Welcome to the SPURS KINGDOM OF DOOM!
As you look past my site, you will take on history of the one and only, Spurs.
You will be invited into fantasy leagues, enjoy a taste of pictures here and there, and much more. So come on in, and take off your shoes, because you might be a while. :)
Lets start off with a bit of HISTORY, shall we?
--George "The Iceman" Gervin led the Spurs to five division titles in the 1970s and 80s.
--NBA Titles:
1999 2003
Retired Uniform Numbers:
(00) Johnny Moore
(13) James Silas
(44) George Gervin
Franchise History:
San Antonio Spurs
Season W L %
2002-03 60 22 .707
2001-02 58 24 .707
2000-01 58 24 .707
1999-00 53 29 .646
1998-99 37 13 .740
1997-98 56 26 .683
1996-97 20 62 .244
1995-96 59 23 .720
1994-95 62 20 .756
1993-94 55 27 .671
1992-93 49 33 .598
1991-92 47 35 .573
1990-91 55 27 .671
1989-90 56 26 .683
1988-89 21 61 .256
1987-88 31 51 .378
1986-87 28 54 .341
1985-86 35 47 .427
1984-85 41 41 .500
1983-84 37 45 .451
1982-83 53 29 .646
1981-82 48 34 .585
1980-81 52 30 .634
1979-80 41 41 .500
1978-79 48 34 .585
1977-78 52 30 .634
1976-77 44 38 .537
--The San Antonio Spurs began as an original entry in the American Basketball Association. Called the Dallas Chaparrals, the franchise survived the turmoil of the ABA era and was rewarded with admittance to the NBA when the upstart league merged with the NBA.
The franchise has fielded some fine teams over the years. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the team featured George "the Iceman" Gervin and won the Midwest Division five out of six years. In the late 1980s the addition of David Robinson turned the club back into a contender. And when Tim Duncan arrived, he and Robinson brought a championship home to San Antonio in 1999.
--1967-69: In The Beginning
The Dallas Chaparrals were established in 1967, one of 11 teams to take the floor for the ABA that year. Former St. Louis Hawks star Cliff Hagan was persuaded to end his one-year retirement and join the club as a player-coach. The Chaps' stars included forward Cincinnatus "Cincy" Powell, center John Beasley, and guard Bob Verga. Maurice McHartley was the first player off the bench.
With each team in the new league an unknown quantity, the ABA was wide open, and Dallas found itself in a tight race with the New Orleans Buccaneers and the Denver Rockets for the top spot in the Western Division. The 36-year-old Hagan had a good year, scoring 18.2 points per game. Beasley, the 6-foot-9 rookie, probably had the best season of his seven-year ABA career, averaging 19.7 points while collecting 12.8 rebounds per game. Powell scored 18.3 points per game, Verga averaged 23.7 points in 31 contests before being called to military service, and McHartley tallied another 15.3 points per contest.
Dallas finished its inaugural season with a 46-32 record and in second place, two games behind New Orleans and two games ahead of Denver. The Chaparrals swept the Houston Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, then lost in the second round to New Orleans, which went on to lose to the Pittsburgh Pipers in the first ABA Finals.
The second-year Dallas Chaparrals slipped a bit in the 1968-69 season despite the addition of rookie guard Ron Boone. Boone averaged 18.9 points in his freshman campaign, and Powell and Beasley each had productive years. But Hagan's contribution slipped, and he appeared in only 35 games.
The Chaps fell to fourth place in the Western Division with a 41-37 record, resulting in a first-round playoff rematch with New Orleans. After falling behind the Buccaneers, three games to one, Dallas bounced back with convincing wins in Games 5 and 6. However, the Chaps fell short by losing Game 7, 101-95.
--1969-73: A Change Of Names, A Change Of Cities
After the 1968-69 season Hagan gave up playing and moved to the bench full-time. The 1969-70 team added a new center, Manny Leaks, who had played for the Kentucky Colonels and the New York Nets before joining the Chaparrals. Leaks, who was only 6-foot-8, turned in a stellar performance, averaging 18.8 points and 12.5 rebounds, while Powell chipped in 20.1 points per game.
Hagan's bid to give up playing and concentrate solely on his coaching duties backfired. With the team sporting a 22-21 record, he was fired. His replacement, Max Williams, piloted the team to a 45-39 record and a second-place finish in the Western Division. Dallas lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Stars; however, the final three games of the series were down-to-the-wire barn burners. With the Chaparrals up, two games to one, the Stars claimed Game 4, 144-138, then came back two nights later to win Game 5, 146-139. The Stars then closed out the series in Game 6, winning 124-123.
For the 1970-71 season the Dallas Chaparrals became the Texas Chaparrals, but they continued to play in Dallas. It was not a good year on the court for the Chaps. Powell was gone, and the club cycled through 18 players and two coaches during the campaign. Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-3 guard who came over from the Utah Stars during the season, provided much of the scoring, averaging 23.6 points. The franchise tumbled to its first losing season, at 30-54, and was then swept out of the playoffs by the Stars.
The Chaps (whose official name was once again the Dallas Chaparrals) hired Tom Nissalke as their head coach for the 1971-72 season, and he somehow managed to bring a team that featured names like Simmie Hill and Goo Kennedy to near respectability. A 41-41 finish was good enough to win Nissalke the league's Coach of the Year Award. For the second straight year the Chaparrals were swept by the Utah Stars in the first round of the playoffs, but it was a much better series. In the previous season Utah had won by an average of more than 18 points per game. In 1972 the margin was only six points per contest.
Nissalke jumped to the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics for the 1972-73 season. The team he left behind was in shambles. Neither his successor, Babe McCarthy, nor McCarthy's late-season replacement, Dave Brown, could do much with the hapless team, which finished out of the playoffs at 28-56. To make matters worse, the franchise was struggling to attract fans, and when it was announced late in the season that a group from New Jersey would purchase the club, the last few shreds of local interest disappeared. To add insult to injury, the New Jersey deal fell through.
The Dallas Chaparrals' swan song came on March 26, 1973. Playing one last time at the Dallas Convention Center, the Chaparrals eked out a 112-110 victory over the Carolina Cougars, the ABA's best team that year. The paid attendance was reported to be 134.
--1973: Franchise Relocates To San Antonio
The franchise was rescued from oblivion by a group of San Antonio businessmen led by John Schaefer, B. J. "Red" McCombs, Art Burdick, and Angelo Drossos. The group moved the club to San Antonio and rechristened it the Spurs. They also brought back Nissalke, whose NBA sojourn had been a disaster-he'd lasted barely half a season with Seattle, posting a 13-32 record with the SuperSonics before losing his job.
The franchise played its first game in San Antonio on October 10, 1973, before 5,879 fans at the HemisFair Arena. The Spurs faced the San Diego Conquistadors and came out on the losing end of a 126-101 contest. The team got off to a slow start, posting a 1-6 record. Fan interest was minimal; only 1,799 people showed up for the Spurs' first win, on October 18.
The situation began to change in November. The struggling Virginia Squires franchise was selling off players, and the Spurs purchased 6-foot-11 Swen Nater for $300,000. On November 28 San Antonio played before a sellout crowd of 10,146 and beat the Kentucky Colonels, to improve to 13-12. Nater, who had been Bill Walton's backup at UCLA, played in the ABA All-Star Game, in which he racked up 29 points and 22 rebounds.
--1973-76: "The Iceman" Arrives
San Antonio made a second big move at the end of January, buying the rights to 21-year-old George Gervin from Virginia. Gervin joined the team in mid-February and averaged 19.4 points in 26 contests with the Spurs. The club won 12 of its final 18 games to claim third place in the Western Division with a 45-39 record. Paired with the Indiana Pacers in the first round of postseason play, the Spurs lost in seven games.
The 1974-75 Spurs boasted a solid starting five. In addition to Gervin and Nater, the Spurs had third-year guard James "Snake" Silas and sixth-year forward Rich Jones, both of whom averaged 19.3 points. The team also added veteran Donnie Freeman, who had played for the Dallas Chaparrals a few seasons earlier. He contributed 15.5 points per game.
Despite the team's 17-10 start, Nissalke was fired in December, and Bob Bass took over as coach. On January 28 San Antonio hosted the ABA All-Star Game before 10,449 spectators. Three Spurs played for the West-Gervin, Nater, and Silas. Gervin scored 23 points and Silas canned 21 to lead the West, but the East prevailed, 151-124.
San Antonio finished in second place in the Western Division with a 51-33 mark. Gervin, who was following up a solid rookie season with a very productive sophomore campaign, gave San Antonio fans a taste of what they would see in the coming years. On February 5 he collected 51 points against the Memphis Sounds. In the playoffs against Indiana, Coach Bass moved Gervin from forward to the shooting guard position, and he caught fire. In the final three games of the series he averaged 35.0 points. But it wasn't enough for the Spurs, who lost the series, four games to two.
The Spurs made some major changes in the offseason. In June the team traded Nater to the New York Nets for forward Larry Kenon. Three months later San Antonio sent four Spurs to New York in exchange for 6-foot-11 center Billy Paultz.
When the 1975-76 ABA season commenced, the league was down to seven teams playing in a single division. San Antonio's offseason moves paid off. Nater was slowed by a knee injury and was not a big contributor for the Nets. Paultz and Kenon, on the other hand, combined for 35.2 points and 21.5 rebounds per game. San Antonio placed four players-Gervin, Silas, Paultz, and Kenon-in the ABA's midseason All-Star Game. After taking seven of eight games down the stretch, the Spurs wound up in third place with a 50-34 record.
San Antonio faced Julius Erving and the New York Nets in the first round of the playoffs. The Spurs' chances were dealt a serious blow in Game 1 after Silas, the team's leading scorer at 23.8 points per game, broke his ankle. The club still managed to push the Nets to the limit before bowing out in Game 7, 121-114. The Nets went on to claim the ABA's ninth and final championship.
--1976-77: Spurs Join The NBA
On June 17, 1976, the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Nets, the Denver Nuggets, and the Indiana Pacers all gained admittance to the NBA as the ABA finally gave up the ghost. San Antonio brought in Doug Moe to assume the coaching duties but planned to take the floor with basically the same team. Silas, who was coming off his ankle injury, hurt his knee in the preseason and was sidelined for the Spurs' first 60 games. His backup, George Karl (who would go on to coach the fine Seattle teams of the early 1990s), was also out of action after undergoing knee surgery. The starting point guard duties fell to Mike Gale, who in the previous season had averaged only 6.8 points while coming off the bench.
The Spurs' NBA premiere took place on October 22, 1976, against the Philadelphia 76ers, who had come away from the NBA-ABA merger with Julius Erving. Playing before 17,196 Sixers fans, the Spurs notched a 121-118 win. After a 2-6 start, San Antonio reeled off six straight victories in November. In December the Spurs purloined a game from the Kansas City Kings as forward Larry Kenon registered 11 steals to set an NBA record. By February the club was 10 games above .500.
San Antonio faltered as the year wound down, losing five of six games to end the regular season. The Boston Celtics then swept San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. Still, the Spurs had put together a good showing in their first trip through the NBA. At 44-38, the club posted the sixth-best record in the league. Gervin finished ninth in the league in scoring with 23.1 points per game, and he shot a phenomenal .544 from the field, the second-best mark in NBA history for a guard. The Spurs were the NBA's top-scoring team, averaging 115.0 points. But the club also had the league's most porous defense, allowing 114.4 points per contest.
Gervin, Kenon, and Paultz led the way in the 1977-78 season. Injuries sidelined guards Gale, Karl, and Silas early in the year, and the club posted back-to-back 8-7 records in November and December. By January the team was healthy. From the beginning of the new year to the end of March, San Antonio piled up wins, going 30-9 to clinch the Central Division title.
--1977-79: "The Iceman" Duels With "Skywalker"
The final day of the season featured the incredible climax to a season-long duel between Gervin and the Denver Nuggets' David Thompson for the league's scoring title. On Sunday, April 9, the Nuggets played an afternoon game against Detroit. The 6-foot-4 Thompson blistered the Pistons for 73 points in the Nuggets' 139-137 win. Thompson's point total was the third highest in league history. Only Wilt Chamberlain, with games of 100 in 1962 and 78 in 1961, had ever scored more points in a single contest.
Gervin and the Spurs played that same night in New Orleans against the Jazz. The Iceman needed 58 points to claim the title. He accumulated 20 of the Spurs' 33 points in the first period. In the second Gervin added 33 to set an NBA single-period record. With more than 10 minutes remaining in the third period, Gervin sank a 10-foot jump shot to reach 59 points and take the title. Coach Moe took Gervin out of the game to a standing ovation. The Iceman returned later to add 4 more points and finish with 63, on 23-of-49 shooting from the field.
Gervin edged Thompson by the thinnest of margins for the scoring title. For the season, Gervin averaged 27.22 points to Thompson's 27.15.
The Spurs entered the 1978 postseason with a 52-30 record and were favored to beat the Washington Bullets in the first round of the playoffs. But the surprising Bullets, who had finished eight games behind the Spurs in the Central Division, ousted San Antonio in a hard-fought six-game series. Gervin continued his scoring onslaught in the postseason, averaging 33.2 points. In Game 2 he set a franchise playoff record with 46 points.
The Spurs set the tone for the 1978-79 season on opening day, when the club scored 153 points and beat the Milwaukee Bucks by 42. San Antonio would go on to lead the league in scoring with an average of 119.3 points. The next closest team was the Bullets, who trailed the Spurs by 4.4 points per contest. The Spurs also paced the league in point differential, beating opposing clubs by an average of 5.2 points.
The high-scoring Spurs were led once again by Gervin (29.6 ppg), who became the first guard in NBA history to win back-to-back scoring titles. The team also received a big boost from James Silas, who returned to the starting lineup after a two-year absence due to knee surgery. The Spurs were 14-14 when Silas joined Gervin in the Spurs' starting backcourt. From that point on the team went 34-20. A 117-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on the final day of the season gave the Spurs a second straight Central Division crown with a 48-34 record, one game ahead of the Houston Rockets.
The Spurs squared off against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and jumped out to a two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series. The 76ers came back to knot the series at three games apiece. However, on May 2 San Antonio returned home and clipped the Sixers by a three-point margin.
The Spurs moved on to face the Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. After posting victories in Games 1, 3, and 4, San Antonio was in the driver's seat with a three-games-to-one series lead. But the Bullets squeezed out close victories in each of the final three games, winning by scores of 107-103, 108-100, and 107-105, respectively, to take the series and advance to the championship round against the Seattle SuperSonics. Gervin averaged 28.6 points in the postseason to lead all playoff participants.
--1979-80: Gervin Stays Hot
After two years at the top of the Central Division, the 1979-80 season was a disappointment for San Antonio, although Kenon and Silas had good years. In January the Spurs sent Billy Paultz to Houston for John Shumate, who chipped in 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his 27 contests for the Spurs. Gervin, meanwhile, was outstanding. He won his third straight scoring title by averaging 33.1 points per game, leading the league in field goals made and attempted. His shooting percentage was a blazing .528, and he also earned the MVP Award at the 1980 NBA All-Star Game after a 34-point, 10-rebound performance.
Despite Gervin's scoring outbursts, San Antonio hovered around the .500 mark all season. The team was hampered by a weak defense, which yielded a whopping 119.7 points per game. (Denver, the second-poorest defensive club, surrendered 112.7 points per game.) Head Coach Doug Moe paid for the team's mediocre performance with his job. Moe was fired on March 1 and replaced by Bob Bass. San Antonio finished the season with a 41-41 record and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets.
--1980-81: Key Moves In Store-New Players And A New Division
As a result of that lackluster showing, the Spurs made a couple of key moves before the 1980-81 season. Larry Kenon was shipped to the Chicago Bulls, Dave Corzine came over from the Washington Bullets, George Johnson was picked up as a free agent, and Reggie Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward from the University of Tennessee, was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. In addition, the franchise brought in Stan Albeck as its new head coach. Meanwhile, the Spurs jumped over to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, joining Houston, Kansas City, Denver, Utah, and the expansion Dallas Mavericks.
All the pieces quickly fell into place. San Antonio jumped out to a 10-2 start. In late December a San Antonio tradition was born when the club handed out 10,000 free posters that featured the Spurs' front line as the "Bruise Brothers." The crew of George Johnson, Dave Corzine, Kevin Restani, Paul Griffin, Mark Olberding, and Reggie Johnson deserved the moniker. The 1980-81 team led the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots, and was third in personal fouls. George Johnson led the league in blocked shots with 3.39 per game.
San Antonio breezed to its third division title in four years, with a 52-30 record. Kansas City and Houston tied for second, a distant 12 games back. But the Spurs were unable to get by the Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals. Houston took three games from San Antonio at the HemisFair Arena, including the deciding Game 7, which Houston won by a 105-100 tally.
An era of sorts came to an end the following offseason when the Spurs traded James Silas to Cleveland. Silas was the last of the remaining Spurs to have played with the old Dallas Chaparrals. The emergence of Johnny Moore made the trade possible. Moore, a second-year point guard, took over the starting spot and went on to lead the league in assists with 9.6 per game. He wasn't the only Spurs league leader during the 1981-82 campaign. After finishing third in scoring the season before, Gervin regained the top spot by averaging 32.3 points per game.
Halfway through the season the Spurs made an important acquisition-they traded Ron Brewer and George Johnson to Cleveland for the high-scoring, 6-foot-7 Mike Mitchell. In his first season with the Spurs, Mitchell averaged 21.0 points.
--1981-83: Spurs Make A Point To Score Often
San Antonio's success was built on its prolific offense. The 1981-82 season featured one game with the second-highest point total in NBA history. In a triple-overtime contest against Milwaukee at the HemisFair Arena, the Spurs pulled away with a 171-166 win, thanks to a 50-point performance from Gervin. San Antonio finished the year ranked second in the NBA in scoring at 113.1 points per game, but that wasn't even close to league-leading Denver, which averaged an astonishing 126.5 points.
The Spurs claimed a second straight Midwest Division title in 1981-82, finishing two games ahead of Denver. Matched up against Seattle in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Spurs split the first two games with the SuperSonics, then won three straight close games to take the series. That earned the team a shot at the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, but Los Angeles swept the Spurs on its way to an NBA Championship.
In the offseason the Spurs engineered a swap with the Bulls that sent Mark Olberding and Dave Corzine to Chicago in return for 11-year veteran Artis Gilmore. The 7-foot-2, 33-year-old Gilmore fit right in, powering San Antonio to a franchise-record 53 wins. The team did it with solid, all-around play. The Spurs were second in the league in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and assists. Gilmore led the league in field-goal percentage at .626; Johnny Moore was second in assists with 9.8 per game; and Gervin finished fourth in scoring at 26.5 points per game.
The Spurs concluded the regular season with an eight-game lead over the Denver Nuggets. The two teams squared off in the playoffs and proceeded to light up the scoreboard in one of the most explosive playoff series ever. San Antonio took the first game, 152-133, as the two teams set a single-game postseason record for total points. The Spurs won Game 2 by 17 points, then took a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the series with a 127-126 overtime win. After losing Game 4, San Antonio sent Denver packing with a 145-105 rout in Game 5. For the five-game series the Spurs averaged 132.8 points to Denver's 119.4.
The next round saw a rematch of the previous season's Lakers-Spurs series. Swept in 1982, the Spurs put on a much better showing in 1983, taking the Lakers to six games before bowing out in a one-point loss in Game 6.
--1983-84: Success No More In 1983-84
A division leader in five of the previous six seasons, San Antonio saw the bottom drop out during the 1983-84 campaign. The problems started in the offseason when Stan Albeck left to take a head coaching job with the New Jersey Nets. Morris McHone was hired as his replacement. By the end of November the team was 6-12. On December 17 the Spurs lost to the Atlanta Hawks, and Gervin was held to only 8 points, breaking a string of 407 straight games in which he had scored in double figures.
McHone was gone before the new year, and General Manager Bob Bass stepped in and tried to restore order. He didn't have much luck. Moore and Gilmore spent large parts of the second half of the season on the injured list, and the Spurs lost 14 of 18 games following the All-Star break. Despite a flurry of five wins in seven games to end the season, San Antonio finished out of the playoffs with a 37-45 record.
There were a couple of bright spots in an otherwise lackluster season. John Lucas, who joined the Spurs from the Continental Basketball Association in December, finished fourth in the NBA with 10.7 assists per game. During the final contest of the season he set an NBA record with 14 assists in a quarter and a team record with 24 assists in a game. (Nonetheless, the Spurs lost to the Nuggets, 157-154.) Gilmore led the league in field-goal percentage (.631) for the second consecutive year. Moore finished fifth in the NBA in assists, right behind Lucas with 9.6 per game. And in February the Spurs retired the jersey of James Silas.
--1984-85: Losses Shrink With Cotton
Cotton Fitzsimmons was hired away from Kansas City in the offseason and was given the task of rebuilding the Spurs. Six games into the 1984-85 season he looked like a Coach of the Year candidate, having piloted the Spurs to a 5-1 record. But the team stumbled through a seven-game losing streak and struggled to play .500 basketball the rest of the way. San Antonio didn't put together a winning month until January, when the team went 8-5. That month was highlighted by a 139-94 win in which Moore missed a quadruple-double by a single steal; for the night his line read 26 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and 9 steals.
San Antonio finished the season with a 41-41 record, tied for fourth in the Midwest Division with Utah. The Spurs almost surprised the first-place Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs, taking the series to the limit before losing in Game 5 by 27 points.
--1985-87: A Four-Year Drought Begins
The next season was the first of four very lean years for the Spurs. Shortly before the start of the 1985-86 campaign the team made a surprising trade by sending Gervin to Chicago for David Greenwood. Despite the loss of "the Iceman," the team played well through December and stood at 19-13 two months into the season. But on December 26 Moore was hospitalized with desert fever. The rare disease not only kept him out for the year, it also ended his career.
San Antonio bumbled through the rest of the season, losing 10 of 16 games in January, 12 of 13 from early February to early March, and 13 of 16 overall in March. A 35-47 record was the team's worst showing since relocating to San Antonio from Dallas.
Not to be overlooked in the midst of the Spurs' mediocre performance was the excellent season of second-year player Alvin Robertson. He earned a handful of awards, including NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Most Improved Player, and he represented the Spurs at the NBA All-Star Game. Robertson recorded 301 steals to set a new league record, and on February 18 he became only the second player in NBA history to chalk up a quadruple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals.
Coach Fitzsimmons was fired after the 1985-86 season, and Bob Weiss was handed the reins. Weiss had even less luck with the 1986-87 Spurs as the team shuffled through 17 players looking for a winning combination. Nothing worked. The Spurs finished in last place in the Midwest Division with a 28-54 record, 27 games behind the Utah Jazz. Robertson repeated as the NBA's steals leader and Defensive Player of the Year.
--1987-89: San Antonio Plans For The Future
On May 17, 1987, the Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery. Exercising the No. 1 pick six weeks later at the NBA Draft, the team made a major commitment to its future by selecting 7-foot center David Robinson. But that future was two years away. After signing a contract with the Spurs on November 6, 1987, the Naval Academy graduate headed off to fulfill his two-year commitment to the Navy.
The 1987-88 campaign was a struggle for the Spurs, though the team played well in December, posting an 8-4 record to end a string of 12 straight losing months. On December 5 the franchise retired George Gervin's jersey. There weren't too many other highlights for the undermanned San Antonio franchise this season. The team finished the year with a 31-51 record and was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Lakers.
There was even less to cheer about during the 1988-89 season. The Spurs had a new owner, Red McCombs, as well as a new head coach, Larry Brown. However, the results were even worse than the previous year. A 1-12 showing in February and an 8-game losing streak to end the season resulted in a 21-61 record. Injuries decimated the club, with Alvin Robertson just one of many Spurs who spent time on the sidelines, but the team was weak by any standards. Only rookie Willie Anderson provided a ray of hope. The 6-foot-8 swingman led the team in scoring (18.7 ppg) and finished runner-up to Mitch Richmond for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
--1989-90: From Worst To First
The Spurs went from worst to first the following season under Coach Brown. David Robinson completed his tour of duty on May 19, 1989. Nine days later, the Spurs sent Robertson and Greg "Cadillac" Anderson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Terry Cummings. In the 1989 NBA Draft, San Antonio selected Sean Elliott with the third overall pick. Later that summer Johnny Dawkins was shipped to the 76ers as part of a five-player deal, and Maurice Cheeks joined the Spurs. By opening day the Spurs' roster had nine new faces.
San Antonio opened the 1989-90 season with a 106-98 win over the Lakers. In his NBA debut Robinson scored 23 points and snagged 17 rebounds. San Antonio went 8-5 in November, then moved into first place in the Midwest Division after going 11-2 in December. On February 21 the Spurs made one more deal, acquiring point guard Rod Strickland from the New York Knicks for Cheeks.
San Antonio finished with a 56-26 record and a one-game cushion over the second-place Utah Jazz. The 35-game improvement from 1988-89 to 1989-90 was the biggest one-year swing in NBA history. The driving force behind the turnaround was "the Admiral." Rookie of the Month in each month of the season, Robinson led the team in scoring (24.3 ppg) and rebounding (12.0 rpg). He was the league's Rookie of the Year and was named to the Western Conference All-Star squad.
The Spurs waltzed past the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1990 NBA Playoffs. The Western Conference Semifinal matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers produced a tremendous seven-game series that included two overtime losses for San Antonio: a 138-132 double-overtime defeat in Game 5 and a heartbreaking 108-105 loss in Game 7 that ended San Antonio's season.
--1990-92: First Round Not Kind To Spurs
The Spurs proved that the 1989-90 season was not a fluke by outdueling the Utah Jazz during the following campaign to take the Midwest Division crown for a second straight year. The team finished with a 55-27 record, and the success came despite the loss of Strickland for 24 games and Cummings for 15, both due to injury. Playing in his second straight NBA All-Star Game, Robinson scored 16 points in 18 minutes.
The Spurs entered the postseason as a contender for the NBA title. But the team stumbled in the first round of the playoffs against Golden State. Three Spurs scored more than 30 points in San Antonio's 130-121 Game 1 victory, but the Warriors claimed the next three games to steal the series.
San Antonio made one significant trade during the offseason, picking up 6-foot-9 muscleman Antoine Carr from Sacramento for Dwayne Schintzius. Strickland, the team's starting point guard, began the season on the sidelines because of a contract dispute and didn't suit up until late December. Despite the absence of their point guard, the Spurs opened the 1991-92 campaign by going 10-3 in November. The club struggled through the next two months, and Head Coach Larry Brown stepped down on January 21. Bob Bass, who was serving as vice president of basketball operations, took over the reins for the fourth time in 17 years.
Under Bass, the team closed out the season by winning 26 games and losing 18 to post a final record of 47-35, good enough for second place in the Midwest Division behind the Jazz. The Spurs' chances of advancing in the playoffs were severely hampered by the absence of Robinson and Willie Anderson. "The Admiral" was placed on the injured list on April 1 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand. Anderson missed the final 24 games of the season with a stress fracture in his left tibia. Neither player was ready for action when the postseason began, and the Spurs were swept in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.
--1992-93: Tarkanian's Tenure Brief; Lucas Takes Helm
In the offseason the Spurs hired Jerry Tarkanian as their new head coach. That summer San Antonio also acquired Dale Ellis from Milwaukee, but the club lost Terry Cummings for much of the upcoming 1992-93 season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The Spurs never jelled under Tarkanian. The team opened by losing four of five games and was 5-6 at the end of November. In mid-December the franchise made two key moves. The first was on the court. On December 9 the Spurs sent Sidney Green and a pair of draft choices to the Charlotte Hornets and received J. R. Reid in return. Ten days later the Tarkanian reign came to a close after only six weeks. He had posted a 9-11 record.
The head coaching duties were handed to John Lucas. The Spurs played inspired basketball under the former NBA guard, winning 16 of 18 games after Lucas took over. A key move was the insertion into the starting lineup of Avery Johnson, a 5-foot-10 journeyman point guard. A former teammate of Lucas's in Seattle, "A. J." averaged 11.4 points and 9.9 assists while leading the Spurs to an 11-1 record in his first dozen starts.
The Spurs went 9-4 in February to climb to 35-18 overall, and they took the lead in the Midwest Division. An 8-8 record in March dropped the team back into second place behind the Houston Rockets. On March 26 the franchise changed hands when Red McCombs sold his interest to a consortium of 12 investors. The sale price was $75 million.
San Antonio continued to struggle in April, winning just 6 of 13 games. The Spurs managed to dispatch the Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, winning by one point in Game 1 and by three points in an overtime contest in Game 4 to take the series. San Antonio gave Phoenix a scare in the next round. The teams split the first four games, with each team winning on its home court. The Suns beat the Spurs in Game 5 in Phoenix, 109-96. Game 6 was played at the HemisFair Arena. An 18-foot jump shot by Charles Barkley broke a 100-100 deadlock with 1.8 seconds left, and when David Robinson missed a 20-footer at the buzzer, the Spurs were eliminated. It was the last game at the HemisFair Arena. The Spurs moved to the brand-new Alamodome for the 1993-94 season.
--1993-94: King David Can't Take Spurs To The Promised Land
In the offseason the Spurs traded Sean Elliott to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that brought Dennis Rodman to San Antonio. Rodman, sporting a variety of hair colors throughout the year, changed the entire look of the Spurs in 1993-94. A team that had finished last in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage the previous season vaulted to first with Rodman aboard. The iconoclastic rebounder helped San Antonio craft the league's second-best defense, allowing only 94.8 points per game.
However, Rodman's most noticeable impact was on David Robinson, who had less pressure to rebound and more opportunities to score. Doing more of his work on the perimeter, Robinson led the NBA in scoring with 29.8 points per game. On the last day of the season he wrested the scoring crown from Shaquille O'Neal by pouring in 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game. He had also registered the fourth quadruple-double in NBA annals with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against Detroit on February 17. At season's end, he was runner-up to Hakeem Olajuwon for the NBA MVP Award.
Rodman (17.3 rpg) and Robinson became the first teammates to lead the NBA in both scoring and rebounding in the same season. The Spurs finished 55-17, second to the Houston Rockets in the Midwest Division. But after going 3-7 in their final 10 games, they entered a first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz with little momentum. Utah won in four games, as the Spurs managed only 88.0 points per contest. A few weeks later Lucas left San Antonio to become head coach and general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.
--1994-95: Robinson & Co. Surge To 62-Win Season
The 1994-95 campaign proved to be the best ever for the Spurs, although it ended a bit prematurely for San Antonio fans. The team posted a 62-20 record, tops in the NBA and the best in franchise history. The Spurs' previous best record was 56-26 in 1989-90, David Robinson's rookie season.
The year didn't begin with much promise. With Dennis Rodman suspended, San Antonio stumbled out to a 7-9 record. But the Spurs went 55-11 the rest of the way, logging a 15-game winning streak during one stretch. They ended the regular season with a 21-2 record in their final 23 games. The team went 11-2 in February, 14-2 in March, and 11-2 in April to win the Midwest Division.
Several players had career seasons. Robinson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for a season in which he was third in the league in scoring (27.6 ppg), seventh in rebounding (10.8 rpg), and fourth in blocked shots (3.23 per game). He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. Dynamic point guard Avery Johnson rejoined the team after a year with the Golden State Warriors and averaged 13.4 points and 8.2 assists. He increased his scoring average for the seventh consecutive season, and his .519 field-goal percentage ranked third among NBA guards.
Sean Elliott, reacquired from the Detroit Pistons in a trade for draft pick Bill Curley, lit up the scoring charts with an average of 18.1 points per game and drilled 136 of 333 three-pointers for a .408 percentage (18th in the NBA). Rodman's look remained unique and his rebounding unmatched. Despite missing 33 games, he led the league in rebounding for the fourth consecutive season (16.8 rpg) and was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. Vinny Del Negro assumed the starting off guard job and averaged 12.5 points on .486 shooting from the field. Chuck Person joined the team and knocked down 172 three-pointers as a hired gun off the bench.
In the playoffs, the Spurs swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round, got past the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the conference semifinals, and then fell in six games to the Houston Rockets in the conference finals.
--1995-96: Spurs Can't Shake Playoff Blues
Prior to the 1995-96 season, the Spurs traded Dennis Rodman to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for center Will Perdue. While Rodman's talents ultimately led the Bulls back to the NBA championship, the hope was that the trade would be addition by subtraction. Rodman, though an unparalleled rebounder, proved distracting to the Spurs in their quest for a title.
The move paid off in the regular season, where the Spurs didn't miss a beat. They completed the season 59-23 to capture their second straight Midwest Division title, only three games off their record-setting pace of the previous year. Team chemistry was remarkable, and according to coach Bob Hill "the best I've ever been around."
The talent was equally extraordinary. Sean Elliott and David Robinson represented the West at the All-Star Game, and the backcourt of Vinny Del Negro and Avery Johnson posted the league's best assist to turnover ratio. They shored up their front line with the acquisition of Charles Smith and Monty Williams from New York in February. In March, they posted a perfect 16-0 record, tying them with the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the best month in NBA history.
But come playoff time, the Spurs faced the same question. Could they win in the postseason? They proved to Phoenix that the answer was yes, winning three games to one in the first round best-of-five series. In the second round, the Spurs battled the Utah Jazz to six games, but as in 1994, the Jazz toppled the Spurs, handing San Antonio's hope of that still elusive trip to the Finals.
--1996-97: Injuries Sink Spurs, But Land Duncan
The 1996-97 season was one of the most frustrating in franchise history for the San Antonio Spurs, but ultimately may turn out to be for the best.. Although the Spurs lost David Robinson to injury, managed only 20 wins and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1988-89 season, they struck gold in the 1997 Draft Lottery, landing the first overall pick and draft rights to super prospect Tim Duncan.
Injuries decimated the Spurs, none more so than that of Robinson, who returned from back problems only to suffer a broken foot. The former MVP appeared in only nine games. Chuck Person was even less fortunate, missing the entire season following back surgery. Charles Smith missed 65 games with an arthritic right knee and Sean Elliott missed 43 games with tendinitis in the right knee. The loss of those four players, each among the top six scorers from the 1995-96 team, prompted the steepest one-year decline in NBA history, from 59 wins to only 20.
Another Spurs casualty was head coach Bob Hill, relieved of his duties after a 3-15 start, and replaced by General Manager Gregg Popovich, who posted a 17-47 record in his first stint as an NBA head coach.
In the absence of many of his regulars, Popovich relied on a veteran crew that included free agent signees Dominique Wilkins and Vernon Maxwell and the familiar backcourt duo of Vinnie Del Negro and Avery Johnson. Wilkins, one of the top scorers in NBA history, led the offensive charge with 18.2 points per game. During the season he became only the 38th player to appear in 1,000 NBA games and surpassed 26,000 points, moving into seventh place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
All the pain of the 1996-97 season went away on May 18, when the Spurs won the Lottery and drew the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. That assured them the rights to Duncan, a dominant collegiate star at Wake Forest. With a dynamic duo of Robinson and Duncan up front, San Antonio was expected to return to a place among the league's elite in 1997-98.
--1997-98: Duncan Spurs Quick Turnaround
The San Antonio Spurs knew they were going to be an improved team in 1997-98. After all, they were coming off of a 20-62 season, the worst in their 25-year NBA history. Just how good they came, and how quickly, surprised a lot of NBA teams.
With the return of David Robinson (who missed all but six games the previous season because of injury) and the arrival of Tim Duncan, the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the Spurs engineered the biggest single-season turnaround in NBA history, winning 56 games and advancing to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
For the season, Duncan averaged 21.1 points (12th in the NBA), 11.9 rebounds (3rd), 2.51 blocks (6th) and led all NBA players with 57 double-doubles. He was named to the NBA All-Star Team and needless to say, he ran away with the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Unlike many prized rookies, Duncan didn't have the burden of carrying the offensive load. Standing right beside him all season was Robinson, the former MVP who returned from his injury-plagued season to his place among the league's elite centers.
It only took the Spurs revamped lineup about a month to learn to play together. After a Dec. 9 loss dropped San Antonio to 10-10, it all clicked and the Spurs soared, going 46-16 in their final 62 games. Like Duncan, Robinson earned a berth on the Western Conference All-Star team and was among the league leaders in scoring (21.6 ppg, 10th in the NBA), rebounding (10.6 rpg, 5th), blocks (2.63 bpg, 5th) and double-doubles (40, 9th).
In the playoffs, the Spurs faced the Phoenix Suns in the first round. But for all of Suns coach Danny Ainge's worries about Duncan and Robinson, it was diminutive Avery Johnson who closed the door on Phoenix. The 5-10 point guard, still hearing the whispers that the Spurs needed a stronger point guard to contend, had his way with Phoenix throughout the series, averaging a team-high 20.5 ppg and 6.0 apg in the 3-to-1 series win.
Against the Utah Jazz in the Conference Semfinals, the Spurs continued to give every indication that they were a title contender. They just couldn't put away the defending conference champs. Utah won Game 1, 83-82, despite 33 points from Duncan. In Game 2, Utah prevailed 109-106 in overtime, and the Spurs' chances took a huge hit when Duncan sprained his ankle. San Antonio rebounded to win Game 3, but lost the series in five games.
--1998-99: The Championship Season
San Antonio struggled in the first month of the lockout-shortened season. But once the Spurs hit their stride, nobody could block their path to the franchise's first NBA title.
The Spurs clinched the championship on Avery Johnson's jumper with 47 seconds left in Game 5 of the Finals, giving San Antonio a 78-77 victory over the New York Knicks. Tim Duncan averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the series and was named Finals MVP.
Duncan's fellow Twin Tower, David Robinson, also made his presence known. The perennial All-Star, in his 10th season with the Spurs, averaged 16.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in the Finals as San Antonio became the first former ABA team to win the NBA title.
One of the most compelling story lines came to light after the season ended. Starting forward Sean Elliott revealed that he had played despite needing a kidney transplant. Elliott, who was battling a rare kidney disease, received the transplant Aug. 16. His brother Noel donated the kidney.
Elliott averaged 33.8 minutes in 17 playoff games and was responsible for the "Memorial Day Miracle." On that play, he tiptoed the sideline to stay inbounds before hitting a three-pointer with nine seconds left, lifting the Spurs to an 86-85 win over Portland in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
San Antonio's championship season had an inauspicious beginning as the Spurs went 6-8 in February. But the players eventually settled into a groove, and the team got a spark when veteran swingman Mario Elie joined the starting lineup. The Spurs went 31-5 after their slow start and they raced through the postseason with a 15-2 record.
Duncan was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second year in a row. He was the only NBA player to finish in the top 10 in scoring (21.7 ppg, sixth), rebounds (11.4 rpg, fifth), blocks (2.52, seventh) and field goal percentage (.495, 10th).
--2000-01: Spurs Compile League's Top Record
For the fourth time in franchise history San Antonio complied the NBA’s best overall record during the regular season sporting a 58-24 mark during the 2000-01 campaign. The Spurs posted the fourth best winning percentage (.707) in franchise history while on the way to capturing their 11th division title.
Tim Duncan led the league with 66 double-doubles for the third time in his four seasons. Duncan was also named to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-NBA Defensive Team for the third straight season, while finishing runner-up to Allen Iverson for MVP.
With an 86-79 victory over Houston on 12/19, Gregg Popoovich moved to the top of San Antonio’s all-time victory list, passing Doug Moe’s total of 177 wins as coach of the Spurs. Popovich also passed Moe for the most games as head coach of the Spurs with 360.
The 2000-01 Spurs featured a balanced inside-outside offensive attack and a stingy defense to rank at or near the top of the NBA in several statistical categories. The Spurs led the league in three categories and were among the top 12 in the NBA in several others. The Spurs finished first in the league in blocked shots (7.02), 3-point FG% (.407) and tied for first in defensive 3-point FG% (.329).
The 2000-01 season also marked the first time in franchise history San Antonio led the NBA in home attendance. The Spurs drew 913,175 fans to 41 regular season home games for an average of 22,273 fans per game. The Spurs did not disappoint their fans either, posting a 33-8 home record which was tied for tops in the league with Sacramento.
The Spurs made the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 years. The Spurs used their homecourt advantage to better the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1 in the first round and the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. San Antonio’s season was cut short by the L.A. Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
--2001-02: Duncan Enjoys MVP Season
San Antonio mustered another strong regular season, finishing with a 58-24 record, identical to the 2000-01 season.
Tim Duncan elevated his game even higher during the 2001-02 campaign, as the fifth year pro captured the league’s MVP award. Duncan finished fifth in the league in points, second in rebounding, tied for third in blocks and sixth in minutes. He led the Spurs in scoring 70 times and in rebounding 69 times while accounting for 26.3% of the team’s total points and 30.0% of the team’s total rebounds. Duncan also set a new career-high for points with 53 against the Dallas Mavericks on 12/26.
David Robinson made Spurs history when he slammed down his 19,384th point at 6:20 mark of the first quarter vs. Cleveland on 11/16. With that dunk Robinson became the Spurs all-time NBA scoring leader surpassing George Gervin. Robinson was not finished with his milestones yet. The Admiral scored his 20,000th point on 3/5 vs. Golden State. Robinson was the 27th player all-time and 10th center to reach that plateau.
Youth was served for San Antonio on 10/30 vs. the L.A. Clippers when 19-year old Tony Parker entered the game at the 8:26 mark to become the youngest player to appear in a game in franchise history. Parker’s tender age did not slow him down as the rookie earned starting duties on 11/6 vs. Orlando. His play earned him a trip to the ‘got milk?’ Rookie Challenge at All-Star weekend and a spot on the All-Rookie First Team.
The Spurs led the NBA in attendance for the second straight season as 906,390 fans passed through the doors of the Alamodome. Over 41 home dates San Antonio averaged 22,107 fans per game including a season-high 35,052 vs. Washington on 12/5. The 2001-02 campaign also marked the Spurs final season in the Alamodome, where they posted a 258-95 record.
San Antonio met an eager Seattle SuperSonics team in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals. Tony Parker continued his strong play in the playoffs as he almost doubled his season scoring average posting 17.2 points as the Spurs edged the Sonics 3-2. For the second year in a row, the Spurs had the Los Angeles Lakers end their season this time by a 4-1 margin.
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