The GREATEST Version of the San Antonio Spurs

The GREATEST Version of the San Antonio Spurs

on June 18th 2013 with 28.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter of game six of the NBA Finals Manu job approached the free throw line hoping to increase the four-point Spurs lead to a six-point lead putting the game virtually Out Of Reach job a career 82.7% free throw shooter missed the first free throw and made the second to move the Spurs lead to Five Points after a quick timeout the heat drw up a play to try and get an open look from three and here’s what happened if you’re going to give help you give help off of wage you don’t come off another three-point shooter James catches fires a three way off rebound kick still loose picked up by Miller back out to James another three after the LeBron three-pointer and a Spurs timeout and just 19.4 seconds left on the game clock the heat quickly fouled second-year player Kawhi Leonard who shot 82.5 5% from the free throw line that year Kawai approached the free throw line hoping to increase the two-point lead to Four Points putting this game seemingly Out Of Reach 82% from the [Music] line Kawai missed the first free throw and made the second to move the Spurs lead to just three points and I’m sure you know the rest just attack the basket James catches puts up a three W go rebound Bosch back out to Allen his three-pointer B tie game with 5 seconds remaining Spurs do not have a timeout the Spurs were seconds away from capturing the title but two missed free throws two Miami offensive rebounds and two three-pointers led to the heat stealing game six and eventually the Larry O’Brien trophy just one year later the two teams would meet again in the finals the heat were making their fourth consecutive finals appearance and were chasing a three repeat for the Spurs they were out for Revenge but let’s go back from their first championship in 1999 the San Antonio Spurs were a force to be reckoned with year after year they were ring contenders capturing three more through the early 2000s but the 2014 Spurs were far removed from their last championship in fact it was 7 years prior when they were crowned the 2007 NBA champions as they swept a 23-year-old LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers while that Spurs team in 2014 were far from the championship years of the 2000s there were some familiar faces that remained well four in particular Tim Duncan who turned 38 That season mono job who was nearly 37 Tony Parker who was witnessing the final years of his Prime and of course all-time great coach Greg papovich entering the 201314 season the Spurs would be moving towards their final championship opportunity for at least another decade following the 2013 season and that heartbreaking finals loss some questioned how much monu jobi had left in the tank Tim Duncan had just finished a great season at 37 years old and made the all NBA first team in honor Duncan hadn’t received since 2007 virgin no 2013 marked a major drop statistically shooting a 10% lower field goal percentage than the year prior but the Spurs clearly still believed in their veteran sixthman that summer jobi chose not to play for his home country Argentina in the FBA tournament something he had done throughout his career but he explained that he wanted to get better and felt that his Effectiveness was limited by his health in the 2013 finals he signed that summer for 2 years at 7.25 million a year taking just about half of his previous salary the Spurs signed Marco bellelli in the summer of 2013 to a 2-year deal banelli would go on to provide key minutes averaging over 25 minutes per game with 11.4 points per game but other than signing Marco banelli the Spurs roster going into the 20134 season looked very similar to the year prior with a familiar roster Greg papovich brought his team to the Air Force Academy where they held training camp in col Colorado Springs at over 7,000 ft of elevation coach papovich hoped to instill military themes of discipline in an isolated setting that off season while the roster changes were minimal the Spurs looked different in other ways as a unit the Spurs defined team basketball they would go on to lead the league in team assists with 25.2 per game no one on the Spurs roster averaged more than 29 minutes per game their leading scorer Tony Parker only scored 16.7 points per game while nine of their players averaged at least eight points per game players understood and executed their roles on the team and it showed the Spurs spent the regular season dominating teams leading the league in margin of victory at 7.72 points and ended the season with 62 wins and the best record in the entire NBA as a part of understanding their roles kawh Leonard who was playing in his third season was developing into the defensive Game Changer that he would be known as for years to come that season he ranked sixth in defensive rating and fourth in defensive box plus minus he recorded 1.7 steals per game and made the all defensive second team Kawai would be huge for the Spurs come playoff time the Spurs faced arguably their toughest challenge in the first round against the eighth seated Dallas Mavericks the Mavericks were now a few years removed from that Championship back in 2011 and after immediate mediocre season arrived in San Antonio with ill intentions Monte Ellis Durk novitzki and Vince Carter led the Mavericks to a 3-2 lead going into game six but the Spurs would take the next two games by four points and by six points just sneaking out of the first round in the second round the Spurs would see the Portland Trailblazers led by LaMarcus Aldridge and a sophomore Damen Lillard ultimately the Spurs would move on easily after five games the Western Conference Final featured the number one seed San Antonio Spurs and the number two seed Oklahoma City Thunder the Thunder were coming off an amazing season of their own where they captured 59 wins including three regular season wins against the Spurs Kevin Durant was 25 years old and had just won his first MVP in convincing fashion averaging 32 points 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists Russell Westbrook completed the dynamic duo and they were supported by pieces like sergy baka and Reggie Jackson the Spurs won the first two games at home followed by the Thunders two wins in Oklahoma City but in game five and six the Spurs would seal their finals fate taking both games about a year after Ray Allen’s historical shot the Spurs were back in the NBA finals and game one was full of drama to set the stage the air conditioning in the AT&T Center was malfunctioning leaving the court temperature at around 90° for much of the game the effect of the malfunction was evident but more than fans feeling the effect the temperature was clearly getting to the players the game featured 13 lead changes but in the fourth quarter things would take a turn the quarter started with the heat up by four points but the Spurs would begin the first 8 minutes outscoring the heat 20 to 10 including three Danny Green three-pointers at that point the heat of the Arena became too much for Lebron after scoring a layup and cutting the deficit to just two points LeBron requested to be taken out of the game due to severe cramping his teammates coming to carry him off the court and the Spurs took full advantage of the LeBron’s heat they shot 14 for 16 in the fourth quarter and outscored Miami 36-1 17 San anonio Spurs take game one of the 2014 NBA Finals by game two the temperature control issue was resolved and Miami came to play game two featured s teen lead changes and was competitive from start to finish but this time the heat would come out on top to even the series after a two-point Victory heat and that’s the ball game the Miami Heat even the series but that win would represent the last victory of the Miami Heat season San Antonio outscored Miami 322 to 265 in the next three games the San Antonio Spurs were again NBA champions the Spurs were on a mission in 2014 a mission to return to the NBA finals and this time take the trophy home that specific 2014 Spurs team style of play was simply beautiful movement passing cutting a constant motion of teamwork that consistently led to an open shot their offensive cohesiveness coupled with their unyielding team defense was the realization of a coach’s dream in the finals the Spurs elevated their game to an even higher level almost 33% of the shots they took in that finals were from the three-point line they also made 472 more passes than the Miami Heat they absolutely dominated Miami in the finals in almost every statistical category including field goal percentage three-point percentage assists rebounds and free throws the San Antonio Spurs dominance That season earned them a reputation as one of the alltime great teams Chris Bosch described this as the best B the Spurs as the best basketball team he’s ever played against how would you characterize what you ran into in the finals I would agree they were a much better team and that’s how team basketball should be played selfless guys move cut pass you got a shot you take it but it’s all for the team and it’s never about the individual and that’s how team basketball should be played the real question is is that 2014 San Antonio Spurs the best version of the Spurs to ever grace the court and how do they match up against other alltime teams let us know what you think in the comments and please subscribe and thanks for watching sports Pantheon

The Spurs were seconds away from capturing the title. But two missed free-throws, two Miami offensive rebounds, and 2 three pointers, led to the Heat to stealing game 6 and eventually, the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
One year later, the two teams would meet again in the Finals. The Heat were making their fourth consecutive finals appearance and were chasing a three-peat. For the Spurs, they were out for revenge. Let’s go back.

00:00 Introduction
02:16 The Other Big Three
03:13 Same Roster Different Roles
05:48 Playoff Run
07:11 Finals Revenge