| 1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Gregg Popovich | ||
| President | Gregg Popovich (vice) | ||
| General manager | Gregg Popovich | ||
| Owner | Peter Holt | ||
| Arena | Alamodome | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 56–26 (.683) | ||
| Place | Division: 2nd (Midwest) Conference: 5th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost toJazz 1–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | KSAT-TV KRRT Fox Sports Southwest | ||
| Radio | WOAI | ||
| |||
The1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season was the 22nd season for theSan Antonio Spurs in theNational Basketball Association, and their 31st season as a franchise.[1] This season is most memorable when the Spurs selected power forwardTim Duncan out ofWake Forest University with the first overall pick in the1997 NBA draft.[2][3][4] After finishing with the third-worst record in 1996–97, the Spurs won theNBA draft lottery, dubbed as the "Tim Duncan Sweepstakes".[5][6] During the off-season, the team signed free agents, three-point specialistJaren Jackson, and second-year forwardMalik Rose.[7]
The Spurs got off to a mediocre 10–10 start to the regular season, but then won 17 of their next 19 games, and held a 34–14 record at the All-Star break.[8] Despite losingSean Elliott for the remainder of the season to a knee injury after 36 games,[9][10][11] the Spurs finished in second place in theMidwest Division with a 56–26 record, earned the fifth seed in theWestern Conference, and returned to theNBA playoffs after a one-year absence.[12] The Spurs had the second best team defensive rating in the NBA.[13]
Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named theNBA Rookie of the Year,[14][15][16] and was also named to theAll-NBA First Team, and to theNBA All-Rookie First Team, whileDavid Robinson averaged 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and was named to theAll-NBA Second Team. In addition,Avery Johnson provided the team with 10.2 points and 7.9 assists per game, whileVinny Del Negro contributed 9.5 points per game, and Elliott provided with 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Jackson contributed 8.8 points per game and led the Spurs with 112 three-point field goals, while three-point specialistChuck Person contributed 6.7 points per game, andWill Perdue averaged 5.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.[17]
During theNBA All-Star weekend atMadison Square Garden inNew York City, New York, Duncan and Robinson were both selected for the1998 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Duncan's first ever All-Star appearance.[18][19][20] Duncan and Robinson were both named to theNBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Duncan also finished in fifth place inMost Valuable Player voting, and Robinson finished in seventh place;[21][22] Robinson also finished in third place inDefensive Player of the Year voting, while Duncan finished tied in fifth place.[23][22]
In the1998 NBA playoffs, the Spurs defeated the 4th-seededPhoenix Suns, 3–1 in the Western Conference First Round,[24][25][26] but lost 4–1 to theUtah Jazz in the Western Conference Semi-finals.[27][28][29] The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the 2-time defending NBA championChicago Bulls in the1998 NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.[30][31][32]
The Spurs finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 783,455 at theAlamodome during the regular season.[17][33] Following the season, Del Negro signed as a free agent with theMilwaukee Bucks,[34][35][36] while Person signed with theCharlotte Hornets,[37]Monty Williams was released to free agency, andCarl Herrera was traded to theVancouver Grizzlies.[38]
Following the 1997–98 season, the Spurs enjoyed immense levels of success, winning five championships between1999 and2014, and qualifying for the playoffs every year until2019, thelongest playoff streak in NBA history, tied with theSyracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from1950 to1971.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tim Duncan | PF/C |  United States Virgin Islands | Wake Forest |
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
|
The Spurs were coming off a poor1996–97 NBA season; in which their best player,David Robinson—himself a number one draft pickin 1987—was sidelined for most of the year with an injury. The Spurs had finished with a 20–62 win–loss record.[39] However, as the1997–98 NBA season approached, the Spurs were considered a notable threat in the NBA. With both an experiencedcenter in Robinson and the number one pick in Duncan, the Spurs featured one of the bestfrontcourts in the NBA. Duncan and Robinson became known as the "Twin Towers", having earned a reputation for their exceptional defense close to the basket, forcing opponents to take lower percentage shots from outside. From the beginning, Duncan established himself as a quality player: in his second-ever road game, he grabbed 22 rebounds against opposingChicago Bulls power forwardDennis Rodman, a multiple rebounding champion andNBA Defensive Player of the Year.[40]
Later, when Duncan played against opposingHouston RocketsHall-of-Fame power forwardCharles Barkley, Barkley was so impressed he said: "I have seen the future and he wears number 21 [Duncan's jersey number]."[41] In his rookie season, Duncan lived up the expectations of being the number one draft pick, starting in all 82 regular-season games, and averaging 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. His defensive contributions ensured that he was elected to theNBA All-Defensive Second Team and was also namedNBA Rookie of the Year. Spurs coachGregg Popovich lauded Duncan's mental toughness, stating his rookie's "demeanor was singularly remarkable", Duncan always "put things into perspective" and never got "too upbeat or too depressed."[42] Center Robinson was equally impressed with Duncan: "He's the real thing. I'm proud of his attitude and effort. He gives all the extra effort and work and wants to become a better player."[43]
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z-Utah Jazz | 62 | 20 | .756 | – | 36–5 | 26–15 | 22–2 |
| x-San Antonio Spurs | 56 | 26 | .683 | 6 | 31–10 | 25–16 | 18–6 |
| x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 45 | 37 | .549 | 17 | 26–15 | 19–22 | 14–10 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 | 24–17 | 17–24 | 14–10 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 20 | 62 | .244 | 42 | 13–28 | 7–34 | 9–15 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 19 | 63 | .232 | 43 | 14–27 | 5–36 | 4–20 |
| Denver Nuggets | 11 | 71 | .134 | 51 | 9–32 | 2–39 | 3–21 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Utah Jazz | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
| 2 | y-Seattle SuperSonics | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1 |
| 3 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1 |
| 4 | x-Phoenix Suns | 56 | 26 | .683 | 6 |
| 5 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 56 | 26 | .683 | 6 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 16 |
| 7 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 45 | 37 | .549 | 17 |
| 8 | x-Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 27 | 55 | .329 | 35 |
| 10 | Dallas Mavericks | 20 | 62 | .244 | 42 |
| 11 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 19 | 63 | .232 | 43 |
| 12 | Golden State Warriors | 19 | 63 | .232 | 43 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 11 | 71 | .134 | 51 |
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Duncan | PF | 82 | 82 | 3,204 | 977 | 224 | 55 | 206 | 1,731 | 39.1 | 11.9 | 2.7 | .7 | 2.5 | 21.1 |
| Jaren Jackson | SG | 82 | 45 | 2,226 | 210 | 156 | 60 | 8 | 722 | 27.1 | 2.6 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 8.8 |
| Will Perdue | C | 79 | 30 | 1,491 | 535 | 57 | 22 | 50 | 394 | 18.9 | 6.8 | .7 | .3 | .6 | 5.0 |
| Avery Johnson | PG | 75 | 73 | 2,674 | 150 | 591 | 84 | 18 | 766 | 35.7 | 2.0 | 7.9 | 1.1 | .2 | 10.2 |
| David Robinson | C | 73 | 73 | 2,457 | 775 | 199 | 64 | 192 | 1,574 | 33.7 | 10.6 | 2.7 | .9 | 2.6 | 21.6 |
| Monty Williams | SF | 72 | 16 | 1,314 | 179 | 89 | 34 | 24 | 453 | 18.3 | 2.5 | 1.2 | .5 | .3 | 6.3 |
| Reggie Geary | PG | 62 | 2 | 685 | 67 | 74 | 37 | 12 | 152 | 11.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | .6 | .2 | 2.5 |
| Chuck Person | PF | 61 | 11 | 1,455 | 204 | 86 | 29 | 10 | 409 | 23.9 | 3.3 | 1.4 | .5 | .2 | 6.7 |
| Carl Herrera | PF | 58 | 1 | 516 | 91 | 22 | 19 | 12 | 170 | 8.9 | 1.6 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 2.9 |
| Vinny Del Negro | SG | 54 | 38 | 1,721 | 152 | 183 | 39 | 6 | 513 | 31.9 | 2.8 | 3.4 | .7 | .1 | 9.5 |
| Malik Rose | PF | 53 | 0 | 429 | 90 | 19 | 21 | 7 | 158 | 8.1 | 1.7 | .4 | .4 | .1 | 3.0 |
| Cory Alexander† | PG | 37 | 3 | 501 | 47 | 71 | 25 | 5 | 165 | 13.5 | 1.3 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 4.5 |
| Sean Elliott | SF | 36 | 36 | 1,012 | 124 | 62 | 24 | 14 | 334 | 28.1 | 3.4 | 1.7 | .7 | .4 | 9.3 |
| Willie Burton | SF | 13 | 0 | 43 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 3.3 | .7 | .1 | .2 | .2 | 2.1 |
| Brad Lohaus | PF | 9 | 0 | 102 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 11.3 | 1.3 | .6 | .1 | .2 | 2.1 |
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Duncan | PF | 9 | 9 | 374 | 81 | 17 | 5 | 23 | 186 | 41.6 | 9.0 | 1.9 | .6 | 2.6 | 20.7 |
| David Robinson | C | 9 | 9 | 353 | 127 | 23 | 11 | 30 | 175 | 39.2 | 14.1 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 19.4 |
| Avery Johnson | PG | 9 | 9 | 342 | 13 | 55 | 9 | 0 | 156 | 38.0 | 1.4 | 6.1 | 1.0 | .0 | 17.3 |
| Jaren Jackson | SG | 9 | 8 | 319 | 39 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 92 | 35.4 | 4.3 | 1.6 | .6 | .1 | 10.2 |
| Will Perdue | C | 9 | 7 | 191 | 60 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 36 | 21.2 | 6.7 | .1 | .7 | 1.0 | 4.0 |
| Vinny Del Negro | SG | 9 | 3 | 283 | 24 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 96 | 31.4 | 2.7 | 3.2 | .9 | .0 | 10.7 |
| Chuck Person | PF | 9 | 0 | 196 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 21.8 | 3.0 | .8 | .4 | .0 | 5.8 |
| Reggie Geary | PG | 7 | 0 | 46 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6.6 | .3 | .9 | .1 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Monty Williams | SF | 5 | 0 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5.6 | 1.2 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 2.4 |
| Carl Herrera | PF | 5 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 | .8 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .4 |
| Malik Rose | PF | 5 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3.6 | 1.4 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Brad Lohaus | PF | 4 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | .5 | .3 | .3 | .0 | .0 |
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