For my final blog, I’ve decided to use this piece I wrote almost exactly four years ago. Despite it being my favorite sport and one of my favorite activities, basketball has not come up often, if at all, in my blogs. For my final blog, I thought I’d shed some light on one of the most captivating hobbies of my childhood. If you have no interest in the NBA, this post may be mind-numbingly boring to you. What might be interesting is that my writing style has not developed at all since I was 14.
Enjoy. (I had to change a few words because I was a bit of a potty mouth)
The Spurs have perhaps the greatest dynasty in the history of the modern NBA, so it comes as a surprise to people when they find out that the Spurs have never been able to repeat as NBA champions. So what has prevented San Antonio from winning back to back titles?
1st Title: 1999
The Spurs’ first title came against the 8th seed New York Knicks, and while this may not seem impressive, San Antonio had to beat quite a few stars to get there. On their way to the Finals, the Spurs played Kevin Garnett, the Kobe-Shaq Lakers, and a promising young Portland team that had just beaten MVP Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. While the Spurs were able to make quick work of the teams they faced in the playoffs, going 15-2 throughout the playoffs, they were tested quite a few times as they won many close games, including Sean Elliott’s Memorial Day Miracle shot that won the Spurs Game 2 against the Trailblazers.
So what was the key during this championship run? It was (surprise surprise) defense and the Twin Towers. The Spurs led all playoff teams with a DRTG of 90.4 (for reference the Warriors lead this year’s playoff teams with a DRTG of 99.3), and Duncan and Robinson were first and second, respectively, in DWS, WS, and VORP.
1998
Result: Lost to Jazz in Conf. Semis 4-1
We have established that the Spurs were very good in 1999 compared to the rest of the league, so what happened in 1998 and 2000 that stopped them from repeating as champions? Well in 1998, the Spurs were bounced in the second round by the eventual Western Conference Champions Utah Jazz, 4 games to 1. The series was a slugfest, with both teams scoring over 90 just once.
Why did they lose?
The biggest reasons the Spurs lost were that Duncan was just a rookie, and they suffered a key loss in Sean Elliott mid way through the season that greatly affected their scoring depth. Also the Jazz were just a very good team, good enough to win the conference in back to back years in 97 and 98.
2000
Result: Lost to Suns in First Round 3-1
Sean Elliott came back after a kidney transplant, but Duncan suffered a knee injury towards the end of the season. The Spurs were able to secure the 4th seed, but without Duncan they fell to the 5th seed Phoenix Suns led by Penny Hardaway in 4 games. No surprise here, just unfortunate.
2nd Title: 2003
This was David Robinson’s last season in the NBA, and although he was still a very good center on defense, he didn’t contribute much else as he averaged 8 PPG and 6.6 RPG throughout the playoffs at the age of 37. This Spurs team was different from their first championship team, as they had lost Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott and acquired young players Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, along with a very good 3 and D/elite perimeter defender in Bruce Bowen.
San Antonio was challenged in the second round by the 3 time reigning champions Shaq and Kobe Lakers, who had easily disposed of the Spurs in the previous two playoffs, sweeping them in 2001 and winning in 5 in 2002. 2003 was the year of the carry for Tim Duncan, and with help from Parker and Ginobili (who had 25 PPG combined against the Lakers compared to Duncan’s 28) Timmy was able to beat out LA in a competitive 6 game series that was one Robert Horry 3 away from going to 7 games. Also the Lakers were the 5th seed, and players struggled with injuries/fighting amongst teammates.
2002
Result: Lost to Lakers in Conf. Semis 4-1
As previously mentioned, the Spurs lost in 5 games against the Lakers, who were on their way to winning their 3rd straight title. They were able to make the games close, losing by 6, 10, 2, and 6. Ultimately this series came down to Duncan having very little help, along with great performances from Shaq, Kobe, and Mark Madsen.
Why did they lose?
Even though Duncan heavily outperformed Shaq, the Lakers were just a better team. Also, Kobe slightly edges out Malik Rose Steve Smith in the SG spot.
2004
Result: Lost to Lakers in Conf. Semis 4-2
Unfortunately for Duncan and the Spurs, the Lakers decided to load up in 2004, signing Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Although Parker and Ginobili improved, Duncan regressed from his legendary 2003 performance, averaging “just” 21 PPG, 12 RPG, and 2 BPG against LA. Despite this, the series was very close through 4 games, tied at 2-2. Then, Derek Fisher hit the clutchest desperation shot in NBA history with 0.4 seconds left in Game 5, following an amazing one-handed hook over Shaq that should have been the game-winner. That shot heavily tilted the series in favor of LA, as they were able to win game 6 and close out the series. The Spurs also lost the man who put the Spurs on the map in the NBA, David Robinson, and while his production had dramatically dipped in his later years, there is no telling how Robinson’s retirement affected Duncan and his fellow Spurs on and off the court.
Why did they lose?
It’s hard to win when the other team has The Mamba, The Big Aristotle, The Mailman, The Glove, and Stanislav Medvedenko.
3rd Title: 2005
This is when talks of a dynasty started to come up, as the Spurs mostly flew by their Western Conference opponents up to the Finals, where they played the reigning champs, the Detroit Pistons. This series once again featured a very good Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili showed out, averaging 18.7 PPG. The Pistons actually had a higher net rating than the Spurs in this very defense-oriented series, but San Antonio was able to win out in a Game 7 that saw Duncan and Ginobili outscore the Pistons’ top 3 scorers.
2004
Result: Lost to Lakers in Conf. Semis 4-2
Talked about this one already
2006
Result: Lost to Mavericks in Conf. Semis 4-3
This year was the Spurs’ best chance to repeat as champions, and had they done so they also would have 3 peated. Their season ended when they faced the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, who were the 4 seed despite having 60 wins and the 2nd best record in the conference. I won’t be going in depth on the whole series, I will just be recapping the series.
The Spurs fell in a 3-1 hole after several close games, but they were able to win Game 5 after a clutch Bruce Bowen block. After reviewing an incident that took place during Game 5, the league found that Jason Terry threw a “punch” at Michael Finley, and he was suspended for Game 6. This allowed the Spurs to force a Game 7, which featured Duncan and Dirk going for 41 and 37 points, respectively. This game is most notable for the infamous Dirk and-1, where Manu made a dumb block attempt on a Dirk driving layup with the Spurs up 3, and was able to sink the free throw and send it to OT. In OT, it looked like Duncan would continue to feast until NBA legend DeSagana Diop entered the game and shut down Tim Duncan, holding him to 1-7 from the field in OT.
Why did they lose?
They probably shouldn’t have fallen down 3-1 in the first place, but they had a chance to come all the way back until Manu’s mistake in Game 7. Had he let Dirk lay the ball in untouched, maybe the Spurs beat the Heat and pull off the coveted three-peat. Also DeSagana Diop is Bill Russell.
4th Title: 2007
This was the Spurs’ 3rd title in 5 years, and it came after sweeping the Cleveland Lebrons in the Finals. The real finals probably happened in the second round, where the Spurs beat the 7SOL Phoenix Suns in 6 games. The Spurs won Game 1 after Nash bloodied his nose, and if Nash had stayed in the Suns had a real chance at winning. This was a very controversial series, as it featured a hip check by Robert Horry during Game 4 that caused him to be suspended for 2 games, but more importantly caused Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to be suspended for a game each because they stepped onto the court. Many argue that had Diaw and Amar’e not been suspended, the Suns would have taken Game 5, and with 2 chances to secure the series, one being at home, they likely would have won it.
2006
Result: Lost to Dallas in Conf. Semis 4-3
Talked about this one already. WHY DID YOU FOUL, MANU?
2008
Result: Lost to Lakers in Conf. Finals 4-1
Only 2 of the games were particularly close, and the Spurs just didn’t have an answer for notorious Spurs killer Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant was a man on a mission, averaging 29 PPG with a TS% of 59, and backed up by Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol he was able to dispose of the Spurs fairly quickly. The most notable game was Game 1, in which the Spurs blew a 20 point 3rd quarter lead and lost by 4.
Why did they lose?
The Lakers were damn good
5th Title: 2014
The end of an era. A dynasty’s last battle. Many great franchises came to an end after 5 installments, including Ice Age, Scary Movie, and (hopefully) Transformers. The Spurs Big 3 were an old bunch by 2014, as Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker were 37, 36, and 31, respectively. Pop had transitioned to the new age of 3 point shooting, emphasizing ball movement and finding the open man on the perimeter. The Spurs faced a 7 game scare against the Mavericks in the first round, but they were able to win and move on to face the Trailblazers, who they beat in 5 games. They then faced the Thunder who they beat in 6. In the Finals, the Spurs ended the Heatles era in a rematch of the previous years finals, and Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP for locking Lebron down as well as we have ever seen.
2013
Result: *Lost to Heat in NBA Finals 4-3 *
I doubt I have to give any of you a recap of this series, so I’ll just give you a snippet of Game 6:
JAMES CATCHES, PUTS UP A THREE
WON’T GO
REBOUND BOSH
BACK OUT TO ALLEN
HIS THREE POINTER
BANG!!!
The clutchest shot in Finals history and a dagger in the heart for Spurs fans everywhere. Tim Duncan also missed a bunny layup in Game 7.
2015
Result: Lost to Clippers in First Round 4-3
The infamous “Why is Portland the 4th seed” series that faced a very good 3 seed Clippers against the reigning champs IN THE FIRST ROUND. This was a great series, capped off by Chris Paul’s clutch floater over the outstretched arm of Tim Duncan.
Why did they lose?
Because Portland was the 4th seed.
In Review
The Spurs had an amazing dynasty that featured 5 championships across 3 decades. For reference, the year the Spurs won their first championship, America found out that Bill Clinton DID have sexual relations with that woman, and Cher’s “Believe” was number one on the Billboard’s Hot 100 of 1999. By the time they won their last championship, Ellen DeGeneres had recently posted what would become the most retweeted tweet of all time, and Flappy Bird was removed from the app store because people were getting murdered or something. The fact that they never were able to capture the elusive repeat is not a knock on them, but a testament to the challenges they faced each year. So, what caused the Spurs to never win back to back championships?
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The other team was really good
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Kobe Bryant
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Why is Portland the 4th seed
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Why is Dallas the 4th seed
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DeSagana Diop might be Bill Russell
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Injuries
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Ray Allen
Why hello there Aditya. You can’t imagine how quickly I clicked on this blog after seeing LeGoat’s key game 6 play. I’m not here to prod or poke any wounds, I’m here to have a respectful conversation.
The 1st title, as you described, certainly had quite the competition. The players you mentioned were all essentially in their prime at that time, so that makes this W certainly much more meaningful. I also love your analytical approach, for, despite my NBA binging, I was unfamiliar with many of the acronyms you cite.
2000 was certainly just unfortunate. So many injuries destroy legacies and leave “what could have been’s” floating in the wind.
2003 was the time when I wished I had been 20 years old and could have watched NBA games live. The era of peak Kobe, Duncan, Shaq. A very lively time that, as you explain, had tons of great competitive matches.
I will be honest, I have not watched a lot of the 2006 season. However, this Mavs Spurs match up sounds legendary. The two superstars, loyal to their teams for their entire careers, battling it out. A 7 game series too. I’ll have to dive into the records to watch this one.
Overall, quite the comprehensive analysis my friend. In the final tldr though, I noticed you didn’t include a certain name, of arguably the greatest player of all time. I believe he was also on the Heat during the 2013 season… hm….
In retrospect, I think that the fact that the Spurs never have won back-to-back championships is a testament to how incredible and well-built their franchise is. They’ve been continuously competing in the more difficult conference for about 20 years now, and the fact that they’re a relatively small-market team, is absolutely incredible. However, the fact that you rarely mentioned the fact that the Spurs have had the greatest coach of all time, Gregg Popovich, is absolutely insane, but I digress. I also want to add that this entire thread of information shows that Tim Duncan is a top 8 NBA player EVER, over the likes of Shaq, Kobe, Larry Bird, and Olajuwon. Carrying an entire organization to 5 rings and 20 years of sheer dominance over the heavy-hitting Lakers and Lebron James is quite an accomplishment.