Your favorite NON Championship Spurs Team

[Tacker]

No one liked the 2001 team?

[mexicanjunior]

2006: I thought that team had the best chance to repeat and they just ran into a red hot Mavs team that made every big shot. Also, we were jobbed by the refs in a few of those games...

[ElNono]

2006: I thought that team had the best chance to repeat and they just ran into a red hot mavs team that made every big shot. Also, we were jobbed by the refs in a few of those games...

+1

[FromWayDowntown]

For whatever reason, I'll always have fond-ish memories of the 2006 team. I went to Sacramento to see Game 3 of that first round series -- Martin won it at the buzzer on a layup after Artest mugged Manu -- and remember the Spurs just scratching and clawing all night to stay in the game. I also went to Dallas to see Game 3 of that series -- the Joey Crawford fouled out Timmy when Dirk stepped on Timmy's foot game -- and remember the Spurs just scrambling all night and still finding a way to play well enough to win.

That 2006 team brought a lot of memories -- the Barry Bounce in Game 2 against SAC, following closely on the heels of a Game 1 blowout; the heart-stopping moments that were Games 1, 3, 5, and 7 against Dallas; Manu's bomb to cap a Game 7 comeback; Manu's foul to end the Game 7 comeback; Timmy's 41/15/6 masterpiece in Game 7; Dirk's remarkable series against the Spurs; the seemingly-unstoppable Bonzi Wells.

For all of that, I've always had fond memories of the 2002 team, if only because that group marked the change in Spurs basketball under Popovich. After the debacle of the 2001 WCF, Pop got rid of a lot of dead weight and went out to find a bunch of tough-minded compe ors to fill the gaps. What made me love the 2002 team was that everytime it would have been easy for that group to hang their heads and quit, they found the resolve to push on and try to find ways to win. When they had to play Game 4 in Seattle without Duncan and Robinson -- when they had to rely on Cherokee Parks to play 25 minutes in a playoff game -- they hung around all night with a Sonics team that had to win that game. That team was Tony Parker refusing to give in to Gary Payton and Malik Rose being mini-Tim Duncan. When they went back to LA in Round 2, at a point in time when all of the demons of the year before could have come back to roost, they just put their heads down and played their guts out. They weren't good enough at that point to actually beat LA in a series, but they were close in every game in LA and eeked out a Game 2 win (and very nearly got a Game 4 win at home), which I still think carried over to the next year's series. I think I've always appreciated that relatively-untalented team for ushering in what has become the 2003-2009 Spurs and for revamping the mentality of Spurs basketball.

[SpursFanInAustin]

For whatever reason, I'll always have fond-ish memories of the 2006 team. I went to Sacramento to see Game 3 of that first round series -- Martin won it at the buzzer on a layup after Artest mugged Manu -- and remember the Spurs just scratching and clawing all night to stay in the game. I also went to Dallas to see Game 3 of that series -- the Joey Crawford fouled out Timmy when Dirk stepped on Timmy's foot game -- and remember the Spurs just scrambling all night and still finding a way to play well enough to win.

That 2006 team brought a lot of memories -- the Barry Bounce in Game 2 against SAC, following closely on the heels of a Game 1 blowout; the heart-stopping moments that were Games 1, 3, 5, and 7 against Dallas; Manu's bomb to cap a Game 7 comeback; Manu's foul to end the Game 7 comeback; Timmy's 41/15/6 masterpiece in Game 7; Dirk's remarkable series against the Spurs; the seemingly-unstoppable Bonzi Wells.

For all of that, I've always had fond memories of the 2002 team, if only because that group marked the change in Spurs basketball under Popovich. After the debacle of the 2001 WCF, Pop got rid of a lot of dead weight and went out to find a bunch of tough-minded compe ors to fill the gaps. What made me love the 2002 team was that everytime it would have been easy for that group to hang their heads and quit, they found the resolve to push on and try to find ways to win. When they had to play Game 4 in Seattle without Duncan and Robinson -- when they had to rely on Cherokee Parks to play 25 minutes in a playoff game -- they hung around all night with a Sonics team that had to win that game. That team was Tony Parker refusing to give in to Gary Payton and Malik Rose being mini-Tim Duncan. When they went back to LA in Round 2, at a point in time when all of the demons of the year before could have come back to roost, they just put their heads down and played their guts out. They weren't good enough at that point to actually beat LA in a series, but they were close in every game in LA and eeked out a Game 2 win (and very nearly got a Game 4 win at home), which I still think carried over to the next year's series. I think I've always appreciated that relatively-untalented team for ushering in what has become the 2003-2009 Spurs and for revamping the mentality of Spurs basketball.

Totally agree. The 2002 team was my favorite because that's the year that transitioned from being the David, Sean, and AJ Spurs to Tim, Tony, Bruce Spurs. Duncan by far had his best season of his career that year which IMO is why he deserved the MVP that year over Kidd (and not saying that because I'm a Spurs fan). He averaged the most points of his career, led the NBA in double-doubles and shot 80% from the line!! He carried our team to the same identical record as the year before with a new and less talented supporting cast from 01. I mean Steve Smith was our best perimeter player in 02 for Pete's Sakes!! Watching a 19 yr old Parker torch Payton in round 1 (who Payton was considered one of the best PGs in the NBA at the time) was awesome to watch, and the heart they played with against a much superior Laker team was enjoyable as well, despite the series loss. It made me excited that the Spurs were going to eventually knock off LA the next year, and also going to have many great years ahead of them to contend for the le. Duncan went out fighting in the elimination game vs. the Lakers with 34 pts and 25 boards despite being saddled in foul trouble all game. 2002 is by far my favorite since 2000.

1. 2002
2. 2008
3. 2004
4. 2006
5. 2001
6. 2000

[BUMP]

2006 team was badass.

With Amare hurt, Detroit decling, and the Lakers sucking, the league was down that year and wouldve been your best shot at repeating.

[Tacker]

2006 team was badass.

With Amare hurt, Detroit decling, and the Lakers sucking, the league was down that year and wouldve been your best shot at repeating.

Sucks you guys had to blow it for them, at least win the championship so the Spurs could feel good that they lost to a quality team.

[sonic21]

2006
our 3 stars were injured and they were still very close to win it all.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Well, it's outside the "post-2000" requirement, but David's rookie year. That team was awesome. I still remember the Rod Strickland pass, and that series with the Blazers...

Arrgh! That team was awesome. Stupid behind the head pass from Rod Strickland and Spurs lost 7 point lead in last two minutes.

[baseline bum]

For all of that, I've always had fond memories of the 2002 team, if only because that group marked the change in Spurs basketball under Popovich. After the debacle of the 2001 WCF, Pop got rid of a lot of dead weight and went out to find a bunch of tough-minded compe ors to fill the gaps. What made me love the 2002 team was that everytime it would have been easy for that group to hang their heads and quit, they found the resolve to push on and try to find ways to win. When they had to play Game 4 in Seattle without Duncan and Robinson -- when they had to rely on Cherokee Parks to play 25 minutes in a playoff game -- they hung around all night with a Sonics team that had to win that game. That team was Tony Parker refusing to give in to Gary Payton and Malik Rose being mini-Tim Duncan. When they went back to LA in Round 2, at a point in time when all of the demons of the year before could have come back to roost, they just put their heads down and played their guts out. They weren't good enough at that point to actually beat LA in a series, but they were close in every game in LA and eeked out a Game 2 win (and very nearly got a Game 4 win at home), which I still think carried over to the next year's series. I think I've always appreciated that relatively-untalented team for ushering in what has become the 2003-2009 Spurs and for revamping the mentality of Spurs basketball.

Yeah, I loved that 2002 team. One of my favorite Spurs games of all-time was when they went into Washington and Charles Smith (Spider, not the former Knick) destroyed Jordan on national TV. I loved the effort against LA too. The Lakers were a of a team, and proved it by taking the Spurs out in 5, but watching that series I got the exact same feeling watching the Utah series in '98. The Spurs were incredibly close to taking those first two in SLC and then mopped the floor with the Jazz in game 3. Even though it looked bad going out in 5, it just felt like the team made huge progress and was going to be ready to bust out the gates the next year (both times).

Bowen was another reason I loved that team. I hated the Bowen signing that summer, but by a few games into the season he was one of my favorite players in franchise history with the way he could check all the top scorers and prevent them from having the career nights they regularly dropped on Derek Anderson the year before.