If you’re a casual NBA fan who begins to pay attention once the postseason rolls around, you probably see the San Antonio Spurs as the top seed in the Western Conference and think “not surprising, that’s the norm.” Which it is. But how exactly? How they keep doing it is beyond basic comprehension.
What causes the Spurs to be so good, year after year, as they get older and other teams get younger? There’s not a perfect answer really. This is more of a mental exercise for those who don’t realize how special the Spurs have been.
The Spurs have failed to reach 50 wins in a season four times since 1988. One of those seasons was 1998-99 when they went 37-13 in a strike shortened season, and they clearly would have eclipsed 50 with a full 82 game schedule. Basically, they Spurs have won 50-plus games in all but three years in the past 25 years. In that span, they’ve won four NBA titles (the first being the shortened 1998-99 season).
Let that sink in for a minute before reading on.
The “Twin Towers” were a special duo. Photo: wagesofwins.com
So what makes them so great for so long? Is the players? Guys like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are the current core players who have been together since 2004. Now, you can make the case that the Spurs hit the jackpot in landing Duncan with the first overall pick in 1997, following a 20-62 record the previous season. Pairing Duncan with Hall of Famer David Robinson was almost guaranteed success. A lot of teams would have vastly improved had they landed Duncan that season. It’s what the Spurs did since landing Duncan that is impressive, and not often duplicated.
Take the 1998-99 World Champion team, for example. Duncan, in his second year in the NBA, had a solid core of veterans around him. Robinson, Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Jerome Kersey, Avery Johnson and Mario Elie all had eight years or more of NBA experience at that time. Besides Robinson, none of those players are in the Hall of Fame. They are all role players that did exactly that – played their role. Kerr made huge shots, Johnson made huge shots, Elliott made huge shots, and so on. Game after game, that group knew how to win. And it set a precedent for the next 20-plus years.
The beginning of a dynasty. Photo: nba.com
Fast forward a few more years to 2003-04. Having just won their second NBA title and Robinson announcing his retirement, Duncan was given the keys moving forward. In many cases, teams take a step back when losing a future Hall of Famer. Not the Spurs. Duncan lead the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals, losing to the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant lead Los Angeles Lakers. Many figured the dynasty run of the Spurs had come to an end. Boy, were they wrong.
The 2004-05 season introduced us to the “big three” of Duncan Parker and Ginobili. It wasn’t until years later that everyone would realize how special this group was. Parker, at age 22, had his best season in his (then) young career, while Ginobili’s career began to flourish. Add the shutdown defense Bruce Bowen provided to the leagues’ top players, and a new dynasty was born.
The Big Three have left their mark on the NBA. Photo: blog.ticketcity.com
Rather than hitting the breaks and coming down from the elite status the Spurs had obtained, they pressed the throttle hard and haven’t taken their foot off it since. After their championship in 2004-05, Duncan and the Spurs would go on to win it all again in 2006-07, and got close again last year before losing games six and seven of the NBA Finals, to the Miami Heat.
What about Gregg Popovich? Where does he play into this legacy? As general manager and vice president of basketball operations, Popovich fired coach Brian Hill during the 1996-97 season and took over the role himself. It helped Popovich and the Spurs to land Duncan with the top pick that Summer, but this run is more than just lottery luck.
In a league where the players can dictate so much of the game themselves, and many of them are needy and greedy, Popovich consistently gets his teams to play his way. The right way. Solid defense, ball movement, and fundamentals. The players buy in to Popovich, which says a lot considering how quick players seem to turn on their coaches now days. For example, if the Heat don’t win the NBA Finals this year, head coach Eric Spoelstra may be on the hot seat.
Popovich’s legacy has yet to sink in for most. Photo: gazettenet.com
Love him or hate him, you have to respect Popovich for what he’s accomplished. He’s won four NBA titles, even though he’s had to face the likes of Shaq and Kobe, John Stockton and Karl Malone, and Dirk Nowitzki on a yearly basis. It’s possible we’ll never see another NBA coach hold the same position for as long as Popovich has. And it might not be close. It could take a few more years, once Duncan and Popovich are out of the league for a while, to really appreciate and understand how influential their run together really was for the game of basketball.
Some fans are probably sick of the “same ol’, same ol'” with the Spurs. Then again, some fans may be looking for someone to take down the Heat as they go for a three-peat. Why not the “Big Three”, Popovich and the Spurs? One more title to cap off an incredible run would be fitting.
For some.
Photo: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports