Spurs Tie 1969-70 New York Knicks for 2nd-Best Road Win Streak to Begin Season

The San Antonio Spurs notched their 12th straight road win to open the season Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Monday's 97-96 victory tied the club with the 1969-70 New York Knicks for the second-longest road winning streak to begin a season, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info). The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors own the longest streak in history, winning 14 straight to begin last season.

Among the teams sitting in the top-five streaks three of the previous four—the 1960-61 and 1961-62 Boston Celtics and the 1969-70 Knicks—went on to win the NBA Championship. The only team not to do so was the Warriors last season. They held a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals before losing three straight to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

San Antonio has been overshadowed a bit in recent years by Golden State and Cleveland. The two clubs have squared off in the NBA Finals each of the last two seasons, but the Spurs posted a solid 2015-16 campaign in their own right and remain a consistent contender in the Western Conference.

The Spurs finished last season with the second-best record (67-15) during the regular season. Unfortunately, the team came up short in the second round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, losing the series 4-2. However, it marked the 19th consecutive season the team earned a playoff berth.

This season has started in a similar fashion for the Spurs, but they are getting things done in a different way. The club finished 2015-16 with a 40-1 record at home versus a 27-14 mark on the road. The records have essentially reversed early this year. San Antonio sits 12-0 on the road and just 5-4 at home through 21 games this season, per Sportsnet Stats.

History seems to favor an NBA Finals run for the Spurs this year, but they will likely need to get past the Warriors in the playoffs to do so. That may be a tough task, but with legendary coach Gregg Popovich and solid core group of players, the team should serve as a formidable opponent again this postseason.