Duncan seemed pretty serious about wanting to repeat...

[Man of Steel]

I thoroughly enjoyed the celebration last night.

A few players may have just been exhausted--probably very little sleep since Thursday night may have been a bit much, so I would not read a lot into Horry and Butler's demeanor.

Especially significant to me was when Duncan spoke to his teammates and pretty much challenged them to win again next year.

Also interesting--that last demonstration by the players of their pre-game ritual of jumping and chanting--with Michael Finley leading the chant.

So proud of these players--first class people as well as first class players.

Jacque Vaughn said it best at the River Parade--

"Why not repeat next year."

Best wishes to all the Spurs fans on this fantastic website. I remember how we pulled our hair out at the FO for not doing more to upgrade the team both in pre-season and mid-season.

That seems eons ago.

Still--next season--after a few losses here and there--I guess we will all be back with our panic threads again.

Kori--truly magnificent job with this website.

Everybody have a great summer!

[MadDog73]

With 4 Championships, the only thing really missing is a repeat.

I don't know if players think about this sort of thing, but next year is the last year to get a repeat within 10 years of the 1999 Championship.

[nkdlunch]

what did he say?

[MadDog73]

I just remember Tim thanking the fans, and pointing at the trophies.

Then he said something like "It would be nice to have one more"; and if I recall correctly, pointed at his teamates, and then back at the trophy's, where a Fifth one would go.

Could someone back me up on that, or fill in details?

[Summers]

Yeah, it was like "You want another one?"

[spursfan09]

He said "wanna do it again?"

[medstudent]

Did he guarantee a repeat?

[td4mvp3]

i was actually wondering if this has been the longest drought between a repeat champ. 6-7 years since the laker threepeat, before that was the 2nd jordan era and then the rockets and then the first jordan era and then the pistons and then i'm not sure, but 6-7 years seems like a while for no repeater.

[duncan228]

Did he guarantee a repeat?

No. Not his style.
He said something along the lines of "You want another one?" to the team, not the audience.

If he comes into training camp in the shape he did last year our chances of a repeat are great.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Tony guaranteed the championship this year. So Tim needs to make a guarantee for next year.

[SsKSpurs21]

a repeat would certainly end all the, "spurs are not a dynasty because they cant repeat" BS. or Spurs are not true champs because they cant defend their title, nonsense.

[MannyIsGod]

What, did you think he didn't want to repeat?

[sanman53]

That's pretty encouraging that Timmy is already thinking 'repeat'. I knew Timmy would NOT let us lose this year, if he is pumped and already ready for next season, we'll be alright, the Larry trophy will stay in San Antonio.

I still do not want to think much about next year though. I am enjoying celebrating this championship. 4 is SWEET!

[gospursgooo]

Nobody can guarantee a repeat. As Popovich said, there are many factors (players stay healthy, etc.) and we were very lucky things going our way this year.

[CosmicCowboy]

Also interesting--that last demonstration by the players of their pre-game ritual of jumping and chanting--with Michael Finley leading the chant.

:lmao

That was a very sophisticated Spurs type joke that you obviously didn't get...

I'm pretty sure they were making fun of LeBron's "1,2,3, Championship!" chant...

[ShoogarBear]

Nobody can guarantee a repeat.
http://www.nba.com/history/images/p_riley.jpg

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

http://www.nba.com/history/images/p_riley.jpg


http://www.nba.com/encyclopedia/coaches/pat_riley_1987-88.html
Walking the Talk]
By Lyle Spencer
When Pat Riley guaranteed his Lakers would repeat as NBA champs in 1988, he was controversial, calculated and, most of all, prophetic

Before they had finished popping the champagne corks or had time to dry the bubbly residue from their smiling faces, the 1987 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were brought down to earth with one declarative sentence by their erudite coach.

“I guarantee you we will repeat as champions next year.”

Pat Riley said it, right there in the Forum dressing room that night of June 14, 1987, as his team was celebrating its six-game conquest of arch-enemy Boston in the Finals. No NBA team had repeated as champions in 18 years. Not the great Celtics teams of John Havlicek or Larry Bird; not the mesmerizing Knick teams of Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe or even the fabulous Sixers teams of Julius Erving and Moses Malone. But, in the euphoria of the moment, Riley made his promise.

Talk about putting a damper on a good party.

“We hated it when he said it the first time,” Magic Johnson recalled. “We felt like we couldn’t really enjoy what we’d just won.” :lol

Months passed, a new season started, and Riley’s bold proclamation remained about as popular with the troops as a three-hour practice on an off day in the Big Apple.

“He’d sent us the letter he always sent over the summer,” Johnson said, “and it was the same thing: The pressure’s on. He talked about how nobody has repeated since the Celtics in ’69 and this was our chance to separate ourselves from everybody, to become known as one of the all-time great teams. It was like, ‘Dang, what’s he doing to us? Why can’t he let us feel good about this before focusing in on next season?'”

Riley, a calculating man who rarely does anything without a purpose, wasn’t whistling in the dark. The guarantee was born of reflection, not emotion.

“I know a lot of people thought I was saying it in jest at the time,” he said. “What happened was, I looked back and read articles about the common denominator in why teams couldn’t win it again. What I found was that coaches, players, management, everyone connected to the organization would not take responsibility. They’d say, ‘We can do it if we’re healthy, if we’re unselfish,’ and so on. They were rationalizing, giving themselves a crutch to fail.

“I didn’t want to do that. So I knew exactly what I was going to say when they put the microphone in front of me in the dressing room that night. It was premeditated.”

Having dropped his bomb in the afterglow of victory, Riley repeated his words at the parade in downtown Los Angeles the following day, just in case anybody missed it.

The players rolled their eyes with expression that said, “Why is that crazy Riley doing this to us?”


-------

There's more to the article, good read. Coach Pop's style as a championship coach is way different, though. Not worse, or better, just different. Hence the, "I don't give a shit. "

Anyway, if the Spurs want to seize the moment. It's now. I think they've learned and are wiser now than the 2006 Spurs org that was looking to repeat, because after 2005, that was the first REAL focus or talks about possibly repeating from players, the offseason moves with Finley, etc. Yet we made it a lot tougher. You could see how smart Pop was after the 2006 failing season, and how he adjusted his 2007 regular season regarding minutes and back to back games, etc. Notice how Horry was well rested and spry this year for rebounds blocks. And Manu mentioned not feeling tired in the playoffs unlike the 2005, 2006 playoffs, despite having played in the offseason of '06.