I have no problem admitting to this, I am a spoiled Spurs fan. So are most Spurs fans, they just don't want to admit it. Since 1997 the Spurs have been as successful as any sports every could hope to be. 11 Division titles, 6 Western Conference titles, and of course 5 NBA Championships. That doesn't even cover the individual honors!
Back on topic though, I'm a spoiled Spurs fan. I'm 27 years old, born in 1987, and while I was alive for the down years of the Spurs, I don't remember them. The first thing I remember about the Spurs is the entire city getting excited on June 25, 1997, that of course was the night the Tim Duncan became San Antonio Spur, and subsequently changed an entire city forever.
From that point on I followed the Spurs almost religiously. Not just because they are my home town team, but because I love basketball in general. Even now I can tell you things about other teams within the league that some locals fans don't even know. I feel very grateful to have this legends career from its very beginning to what will be its end here very soon. What I think we as Spurs fans need to do is take a step back and realize how special this team is. Not just because of the players, not just because of the coaches, or the titles. Because of the culture that they all operate under. This summer the NBA announced that it would fine Kawhi Leonard and other NBA players if they went to an unsanctioned event overseas, that is literally the first "bad" thing I've heard from the Spurs in almost two decades. The Portland Trail Blazers spent nearly a decade trying to figure out how to keep their players out of jail, let alone out of headlines. There's a quiet dominance to this team that stems from Duncan and Popovich all the way down to Austin Daye and Cory Joseph. This dominance was on full display during this previous season as well as the playoffs, but no more than the Finals itself. I'm sure we are all tired of hearing about it but the fact remains, the team at the end of its "window" versus the greatest player in the world. I may be biased, but I'll take the team in that fight everyday, and they showed why.
I don't write this to reminisce about a past season. I write to remind Spurs fans that sad as it is, eventually the good fortune will bottom out. This has been an amazing run and it hope it doesn't end anytime soon, but at some point it will. Look at the Celtics and Lakers (I know, I know, how dare I mention Lakers in a Spurs piece). Those are the two most storied franchises not just in the NBA, but in sports, and neither one of them made the playoffs last year, let alone challenged for the championhsip. Right now, who knows when either one of those teams will get back on top. The point is, these things come in cycles. The Spurs cycle has spanned for nearly 20 years. Let me type that again, 20 YEARS. Enjoy it. As soon as this next season ends, we may see two of the best players in franchise history (one of them being THE best) walk away from the game for good. Does Manu Ginobili frustrate and cause heart failure to fans? Absolutely, the proof is in Popovich's hair. Look at his hair pre-Manu and now. That's all Manu.
Duncan on the other hand, has been nothing but the greatest player of his generation since he walked in wearing a pair of jeans and flip flops that summer of '97. Also remember, there may not even be a team here if Duncan left for Orlando in 2000. By the way, thank you David Robinson.
Keep in mind Spurs fans, I'm hoping for a repeat like all of you are. As sad as it is though, it will come to end. We've been spoiled long enough. Enjoy it while we can.
