13 points/4 rebounds/5 assists per game. The Spurs relied more on younger players in Hedo Turkoglu and Rasho Nesterovic, along with 21-year-old Tony Parker who was now in his third year as the starting point guard.

Parker averaged 15 points/6 assists per game. They also added a veteran renowned for his clutch skills, Robert Horry, known to one and all as “Big Shot Rob.”

And of course it all came back to Duncan. The great power forward didn’t win a third straight MVP award, but he did average 22 points/12 rebounds a game, showcasing the ruthless consistency that kept the Spurs stable.

San Antonio needed stability early on. They started 9-10, and that included three losses to the Lakers. After their run of three straight titles from 2000-02 had been stopped by the Spurs, Los Angeles made major upgrades. They added Gary Payton at the point and got power forward Karl Malone out of Utah to join Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

It was a virtual Dream Team lineup, and that made the Friday after Thanksgiving a black one in San Antonio when they blew out the Spurs. The Lakers also won a double overtime game, and further stole a game in San Antonio when the Spurs blew a fourth-quarter lead.

Led by Duncan and head coach Greg Popovich, the Spurs righted the ship. They won 17 of 18, then played consistent basketball and closed the year with an 11-game win streak, including finally beating the Lakers on the road.

Every win mattered in this year’s Western Conference—San Antonio’s 57-25 record was the West’s second-best, edging out the Lakers by a game and the Sacramento Kings by two games, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and MVP Kevin Garnett were the top seed.

San Antonio drew the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first postseason appearance—indeed the first winning season—in franchise history for Memphis, going back to their origins in Vancouver in 1996 and eventual move to Memphis for the 2002 season. The Grizzlies had Hubie Brown on the sideline and Pau Gasol in the low post.

It wasn’t nearly enough against the Spurs. The San Antonio defense held Memphis to 35 percent shooting in Game 1 and 36 percent shooting in Game 2. Both games were blowouts, 98-74 and 87-70. Game 3 was the Grizzlies’ chance to make a series of it, and the game was tight into the fourth quarter.

But rebounding was the difference. Both Duncan and Gasol got their points (22 & 18 respectively), but Duncan got 13 rebounds, while Gasol got five. The team-wide edge for the Spurs was 48-31 and they escaped by a basket. The veteran Spurs didn’t let Memphis off the mat, coming out strong in the first quarter of Game 4. Parker scored 29 points, Duncan had 26 and Horry was reliable off the bench in closing the series, 110-97.

Los Angeles was up next. This was the round the Spurs ousted the Lakers the prior year. Los Angeles had eliminated San Antonio in this round in 2002 and in the conference finals in 2001. A potential battle in 2000 had been derailed by an injury to Duncan prior to the playoffs. This was the great rivalry of the early ‘00s and it was time for another edition.

Duncan dropped 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Game 1. The Spurs held the Lakers to 38 percent shooting and used a strong fourth quarter to win 88-78. They further defended their home floor in Game 2, blitzing the Lakers with a strong first quarter. Parker scored 30 points, while Shaq was the only Laker who seemed aware there was a basketball game going on.

Phil Jackson got his LA team motivated for the trip west. Game 3 saw the Spurs as the team down early, while Duncan and Parker shot a combined 8-for-26 in a 24-point Laker win. San Antonio then missed some opportunities to take firm control of the series.

The Spurs led Game 4 by ten at the half, but lost the ability to contain Bryant at the worst possible time. Kobe went off for 42 and Los Angeles rallied to win 98-90. Game 5 was a crusher. Trailing by sixteen points with 3:59 left, the Spurs went on a 26-7 run and took a three-point lead. Then the Lakers got back up by a point when an amazing sequence of events went down.

Duncan got the ball and shot an off-balanced twenty-footer. With less than a second left it went in. San Antonio had a 73-72 lead. Los Angeles took it out at midcourt. Derek Fisher caught the inbounds pass, spun and hit an 18-footer to win it. San Antonio was furious, believing the clock had delayed in starting. It’s officials who start the clock via a wireless device, not the hometown scoreboard operator.

The Spurs filed a protest, but any league upholding the protest is unlikely, and certainly not David Stern’s NBA when the marquee team in a series needs a win.

Beyond the controversy, Parker had shot poorly in Game 5, going 7-for-23. Unfortunately for the Spurs, his problems persisted in Game 6, with a 4-for-18 night. San Antonio was still within three points at the start of the fourth quarter, but Bryant finished with 26, Shaq had 17 points/19 rebounds and the Spurs season ended with an 88-78 loss.

The Game 5 ending looks even bigger in light of how the rest of the playoffs unfolded. Los Angeles knocked off Minnesota in the conference finals and there’s no reason to think the Spurs would not have. The Lakers then came undone at the hands of the Detroit Pistons and there’s no reason to think San Antonio would have. Given that the Spurs would beat the Pistons for the 2005 NBA title, did a clock dispute derail a three-peat?

We’ll never know and it gave what was still a really good season for the 2004 San Antonio Spurs a bad taste for an ending.

The 2000 San Antonio Spurs: A Repeat Bid Derailed By An Untimely Injury

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The 2000 San Antonio Spurs were coming off the first championship in franchise history, and the future was bright, with Tim Duncan in just his third year. But there was some inconsistency in the season and then an untimely injury cost the Spurs their chance to repeat.

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Duncan, still only 23-years-old, averaged 23 points/12 rebounds, and David Robinson—now 34—put up an 18/10 nightly average, as San Antonio could match up with anyone down low. But they were long in the tooth. Point guard Avery Johnson was also 34-years-old, and his production dipped to six assists per game. The rest of the minutes were filled in by more players on the wrong side of 30, from Mario Elie to Terry Porter to Jaren Jackson to Sean Elliot.

San Antonio still came out of the gate quickly, with a seven-game win streak keying a 14-3 start. Then they split their next eighteen games. This included a Christmas Day loss on the road to the Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson had arrived in Los Angeles, to teach Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant how to win, and the Lakers were about to rip off three straight titles. On Christmas Day of this season, Shaq posted a 32/11, the Spurs shot 38 percent and lost 99-93.

Duncan led the way in a revenge win over Los Angeles on February 1st, when went for 29/18 in a 105-81 blowout for the home fans. Johnson turned back the clock, with 22 points/9 assists, and Robinson had 12 rebounds. With the Laker core still unproven at the biggest moments, it was the kind of game that sent a message about San Antonio could do in the playoffs.

The Spurs never really got on another major winning streak and though they ended the season 53-29, they were edged out by the Utah Jazz for the Midwest Division title, meaning San Antonio would be the 4-seed for the playoffs—and on the Laker side of the bracket.

But the big decision would be head coach Greg Popovich’s. With four games left in the season, Duncan tore a lateral meniscus. The power forward insisted he was ready to go for the playoffs, repeatedly demonstrating his lateral movement for the head coach.

To call this a tough decision understates the case. With the Lakers unproven at crunch time, and Duncan and Robinson perhaps the only tandem in basketball that could provide an answer for Shaq, a championship may have hung in the balance. But Duncan’s career—and the future of the San Antonio franchise did as well. Popovich played it safe and shut his star down for the year.

San Antonio played the Phoenix Suns in the first round and had a terrible offensive game in the opener, losing 72-70. The Spurs rebounded well in Game 2, literally and figuratively. Robinson had a 25/15, while Elliot pulled down ten rebounds and the series was evened with an 85-70 win.

But the first round was best-of-five in 2000, the Spurs had no guarantee of coming back home and they wouldn’t make it back. Robinson did what he could, scoring 58 points combined in Games 3 & 4, but without Duncan there just wasn’t enough offensive firepower. Phoenix blew open the third game in the fourth quarter, and then won 89-78 to close the series.

Their strongest rival eliminated, Los Angeles won a title on a playoff run where their immaturity and inability to close out obviously weaker teams was an issue. No one else was good enough to really make the Lakers pay. The Spurs might have.

The flip side is we have the benefit of history and knowing how Duncan’s career, and the historical arc of the franchise turned out. Five more trips to the NBA Finals. Four more championships. There was some disappointment at the end of Y2K, but Popovich’s long-term thinking paid off.

Springtime In New Jersey: The 2003 New Jersey Devils & Nets

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TheSportsNotebook’s series celebrating top fan markets has already paid tribute to the 1994 springtime enjoyed in New York City, when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup and the Knicks made the NBA Finals. Nine years later, the exact same spring was enjoyed across the George Washington Bridge in the Meadowlands, as the Devils won the Cup and the Nets made the Finals.

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There were some differences to be sure—the ’94 Rangers ended over a half-century of agony in winning their championship. The ’03 Devils put the finishing touches on a little dynasty, taking their third Stanley Cup in nine years.
And the ’94 Knicks had a breakthrough year, making the Finals for the first time under the regime of Pat Riley and Patrick Ewing.The ’03 Nets put the finishing touches on what was at least an Eastern Conference Dynasty. The 2003 season marked New Jersey’s second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, although they never did win it all.
Thus, in a world where the Sopranos have displaced the Corleones as the pre-eminent mob family in American popular culture, we can’t overlook New Jersey. Let’s celebrate 2003 in the Garden State. Martin Brodeur dominated in goal. Jason Kidd lit it up on the basketball court and set the stage for his eventual return to the franchise as head coach. And the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup and the Nets reached the NBA Finals.
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NBA Playoffs: Rebounding Keys Indiana & San Antonio Wins

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Rebounding was the story in the NBA last night, as the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs each hit the glass, and the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers either couldn’t or wouldn’t. The Pacers evened their series with the Heat at a game apiece and the Spurs took the opener of their battle with the Clippers. TheSportsNotebook recaps both games and looks ahead to tonight’s twinbill…

Indiana 78 Miami 75: Both teams shot under 40 percent from the floor, so there were plenty of rebounds available and it was Indiana who got 55 percent of the available boards. To a certain extent this was to be expected, as Miami was already a little overmatched down low by Indiana and then lost Chris Bosh to the abdominal strain that appears to have him sidelined for at least this series. So Miami has an excuse, but we still have to ask why Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony can only combine for ten rebounds. By comparison three Indiana players—David West, Roy Hibbert and Paul George all matched or exceeded that by themselves. And George is a freakin’ guard! Yes, he’s 6’8”, but he should be outrebounding two centers by himself? Thus, even though LeBron got his 28 points and 9 rebounds, and Dwayne Wade got his 24, Miami’s giving up homecourt advantage. You certainly have to like Indiana’s chances right now—they have homecourt and have an inside edge they know they can hammer away at the rest of the series. But Danny Granger is still in a funk, with only 11 points last night. Depth is great and frankly I’d be heartened to see it prevail, but realistically you aren’t going to win a series with your best player persona non grata.

 

San Antonio 108 LA Clippers 92: No one can be surprised to see Tim Duncan grasp a big moment. With 26 points and 10 rebounds, the veteran big man sent a message to young Blake Griffin—not just yet. And Griffin didn’t seem inclined to protest the message too loudly, settling for 15 points and 9 rebounds. Now the point total’s not a big problem—it matches what Caron Butler had, and that was a nice game for the small forward. The rebound total is not a big problem—it matches what DeAndre Jordan had and that was a nice game for the center. But someone needs to tell Griffin words to the effect “You are Blake Freakin’ Griffin, guy who jumps over cars and sells Kia’s. 15/9 doesn’t cut it for you. 20/10 cuts it for you. And at this time of year, make it every night.” Griffin can take a lesson from Chris Paul, who might have struggled last night, but at least showed he recognized his role. According to the game write-up on ESPN.com, Paul corrected his son who told him “Good game Daddy.” The point guard informed the boy “Daddy had a bad game. Daddy couldn’t make a shot.” Indeed, he went 3-of-13, but shooting comes and goes. Leadership and understanding your importance to the team endures.

The other Los Angeles team, the Lakers, looks to get back on track tonight in Oklahoma City. Like the Clips, the Lakers best chance to win a road game early is realistically Game 2, since both Hollywood teams came off Game 7s over the weekend. The prereq to a Laker win is going to be both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol being into the game on both ends, and then Kobe being willing to give up the ball down low. If it’s left to Bryant—by circumstance of the superstar’s own insistence—it won’t work. Oklahoma City can more than match the star power. Los Angeles also needs Ron Artest to at least slow Kevin Durant, or shift him to guarding Russell Westbrook. The Thunder will get their scoring from those two, plus James Harden and all it takes it just a little defensive effort against one of them to swing a close game.

Boston goes to Philadelphia in the first series to have a Game 3. The first two in Boston where knockdown ugly affairs. The Celtics got Ray Allen going in Game 2 and now they need Paul Pierce to get off the schneid in this series. Philadelphia needs center Spencer Hawes to continue the strong rebounding effort he gave in the Game 2 win.

NBA 2nd Round Preview: San Antonio-LA Clippers

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The San Antonio Spurs have been waiting and resting for their second-round series since dispensing with Utah in a four-game sweep. The Los Angeles Clippers finally joined the Spurs in the bracket this past Sunday when they won Game 7 in Memphis. The Spurs-Clippers will be the last of the second-round series to get underway tonight down in the shadows of the Riverwalk and the Alamo, and TheSportsNotebook previews the series…

Depth has been San Antonio’s calling card all year long and that remains the case in the playoffs. While Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are getting more court time than they did in the regular season, the fact remains that if you just look at the Spurs’ roster you will be underwhelmed, you’ll compare it to Clippers’ lineup that has Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and see an upset in the making. It could happen, but this neglects the obvious disparities that exist in the way these teams play together.

The disparity in togetherness is more about praising San Antonio than knocking Los Angeles. The Spurs are getting quality minutes from players like Stephen Jackson, Daniel Green, Boris Diaw and Kawhi Leonard. They have a center in Tiago Splitter, whose minutes have been cut in the playoffs as Duncan’s need for rest isn’t the same, but Splitter can rebound and block shots. Because the team is so deep, none of the players gets enough minutes to compile eye-popping stats, but San Antonio always has fresh legs to play defense, hit the boards and get quality shots. And a team that shot at least 48 percent in each of the first three games against Utah is clearly getting quality shots.

What Utah did do well in the first round, and what Los Angeles has to take note of, is rebound the ball. The Jazz won the battle of the boards three times in four games and San Antonio’s one win was by a single rebound. Utah’s smallest margin was six. Duncan’s numbers were down here in the road games, but the bigger issue is that Splitter or Boris Diaw down low needs to grab a few more off the bench. The flip side of this is that, while I generally don’t think a team should plan on shooting 50 percent or so from the floor in any game, much less than the playoffs, San Antonio turned in their good offensive performances in spite of Manu Ginobli, a very good pure outside shooter, not playing well the first three games. If you get an experienced team working the ball and their best shooter back into rhythm, another high-percentage series is very possible.

The bigger reason a high percentage shooting series is possible for the favorite is that Los Angeles spent six games playing defense that was substandard for the playoffs. Memphis consistently shot in the mid-40s. While that’s not lights-out, it suggests a defense that’s okay—good enough to win a first-round series, but not do any damage against the big boys. Furthermore, if San Antonio was beaten on the glass by Utah, Los Angeles was positively pummeled by Memphis, losing rebounding from Games 2 thru 6 by margins ranging from decisive to outrageous. Los Angeles turned the ball over too frequently, with four of seven games 16 or higher, which can feed a Spurs strength, that of taking care of the ball.

LA’s Game 7 win on Sunday was ugly, but for a road team in the playoffs it was finally the game where they did a lot of what needs to be done. They got quality bench minutes, they narrowly outrebounded Memphis and they held their opponent to 33 percent shooting. They need to take that one game and spread it out for an entire series against San Antonio.

San Antonio has a lot going for them—they have homecourt, they have rest, they have players with championship experience and that takes a lot to overcome in the playoffs. What the Clippers do have—something that most 5-seeds don’t (think Atlanta) is real star power. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, when hitting on all cylinders and can win you a big game. Which brings us to the biggest variable of all and that’s Griffin. Yes, he can win you a game when’s focused, both rebounding and scoring. So how many double-digit rebound games did he have in a seven-game series against Memphis? One. Compare that to Duncan who had two in a four-game set, one of which he came out early when the game was in hand. This single comparison tells you why San Antonio will win this series.

The Clippers deserve a lot of respect for winning a seventh game on the road. Chris Paul is an excellent point guard and his presence ensures that someone will keep offensive flow going at key moments. That, combined with the games that Griffin comes to play, means the underdog will steal at least one win and perhaps two. They are good enough, and as they showed Sunday, mentally tough enough to win on the road. But they’re also inconsistent enough to lose at home. That’s why I’m saying it’s the Spurs in six.

The San Antonio Spurs Move To The Top Of The West

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It was just last week that the Oklahoma City Thunder looked to have control of the NBA’s Western Conference. They were featured in TheSportsNotebook last Monday with the thought being that the #1 seed in the West was all but theirs. Talk about jumping the gun. Because the San Antonio Spurs just refuse to lose. They’ve now won 11 in a row and as of Monday morning it’s the Spurs who have nudged ahead of the Thunder in the West, are even with Miami and San Antonio has pulled even with Chicago in the loss column for the best record in the NBA overall (though the Spurs are three back in the win column). TheSportsNotebook takes a closer look at the Spurs—who they have, how they’ve got here, what they’re doing well right now and what lies ahead.

San Antonio is built around offensive execution and depth. Their efficiency with the ball (measured by points adjusted for tempo) is the best in the league and no less than eleven players draw significant minutes. No other contender even comes close. San Antonio rebounds the ball well, ranking seventh and the defense is above average, at 13th in the efficiency standings.

Personnel-wise, the lineup is still founded on Tim Duncan in the post, who averages 15 points/9 rebounds a game, and Tony Parker at the point, with his 19 points and 8 assists per game. Then the waves of veteran talent comes at you in role spots. Manu Ginobli is a lot more than a role player as long as he’s healthy, and the 34-year-old is lights-out from behind the three-point line. Kawhi Leonard is a very good perimeter shooter at small forward, while DeJuan Blair can occupy the post. Daniel Green comes off the bench or plays in Ginobli’s stead and is a 40 percent shooter from three-point range himself. Then let’s shift over to power forward, a spot the Spurs use for three-point shooting. Matt Bonner connects 44 percent of the time from behind the arc. One problem at this spot is that Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw, who also get 20-plus minutes per game, attempt their threes, but are none too successful. Backing up Duncan at center is Tiago Splitter, a solid rebounder who can chip in some shotblocking. And behind Parker at the point is Gary Neal, who kicks in 10 ppg.

The first thing we need to do is give a salute to head coach Gregg Popovich for putting all these pieces into the right places. There’s no clear star here—Duncan has the reputation, but he’s also 35 years old, Ginobli isn’t healthy enough and Parker isn’t quite at elite levels—and in a league that’s usually star-driven, Popovich has found the right formula for another big year. And starting on March 21 the year started to get even bigger. Let’s run down the games that comprise the 11-game win streak…

March 21: Minnesota (116-100): San Antonio owned the boards, 56-41, with Duncan delivering a 21/15 night. The defense on Kevin Love, who was “held” to 17/12 is just as noteworthy.

March 23: Dallas (104-87): Another big rebounding effort, 54-34, with twelve rebounds from Duncan. But while the future Hall of Famer is always the leader in rebounding, there’s consistent effort in this area up and down the lineup.

March 24: at New Orleans (89-86): The backcourt won this one and in non-sexy fashion. They won the turnover battle 16-7 and Parker dished 10 assists.

March 25: Philadelphia (93-76): Perimeter defense helped here, as Philadelphia only hit one trey. Parker got 21 points, and with Duncan taking the night off to rest his veteran legs for the playoffs, Leonard stepped up with ten rebounds.

March 27: at Phoenix (107-100): Rebounding delivers again, 48-38 and a rested Duncan goes off for 26/11, while Parker scores 24.

March 28: at Sacramento (117-112): Ginobili steps up with 20 points, while Duncan and Leonard combine for 37.

March 31: Indiana (112-103): San Antonio’s always going to win bench points, but 52-29 in a close game like they did tonight? That’s depth.

April 3: at Cleveland (125-90): When you shoot 59% and attack to the glass to the tune of a 46-27 edge you aren’t going to lose. Lesser-used point guard Patrick Mills got to be the lead scorer tonight with 20 points.

April 4: at Boston (87-86): Duncan delivered in the Garden, as his 16 rebounds keyed a 53-39 team advantage against one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams.

April 6: at New Orleans (128-103): Another hot shooting night, this time 61 percent. With a 27-point lead at halftime, the starters got even more rest than normal. Duncan was the only one in double figures, while four bench players scored 10-plus.

Aoril 8: Utah (114-104): The Spurs spent last night at the foul line, with a 38-16 edge in free throw points, 14 from Ginobli. Duncan owned the glass with 16 rebounds.

The biggest positive that jumps out at me from this is how many different players contribute. That may seem obvious in light of the emphasis placed on the Spurs’ depth, but when we reviewed this team back in February they were still playing a lot of people, but there was a tendency for the team to need Duncan and Parker to lead the way if they were going to win. We see in this 11-game run that the rest of the team is no longer just using up minutes, but showing themselves capable of winning games. The concern would be defense. Usually when you a go through this kind of sample of successful games, you come across situations where the winning team has big edges in shooting percentages from the floor and holds the opponent under 40 percent from the floor. That’s not the case with San Antonio and I have to question whether they can beat a great defensive team like Chicago or Miami in a seven-game series.

An NBA Finals scenario is still a long way off, and the regular season has to be closed strong. The schedule favors San Antonio, as there’s only two road games with playoff contenders. One of them is tonight at Utah, and the other is next Tuesday at the Lakers. Otherwise its home games or winnable road games. Last week, TheSportsNotebook relegated San Antonio to the #2 seed a bit too quickly. I won’t get carried away to the other extreme this time, but the race for the Finals is clearly more than the Oklahoma City/Chicago/Miami trifecta that’s getting all the attention.