Love 'em or Hate 'em, Spurs Still the Best in the NBA

Let me first say that I hate the San Antonio Spurs!

I hate their game.

I hate their players.

I hate their coach.

I hate the city of San Antonio.

But the San Antonio Spurs are the team of the decade in the 2000's, and may be well on their way to their second NBA championship in a row, and their fourth championship in six years.

I grew up in Austin, Texas, and being so close to San Antonio I always had my eye on the Spurs. However, being a Michael Jordan fan, they weren't exactly my team.

They had some pretty good teams in the early to mid 1990's with center David Robinson, forward Sean Elliot, forward Terry Cummings, and weirdo Dennis Rodman. But those teams always seemed to underachieve in the playoffs under coaches John Lucas and Bob Hill.

In the 1996-1997 season the Spurs would make two decisions that would shape their franchise and turn them into the dynasty they have become.

Eighteen games into the season then general manager Gregg Poppovich fired Bob Hill, and replaced him with himself. I remember that happening and wondering who in the hell Gregg Poppovich was?

I really questioned his ability as a coach, as the team finished with a 20-62 record, the third worst in their franchise history.

After that season at the annual NBA Draft Lottery was the Tim Duncan sweepstakes. It was expected that the Boston Celtics would get the number one pick, as they had the best chances of all the teams involved.

But fate would play its hand and turn the San Antonio Spurs into a dynasty. Shockingly the Spurs won the lottery and selected the center from Wake Forest to pair him with their already dominant center David Robinson.

The pairing of Robinson and Duncan would become the duo "The Twin Towers," and the results would be seen overnight. In the duo's first year they finished with a 56-26 record and would make it to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Utah Jazz.

The next year the players were locked out by the owners for three months before a fifty game season was played, and the Spurs marched their way to the finals against the New York Knicks. The Spurs went on to win the series in five games, and after years of frustration for their organization and their fans, the Spurs had their first championship.

As the team moved into the twenty-first century, they began to create their identity as a defensive oriented team that made great selections with their late first-round draft picks of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili that would create a dynamic trio paired with Tim Duncan.

The Spurs would win titles again in 2003, 2005, and 2007. 

And after beating the New Orleans Hornets in game seven of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Spurs look primed to win another championship if they can defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Until they lose in the playoffs they have to be considered the best team in the NBA.

I really hate the Spurs, but as an informed sports fan, I have to give credit where credit is due, and crown the San Antonio Spurs up there with great dynasties of the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls.