Since joining the NBA in 1976, the San Antonio Spurs have experienced ups and downs, ups and downs. Although the team has only been established for 50 years, it has also won 5 championships and has had a career spanning 20 years. In the peak years, entering the playoffs for 22 consecutive years once became a talking point among the old Americans.
They once called “death, taxes, and the Spurs making the playoffs” an unavoidable thing in life. But unfortunately, since GDP retired, this record has been broken. From the gate of the playoffs to the bottom of the league, the Spurs once again fell to the bottom.
The 2023 season has ended, and the Spurs tied with the Rockets with a record of 22 wins and 60 losses, becoming one of the league’s bottom three teams. In this way, each of them has a 14% chance of winning the No. 1 lottery. For the Spurs, it is undoubtedly another chance to turn around.
In history, the Spurs have had a few bad days, and each time brought good luck or hope to the team, and even made the team reach the pinnacle. As Spurs fans, we certainly hope that this time will be the same. With this draft, the Spurs have found themselves again.
1986-1987 season (28 wins and 54 losses)
That season, an aging Spurs team led by the likes of Alvin Robertson, Artis Gilmore and Walter Berry posted the third-worst (now fourth) record in franchise history.
28 wins and 54 losses ranked fourth from the bottom in the league that season. Only the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers were worse than the Spurs, but this did not affect the Spurs in the 1987 draft lottery. In the end, the Spurs selected David Robinson in the draft.
Although the admiral did not report to the Spurs immediately, this draft gave the Spurs hope for a rise. This is the first No. 1 pick in the history of the Spurs.
1988-1989 season (21 wins, 61 losses)
At the beginning of this season, the team’s head coach was replaced by Larry Brown, and the assistant coaches were Popovich and R.C. Buford, as well as Gentry. However, since David Robinson was selected and he went to the Navy to serve in the military, the Spurs did not change much this season. They only won 21 games throughout the season and scored 21-61.
However, the second-worst record in the team’s history did not bring the No. 1 pick to the Spurs this time, but only a third pick. Using this pick, the Spurs selected Sean Elio in the draft special.
But the whole team was not depressed by the record and the draft, because next season, David Robinson, whom everyone has been thinking about, will report to the team. In any case, this is an exciting thing.
1996-1997 season (20 wins and 62 losses)
After David Robinson joined the Spurs, he immediately improved his record from 21 wins and 61 losses in the previous year to 56 wins and 26 losses, setting a new record for the team’s greatest improvement in wins in NBA history. The team’s winning percentage has never been lower than 50%. In the 1994-95 season, they also achieved a good result of 62 wins and 20 losses.
But in the 96-97 season, the team suffered extensive injuries. Four players, including Robinson, missed most of the games due to various injuries. In the first six, Robinson only played 6 times.
The team’s record dropped from 59 wins and 23 losses in the previous season to a record-worst 20 wins and 62 losses. After playing 18 games, the management fired head coach Bob Hill and the team’s general manager Popovich Take the post of head coach himself.
However, at this time Popovich was not yet a god. He did not achieve a record of 14 wins and 47 losses until the end of the season. It’s the No. 1 lottery! With this pick, they selected in the draft the cornerstone of the team for the next 19 years – Tim Duncan, a dominant star player from Wake Forest University.
Before Duncan joined the Spurs, he once said a word to the people of the Holy City:
“Not much to say, I hope you are ready to win big and win big!”
Thinking about it now, this sentence is really arrogant! But he did lead the Spurs to start a glorious 20-year period.
Winning 36 games more than the previous season once again refreshed the record of the team winning the most in the history of the NBA; in his 19 seasons, the team all entered the playoffs and won the championship 5 times. The regular season average The winning rate reached an astonishing 71.1%!
In Duncan’s 19 years with the team, although he has also experienced troughs, no one has ever worried about anything, because as long as the great No. 21 is still there, the team, fans and local people are very confident.
A No. 1 pick allowed the Spurs to turn around and shine for two years. This is an astonishing feat in the small ball city of San Antonio. The mutual achievements between coaches and players have also become a good story in the Holy City.
This year, 22 wins and 60 losses are already the third-worst record in team history. We hope that this is another opportunity. I hope that the 14% probability of the No. 1 lottery can bring new hope to the Spurs. With the current configuration of the team, and Popovich, who is not sure that he will retire, it should not be a dream to start a new era of glory.
Comments