FanPost

Why the spurs have never won successive championships

The San Antonio Spurs just beat the defending champs in a historic fashion. At times, it seemed as if they completely outclassed their opponent. However, to many, that carries no weight into next season. The consensus among many NBA fans is that the Spurs have a very little shot at winning the title next year. Their case for this statement is more ridiculous than the idea itself. The claim is that since the Spurs, as an organization, have never repeated after their four previous titles, they are incapable of ever repeating again. End of story. While pointing out the flaws in that statement would be too easy, I decided to take a closer look on just why we have never completed a successful repeat and what differentiates the past, to this upcoming season.

Our first taste of glory came in the 1998-1999 postseason. Fresh off of a lockout shortened season, the spurs trumped the Knicks in a five game series. At the time, our roster was looking very good and it seemed as if we could possibly continue our reign. In the 99' offseason, the core of our team had stayed the same. Our late first round draft pick had been traded away for a foreign asset and a draft pick in the following year. Our second round draft pick was stashed away and allowed to continue to wreak havoc on the euroleague. Even without major pickups, the idea of competing for a title was not lost. We still had our secret weapon. The quiet islander who had a knack for the game. Surely we would be able to achieve greatness the exact same way we did the previous year. However, our title dreams were shot down when Tim Duncan tore his lateral meniscus. Gregg Popovich made the tough decision of sidelining him for the rest of the playoffs despite Duncan's eagerness to play. In the first round, the spurs only stole one game away from the phoenix suns. Who, in turn, went on to lose in the conference semis against Phil Jackson's newly acquired Lakers. Armed with Shaq and Kobe, the Lakers would go on to win their first title since '88 -and begin their campaign for two more.

The 2002-03 season was a very special one for spurs fans. It was only our second title, but we were able to send off our beloved big man, David Robinson, out with a bang. Although his usage had dwindled, he played a key role in the final game against the nets. His presence on the court, and the locker room, would surely be missed. We also lost a lot more during that offseason. We had holes to fill with the retirement of Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry. In addition, Stephen Jackson and Speedy Claxton also donned new uniforms. The Spurs were forced to play with nine new players during the '03-'04 season. We shook off a slow start and began to look like we could possibly repeat. We marched into the postseason with one of the top records in the league and on an eleven game winning streak. All was looking good for the Spurs until the second round of the playoffs. We had garnered a commanding 2-0 lead against the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the spurs went on drop the next two games in enemy waters. It looked as if we had regained control of the series when Duncan delivered a dagger leaving 0.4 seconds left on the shot clock. Then Derek Fisher happened. We would never recover in that series.

After that daunting loss, the spurs spent little time dwelling on what could have happened. In the off season, they acquired Nazr Mohammed to match with the trade for Glenn Robinson. San Antonio's roster was shaping out well with the continual improvement of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Their run to the 2005 NBA Championship was met with little reluctance. It seemed, now more than ever, that we would be in prime position to repeat. We marched straight into the playoffs the following year. Our greatest test then was against the Dallas Mavericks. Throughout the series, the momentum shifted from one team to the other until they finally met in game 7. Dirk Nowitzki and his Mavs had previously proven in prior games that they were not a team to be taken lightly. Some might call them a Championship Caliber team. The game wavered from side to side and eventually ended up coming down to the very last possessions of the fourth quarter. With 32.2 seconds left, and the spurs up by 3, the most important thing would be to not give up a three pointer. Anything inside the arc would be recoverable at the free throw line. The play, initially, was defended very well. As it developed, no one switched off their man easily and an attempt at denying Dirk in the post was made. He did end up getting the ball, but it looked like they were going for the quick two points. He bullied his way into the lane and made a quick drive to the rim. An honorable effort was made in containing the future Hall of Famer but he had garnered the position for an easy basket. A score would mean the spurs would have possession and be leading by one point. However, while the play was dwindling, Manu Ginobili made a dash to the basket and committed a foul on Dirk. Overtime. All went downhill after the fourth. The Mavericks made a heroic rally and eventually went on to win the game.

The 2007 Championship was a hard fought journey. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony were not even the pinnacle of our run to the finals. Our most tedious battle was against the Phoenix Suns. Accusations, knees, and elbows were in the air. This series truly tested our team and some would say it even prepared us for the "weaker" Cleveland Cavaliers -who we would go on to sweep-. The following season was filled with big moves that did not include the spurs. We did, well into the season, swindle the supersonics into giving us Kurt Thomas for Francisco Elson. Other than that trade, in typical spurs fashion, not much was done to the team. On the west coast, plenty of things were changing for the Lakers. With the retirement of Phil Jackson, things were looking dismal in the City of Angels. Kobe Bryant was not fazed though. He put together his candidacy for the MVP award. In typical Lakers fashion, they were able to bring Pau Gasol in a midseason trade. The Spurs only got older while the Lakers improved their already stacked roster. When the two teams met in the playoffs, the spurs were easily handled. This was the first time a title repeat loss can be attributed to the failure of the spurs team as a whole. This, to some, proves to be foreshadowing for the upcoming season since in both offseasons, the spurs failed to improve on their team. However, there are key differences in the 2008 off season and in the 2014 off season.

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This year, we did not land Lebron James. We did not land Carmelo Anthony. We did not land Pau Gasol. Spurs fans have come to understand that most free agency rumors are just rumors. Very few turn into reality when it comes to this team. That does not stop us from dreaming, it just makes the signings just hurt a little less. The Spurs Organization does most of their damage in the draft. This is where most of the excitement comes from. We all post speculation on what we could see in 5 years after our draft picks have matured overseas. This year is a little different. We were put into the position to draft someone who was not expected to drop as for as he did. The Spurs scouting department had rated him so far out of our reach, we did not think to bring him over for a pre-draft workout. The same scouting department advised an aggressive draft day trade for the number 15 pick in the 2011 draft. This could very well mean little in the long run, but the potential is there.

Kyle Anderson is heralded as the perfect pick for the Spurs. Average Joes claim the reason is because he is slow. This is far from the reason why. Kyle Anderson is the right pick for the spurs because of his passing ability, catch and shoot numbers, and feel for the game. He has drawn comparisons to Boris Diaw -prepare to hear that all year-. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect about Kyle Anderson is that its apparent that we are not going to stash him away. Unlike Thomas, Denmon, Bertans, Jean-Charles, Hanga, Richards and so many others, Kyle Anderson is looking like he could potentially be on the rotation this year. Even if he started the year in the D-League, this would be something we haven't seen in a while.

The excitement doesn't end with Anderson. Bryce Cotton has dazzled at the LVSL. He is looking to claim his stake as the third string point guard behind Corey Joseph while Mills is recovering. He is looking to add to the already stacked point guard position on the Spurs. While he is the last of our draft picks, he isn't the last to be excited about. Although he has been severely inefficient in the Summer League, Austin Daye is trying to mold himself into a consistent backup power forward. We saw a sneak peek earlier in the year of what he can do when he gets hot. Against the 76'ers, Daye put up a remarkable 22 points off of 6 threes in limited minutes. This is the peak player the spurs are hoping he can become. Jeff Ayers is also looking to improve on his average game this summer. It looks like both Daye and Ayers were given the green light by the coaching staff. They are both projects that can be defined as LowRisk/HighReward.

And the excitement continues to come. Aron Baynes may or may not be joining the team next year. This means there is a potential slot at the end of the bench. Which is great because there are plenty of players on our summer league roster that would love to be there. Whether it be the endless steam engine that is JaMychal Green, or the scoring that Deshaun Thomas and Marcus Denmon can bring, the Spurs are still in good position if Baynes isn't on board in November. Even with all these roster changes, the spurs have not changed. We still maintained the core unit that got us to the Finals. Tim, Manu, and Parker aging may be a bad thing, but the rest of the roster have all gained valuable experience. They will continue to improve on their game so the Big Three do not have to shoulder the bulk of the load.

The undoubtedly most intoxicating part of next season is the Superhero of the franchise. Every year, Kawhi Leonard finds something to improve on. His ever expanding game is becoming a problem for opposing teams. His confidence is raising and in turn, his production. Talks have already culminated about what kind of money he will be offered. It is generally accepted that this man be locked up for as long as possible as to not even give him a chance to talk to the likes of Marc Cuban. The older the Big Three get, the more Kawhi will have the ball in his hands. Tell the NBA to be weary. He will lock down your Star and embarrass him on the next possession while keeping a bored expression on his face. He is the main reason our chances of repeating are so high. He gives us hope that over the 82 game season, he will develop into the star we have seen flashes of.

In 2008, the spurs did not have this type of talent. They did not have a group of guys that pair so well with each other like they have now. Hopefully, the Spurs have a successful, healthy season. I have never before been so certain of a championship. Last year we won the Title in a historic fashion. We beat down the defending champions like they were a fringe playoff team. Their dissipation only makes the Easter Conference look weaker than it is. It almost seems like whoever makes it out of the Western Conference should be given the Title immediately. Making the playoffs in the West alone is an accomplishment worth noting. But I know the Spurs are ready to give the west hell. We are in position to make franchise history and I am overly confident in our ability to repeat.

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