As we are beginning to see the unraveling of the great Detroit Pistons team that has battled its way to the Eastern Conference Finals for the past four seasons, it?s more important to take notice of how there has been one team that has been able to sustain its continued dominance over a span of nearly two decades: the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have incredibly only missed the playoffs once since the 1989-90 NBA season, which only occurred as a result of losing star center David Robinson for the season after only six games in 1996-97. They finished the season a franchise-worst 20-62 and ended up with the third-worst record in the league. Luckily for them, this injury to their marquee player couldn?t have come at a better time.They landed the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, which happened to be the number-one consensus All-American standout Tim Duncan, out of Wake Forest University. Since his arrival, the Spurs have won a minimum of 53 games per season and taken home three NBA championships (including the strike-shortened season of 1999, in which the Spurs eventually won the NBA title after a 37-13 regular season and 11-1 postseason). Along the way, they have added key components to their squad with late-round sleeper picks including Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in 1999 and Tony Parker with the 28th pick in 2001. The Spurs ability to stick with its core players, rather than chase the premier free agent on the market, has enabled them to build a winning ball club each year.What makes this sustained excellence more incredible is their ability to cycle key role players in and out of their lineup year-in and year-out. They currently have all three of their superstars in the middle of their prime, Duncan (30), Ginobili (28), and Parker (24) signed through the 2010 season, and all at reasonable contracts that allow for maximum cap flexibility. This masterpiece has been painted by super-GM R.C. Buford, who in his four years at the helm of the franchise has four playoff appearances, three division titles, and two world championships. His ability to lock up his core players long-term has separated the Spurs from the rest of the league. More importantly, his ingenuity to acquire key components that fit perfectly into head coach Gregg Popovich?s scheme has been flawless. From Stephen Jackson to Malik Rose, from Robert Horry to Nazr Mohammad, from Bruce Bowen to Brent Barry, the Spurs have complimented their original draft gems with role players who have fit into the system perfectly and helped produce multiple championships over a sustained period of time.Conversely, their adversary of the 2005 NBA Finals is now slowly losing its grip on duplicating a Spurs-like dynasty out East. While the Pistons established arguably one of the strongest starting five the league has ever seen, it is now facing the loss of its heart and soul, defensive menace Ben Wallace and floor general Chauncey Billups, in consecutive seasons. Detroit GM Joe Dumars? recent inability to negotiate reasonable contract extensions has seen Wallace spurn the team for the rival and hated Chicago Bulls, while it appears now that Billups might also seek greener pastures this off-season by opting out of his midlevel-valued contract in attempt to land a maximum deal. The only way to retain Billups at the end of this season will be if Dumars steps to the plate with a maximum deal, which will bring the aging Pistons face-to-face with the luxury tax threshold, with extremely limited flexibility to improve in the near future.The Spurs, on the other hand, have avoided offering long-term lavish deals to its departing role players like free agent Nazr Mohammad and traded Rasho Nesterovic. Rather than pay Mohammad $30M for the next five years (Detroit), and Nesterovic $23.5M for the next three (Toronto), the Spurs chose to stick it out with original draft pick Fabricio Oberto, 21-yr-old free agent prospect Jackie Butler, and free agent Francisco Elson, all for the next two years at a combined $16M (with Butler having a third year approaching $3M). It is this financial substitution that allows the Spurs to stay competitive year after year, while maintaining the quality and core of his team.Despite the revolving door locker room around centerpieces Duncan, Ginobili and Parker, the Spurs continue to find ways to win. Their victory over the Knicks at a raucous Madison Square Garden on the second night of back-to-back road games was a prime example of their professionalism and winning experience. They dominated the entire game, led by as many as 23, yielded a Knick comeback that shrunk their lead down to one due to their lack of interest in the game, and ultimately persevered to win by 12 points. Their ability to flip the switch from lackadaisical boredom into utter supremacy and unyielding confidence is something very few teams have been able to produce over extended periods of time. The Spurs have been the best NBA team when it comes to sustaining excellence over the past decade, and it appears certain it will continue for at least another four years.Awesome
I am just so thrilled as a Spurs fan to see that the Spurs are having a good season while teams such as Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, and Detroit are all suffering a little bit. It shows that the Spurs arent finished yet and that they are still a VERY good contender for the championship. Hell, if I had to bet on anybody, I would pick the Spurs to win it all.
