FromWayDowntown
10-28-2008, 07:57 PM
I did this last year and thought it was worth updating in a new thread with some new information.
As the new season is underway -- and will be tomorrow for the Spurs -- it's interesting (to me, at least) to take a moment to understand just how good the Spurs have been during the Duncan era, particularly in terms that are relative to the rest of the NBA. I crunched a few numbers and found some stuff that I think shows that dominance.
1. We've all heard the annual stories about how good the Spurs are and how good they've been during the Duncan era -- best in professional sports and all of that. But what struck me was the fact that during that time, the Spurs' 615 wins are 58 wins better than anyone else in the NBA and almost 80 wins better than everyone but the Lakers:
Wins
615 -- SA
557 -- LAL
537 -- DAL
528 -- PNX
524 -- DET
512 -- UTH
2. Those 615 wins over 870 regular season games also makes the Spurs the only team in the league to have won more than 70% of its games during that era. What was surprising to me, a bit, was that no other franchise had won more than 64% of its games during that time and that only 4 other teams had won as many as 60% of their games during the corresponding stretch:
Winning Percentage
.707 -- SA
.640 -- LAL
.617 -- DAL
.607 -- PNX
.602 -- DET
.589 -- UTH
3. In the Duncan era, the Spurs are 101-59 in their 160 playoff games, a .631 winning percentage over that span. Thus, the Spurs winning percentage in playoff games in the Duncan era than the regular season winning percentage of all but one franchise in the league.
4. Unlike last year, the Spurs are now at or above .500 against every other franchise during the Duncan era -- something that (obviously) no other team can claim to be:
16-4 -- ATL
17-3 -- BOS
7-1 -- CHA
16-5 -- CHI
13-8 -- CLE
27-17 -- DAL
31-12 -- DEN
13-8 -- DET
34-7 -- GST
33-10 -- HOU
15-5 -- IND
36-5 -- LAC
22-20 -- LAL
34-9 -- MEM
15-5 -- MIA
10-10 -- MIL
27-15 -- MIN
15-5 -- NJN
21-7 -- NOH
14-6 -- NYK
16-5 -- ORL
14-7 -- PHIL
23-19 -- PNX
31-11 -- PRT
27-15 -- SAC
28-13 -- SEA
15-6 -- TOR
30-12 -- UTH
15-5 -- WAS
Certainly, this year will bring some change to these numbers, and the Spurs might come back to the pack a bit if the early season injury to Manu proves to be a major impediment early. But, if nothing else, the numbers remind me just how blessed I've been to be able to watch such great basketball teams perform at such high levels for so many years. These successes over such a long span of time can be rivaled only by the greatest of the greats. The thought that the little old San Antonio Spurs would ever be considered in such company was long an unreasonable belief, but now it is an absolute reality, no matter what else happens.
Here's to hoping the numbers keep improving and the legacy of this team and its players can be advanced still further into the annals of history by the end of the 08-09 season.
But if it isn't -- damn, it's been good to be a Spurs fan.
Enjoy 2008-09, Spurs fans.
5.
As the new season is underway -- and will be tomorrow for the Spurs -- it's interesting (to me, at least) to take a moment to understand just how good the Spurs have been during the Duncan era, particularly in terms that are relative to the rest of the NBA. I crunched a few numbers and found some stuff that I think shows that dominance.
1. We've all heard the annual stories about how good the Spurs are and how good they've been during the Duncan era -- best in professional sports and all of that. But what struck me was the fact that during that time, the Spurs' 615 wins are 58 wins better than anyone else in the NBA and almost 80 wins better than everyone but the Lakers:
Wins
615 -- SA
557 -- LAL
537 -- DAL
528 -- PNX
524 -- DET
512 -- UTH
2. Those 615 wins over 870 regular season games also makes the Spurs the only team in the league to have won more than 70% of its games during that era. What was surprising to me, a bit, was that no other franchise had won more than 64% of its games during that time and that only 4 other teams had won as many as 60% of their games during the corresponding stretch:
Winning Percentage
.707 -- SA
.640 -- LAL
.617 -- DAL
.607 -- PNX
.602 -- DET
.589 -- UTH
3. In the Duncan era, the Spurs are 101-59 in their 160 playoff games, a .631 winning percentage over that span. Thus, the Spurs winning percentage in playoff games in the Duncan era than the regular season winning percentage of all but one franchise in the league.
4. Unlike last year, the Spurs are now at or above .500 against every other franchise during the Duncan era -- something that (obviously) no other team can claim to be:
16-4 -- ATL
17-3 -- BOS
7-1 -- CHA
16-5 -- CHI
13-8 -- CLE
27-17 -- DAL
31-12 -- DEN
13-8 -- DET
34-7 -- GST
33-10 -- HOU
15-5 -- IND
36-5 -- LAC
22-20 -- LAL
34-9 -- MEM
15-5 -- MIA
10-10 -- MIL
27-15 -- MIN
15-5 -- NJN
21-7 -- NOH
14-6 -- NYK
16-5 -- ORL
14-7 -- PHIL
23-19 -- PNX
31-11 -- PRT
27-15 -- SAC
28-13 -- SEA
15-6 -- TOR
30-12 -- UTH
15-5 -- WAS
Certainly, this year will bring some change to these numbers, and the Spurs might come back to the pack a bit if the early season injury to Manu proves to be a major impediment early. But, if nothing else, the numbers remind me just how blessed I've been to be able to watch such great basketball teams perform at such high levels for so many years. These successes over such a long span of time can be rivaled only by the greatest of the greats. The thought that the little old San Antonio Spurs would ever be considered in such company was long an unreasonable belief, but now it is an absolute reality, no matter what else happens.
Here's to hoping the numbers keep improving and the legacy of this team and its players can be advanced still further into the annals of history by the end of the 08-09 season.
But if it isn't -- damn, it's been good to be a Spurs fan.
Enjoy 2008-09, Spurs fans.
5.