Spurs, and maybe Tim Duncan, leave notable legacy in defeat
The run is over for a San Antonio Spurs team that, a few weeks ago, looked destined to meet the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals.
The Spurs became the fourth team to win at least 65 games but fail to win an NBA title. They joined the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks as the only ones to win at least 65 and not reach the conference finals. San Antonio’s 67 wins are tied for second-most among teams that didn’t make the NBA Finals, trailing only the 1972-73 Boston Celtics, who lost to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals after a 68-win season.
The highlight stat for the Spurs this season was their 40-1 home record during the regular season. But they went 3-2 at home in the postseason, losing twice in three games against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Duncan’s farewell
Tim Duncan may contemplate retirement after a 19-season career. He’s one of three players to spend at least 19 seasons with one franchise, along with John Stockton (19) and Kobe Bryant (20).
Duncan is one of three players to win 1,000 regular-season games, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish, and his .719 winning percentage is considerably better than Abdul-Jabbar’s (.688) and Parish’s (.629).
Duncan is the second player in NBA history to win an NBA title in three different decades, along with John Salley. He has won five titles overall (the Spurs’ five championships rank fourth all-time). The Spurs have posted a .600 winning percentage in all 19 seasons of Duncan’s career. It’s the longest such streak in NBA history. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Duncan’s 15 years between his first and last title is the second-longest span in NBA history, trailing only Abdul-Jabbar’s 17 years.
Duncan ranks 14th all-time in points scored, sixth in rebounds and fifth in blocked shots. In postseason play, he ranks sixth in points, third in rebounds and first in blocked shots.
Duncan did give it his best effort going out. He scored 19 points in Game 6, two more than he totaled in the first five games of the series.
A little perspective: When Duncan entered the NBA, Kawhi Leonard was 6 years old and LeBron James was in seventh grade.
Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili rate as one of the game’s elite “big three” combinations. Elias notes that they’ve won 575 regular-season games and 126 postseason games, the most of any trio in both categories.
