J-Speaks: The Possible End of The Spurs "Big Three"

In December of 1996, the assistant coach Gregg Popovich became the Spurs head coach. In June of 1997, the Spurs because of their 20-62 mark that season had the No. 1 overall pick and in the draft that June they selected Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest. Two years later Popovich, Duncan and now Hall of Famer David Robinson would lead the Spurs to their first ever NBA title by beating the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals in five games. Three years later, the Spurs would add what would eventually be two key lynch pins to their franchise and future All-Stars in overseas stars Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The Spurs not only win more games, but they won more titles as well and this season seemed poised to win one more, especially after their 124-92 win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals back on Apr. 30. The Thunder responded in the games that followed and put a stop to the dreams of the Spurs title hopes this past Thursday night.

The Thunder won Game 6 back at Chesapeake Energy Arena 113-99 to take the series 4-2 and joining them with the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks as the two teams to win 67 games in the regular season and not reach the Conference Finals. The Mavs that season lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

The Thunder will faced the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, which begin on Monday night at 9 p.m. Eastern time on TNT.

This loss for the Spurs came on the heels of a 95-91 setback in Game 5 back at the AT&T Center, where the Spurs lost for the second time in this series after going 40-1 at home in the regular season, which tied the 1985-86 World Champion Boston Celtics for the best home record in a season in NBA history. The Thunder beat the Spurs back in Game 2 98-97.

The Thunder took control of the game thanks to a 15-3 run to close the first period after trailing 16-10 to take a 25-19 lead into the second quarter. It was there that the game was put out of reach when the Thunder outscored the Spurs 30-12 and held the Southwest Division champs to 5 for 23 from the floor in the stanza.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 37 points and nine rebounds, going 12 for 24 from the field and 12 for 12 from the free throw line. Fellow perennial All-Star Russell Westbrook after 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the Game 5 win had 28 points on 10 for 21 shooting along with 12 assists.

The Thunder took control of the contest

The loss not only ended the Spurs season, where they won a franchise record 67 games, it might have been the last game for the “Big Three” of future Hall of Famers Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. 

To illustrate how great this trio, who have been teammates since 2002 into perspective in terms of their play in the postseason, their 126 wins are 16 more than the Los Angeles Lakers trio of Hall of Famers Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who helped the Lakers win five titles in nine Finals appearances in the 1980s. The trio of “Magic” Johnson, Hall of Famer James Worthy and Byron Scott won 93 playoff games and three titles together and the Hall of Fame trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish of the Boston Celtics won 92 playoff games and three championships.

The tandem of Duncan and Popovich has produced 1,001 regular season wins and 12 Midwest/Southwest Division titles; 157 playoff wins and the aforementioned five titles.

More than anything else though, this tandem as well as Ginobili and Parker have provided a great example of teamwork, focus and a commitment to doing things both on and off the court with class and dignity.

In today’s era of the NBA, it can about the show and how one player can be the difference in how a team performs.

In the case of the Spurs, it was never about Popovich or about the “Big Three.” The Spurs won because it was about playing defense, sharing the ball on offense, especially in the past few seasons and it was about knowing what to do and doing it at all times.

On top of that, Popovich coached Duncan, Parker and Ginobili just as hard as he did everyone else. No one was bigger than the team and that showed.

That especially on display in the second half on Thursday night when they cut a 28-point deficit to 11 in the fourth quarter thanks to a 23-8 run to start the fourth period.

“We hung tough. Got great character and I expected nothing less,” Popovich said to reporters after the game. “We just went into the second half like its 0-0 and did the best job we could and I thought out guys were great.”

That was especially the case for Duncan, who had his best game of the series with 19 points going 7 for 14 shooting in 34 minutes. He had just 17 total points and made just 7 of his 25 field goal attempts coming into Game 6.

Unfortunately, the Spurs just did not have enough to catch the Thunder, whose starting five of Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant, Steven Adams, Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson had 40 rebounds, which equaled the total of the Spurs entire team in Game 6. Duncan, who

While swingman Kawhi Leonard led the way with 22 points along with nine boards, five assists and three steals, LaMarcus Aldridge was the only other player besides Duncan as mentioned earlier to score in double figures with 18 points along with 14 rebounds.

Parker and Ginobili combined for just 11 points and five assists on 4 for 12 shooting from the floor.

This was the first postseason that Duncan, who had just five boards in the Game 6 defeat did not record a double-double.

The question now is what is going to happen to the Spurs going forward? Will Duncan and Ginobili retire? Will veterans like David West, Andre Miller and Kevin Martin be back and are the new faces of this franchise in Aldridge and Leonard ready to even take more of a leadership role?

Like he has been for his entire career, Duncan, who is now 40 years of age and just finished his 19^th season in the league played it as close to the best about his future after the game when he said, “I’ll get to that after I get out of here and figure life out.”  

If this was the final run for the “Big Three” of the Spurs as we know them, they left a mark on the NBA that the fans of San Antonio, TX and the basketball world.

Tim Duncan, whose 157 playoff wins in 251 career playoff games played are second only to former Lakers, Warriors and Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher’s 161 in 259 career playoff contests played like star who left everything on the court and was a great leader with his words, all be it not many times and by his amazing example in practice and on the court. His next stop is the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on the first ballot, who in terms of postseason ranks in NBA history is 6^th all-time in points with 5,172 and first in minutes played at 9,371; block shots at 568 and as mentioned earlier wins with 157.

Parker and Ginobili went from unknowns into perennial All-Stars and will join Duncan in the Hall of Fame as well along with Popovich, who may not say much in courtside interviews is a great head coach who has two players in Leonard and Aldridge who will lead the Spurs into the future.

If this is it for the Spurs as we have come to know them, they accomplished more than most teams and star players do in a lifetime. Some players go their entire career a do not make the playoffs for as many years in a row as the Spurs have, which is 19 in a row, let alone win a championship.

They appreciate the great moments, but the Spurs during this run also appreciate the journey, even when it ends short of expectations.

“I’m very lucky. I’ve won four times. There’s a lot of great NBA guys who never won,” Parker said after the game. “Of course I want to win every year and we want to try and win every year. It was a great season. We won 67 games and it was a great season. Just didn’t go our way.”

Information, quotations and statistics are courtesy of 5/12/16 8:30 p.m. Game 6 of Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs versus Oklahoma City Thunder on ESPN with Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, with sideline reporter Doris Burke; www.espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/sa; http://en.m.wikpeida.org/wiki/List_of_San_Antonio_Spurs_seasons; 5/13/16 8 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Jared Greenberg, Sekou Smith and Brendan Haywood; 5/13/16 8 a.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” with Sarah Walsh, Jay Harris and Kevin Negandhi; Sporting News “Official 2006-07 NBA Guide.”