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1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season

(lost to Jazz 1–4) KRRT Fox Sports Southwest

The 1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season was the 22nd season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 31st season as a franchise. This season is most memorable when the Spurs selected power forward Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. After finishing with the third-worst record in 1996–97, the Spurs won the NBA draft lottery, dubbed as the "Tim Duncan Sweepstakes". During the off-season, the team signed free agents, three-point specialist Jaren Jackson, and second-year forward Malik Rose.

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. Despite losing Sean Elliott for the remainder of the season to a knee injury after 36 games, the Spurs finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 56–26 record, earned the fifth seed in the Western Conference, and returned to the NBA playoffs after a one-year absence. The Spurs had the second best team defensive rating in the NBA.

Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, and was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while David Robinson averaged 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Avery Johnson provided the team with 10.2 points and 7.9 assists per game, while Vinny Del Negro contributed 9.5 points and 3.4 assists 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 specialist Chuck Person contributed 6.7 points per game, Monty Williams provided with 6.3 points per game, and Will Perdue averaged 5.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Duncan and Robinson were both selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Duncan's first ever All-Star appearance. Duncan and Robinson were both named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Duncan also finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and Robinson finished in seventh place; Robinson also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Duncan finished tied in fifth place.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 4th–seeded Phoenix Suns, a team that featured Rex Chapman, Antonio McDyess, and All-Star guard Jason Kidd. Despite both teams finishing with the same record during the regular season, the Suns had home-court advantage in the series; this was also Duncan's first ever NBA playoff appearance. In their first two road games at the America West Arena, the Spurs won Game 1, 102–96, but then lost Game 2 to the Suns, 108–101. The Spurs won their next two games over the Suns at home, winning Game 4 at the Alamodome, 99–80 to win the series in four games.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. The Spurs lost the first two games to the Jazz on the road at the Delta Center, but managed to win Game 3 at the Alamodome, 86–64. However, after losing Game 4 at home, 82–73, the Spurs lost Game 5 to the Jazz on the road, 87–77, thus losing the series in five games. The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.

The Spurs finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 783,455 at the Alamodome during the regular season. Following the season, Del Negro signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks, while Person signed with the Charlotte Hornets, Williams was released to free agency, and Carl Herrera was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Following the 1997–98 season, the Spurs enjoyed immense levels of success, winning five championships between 1999 and 2014, and qualifying for the playoffs every year until 2019, the longest playoff streak in NBA history, tied with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to 1971.

NBA draft

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityCollege
11Tim DuncanPF/CWake Forest

Roster

  • Gregg Popovich
  • Mike Budenholzer
  • Hank Egan
  • Paul Pressey

Regular season

Tim Duncan

The Spurs were coming off a poor 1996–97 NBA season; in which their best player, David Robinson—himself a number one draft pick in 1987—was sidelined for most of the year with an injury. The Spurs had finished with a 20–62 win–loss record. However, as the 1997–98 NBA season approached, the Spurs were considered a notable threat in the NBA. With both an experienced center in Robinson and the number one pick in Duncan, the Spurs featured one of the best frontcourts 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 opposing Chicago Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman, a multiple rebounding champion and NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Later, when Duncan played against opposing Houston Rockets Hall-of-Fame power forward Charles Barkley, Barkley was so impressed he said: "I have seen the future and he wears number 21 [Duncan's jersey number]." 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 the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and was also named NBA Rookie of the Year. Spurs coach Gregg 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." 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."

Season standings

Game log

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 23 | @ Phoenix | W 102–96 | Tim Duncan (32) | David Robinson (15) | Vinny Del Negro (6) | America West Arena 19,023 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 25 | @ Phoenix | L 101–108 | David Robinson (23) | David Robinson (16) | Avery Johnson (8) | America West Arena 19,023 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 27 | Phoenix | W 100–88 | Tim Duncan (22) | Tim Duncan (14) | Avery Johnson (5) | Alamodome 20,486 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 29 | Phoenix | W 99–80 | Avery Johnson (30) | David Robinson (21) | Avery Johnson (7) | Alamodome 27,528

3–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
1
May 5
@ Utah
L 82–83
Tim Duncan (33)
David Robinson (16)
Avery Johnson (8)
Delta Center
19,911
0–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
2
May 7
@ Utah
L 106–109
Tim Duncan (26)
David Robinson (14)
Vinny Del Negro (5)
Delta Center
19,911
0–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
3
May 9
Utah
W 86–64
David Robinson (21)
Will Perdue (11)
Avery Johnson (5)
Alamodome
26,086
1–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
4
May 10
Utah
L 73–82
Tim Duncan (22)
David Robinson (11)
Avery Johnson (7)
Alamodome
28,587
1–3
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
5
May 12
@ Utah
L 77–87
David Robinson (21)
David Robinson (13)
Avery Johnson (8)
Delta Center
19,911
1–4
-

Player statistics

Regular season

PlayerPOSGPGSMPREBASTSTLBLKPTSMPGRPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
PF**82****82****3,204****977**22455**206****1,731****39.1****11.9**2.7.72.521.1
SG**82**452,22621015660872227.12.61.9.7.18.8
C79301,49153557225039418.96.8.7.3.65.0
PG75732,674150**591****84**1876635.72.0**7.9****1.1**.210.2
C73732,457775199641921,57433.710.62.7.9**2.6****21.6**
SF72161,31417989342445318.32.51.2.5.36.3
PG6226856774371215211.01.11.2.6.22.5
PF61111,45520486291040923.93.31.4.5.26.7
PF581516912219121708.91.6.4.3.22.9
SG54381,72115218339651331.92.83.4.7.19.5
PF53042990192171588.11.7.4.4.13.0
†PG373501477125516513.51.31.9.7.14.5
SF36361,01212462241433428.13.41.7.7.49.3
SF130439122273.3.7.1.2.22.1
PF90102125121911.31.3.6.1.22.1
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Spurs only.

Playoffs

PlayerPOSGPGSMPREBASTSTLBLKPTSMPGRPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
PF**9****9****374**8117523**186****41.6**9.01.9.62.6**20.7**
C**9****9**353**127**23**11****30**17539.2**14.1**2.6**1.2****3.3**19.4
PG**9****9**34213**55**9015638.01.4**6.1**1.0.017.3
SG**9**83193914519235.44.31.6.6.110.2
C**9**7191601693621.26.7.1.71.04.0
SG**9**32832429809631.42.73.2.9.010.7
PF**9**0196277405221.83.0.8.4.05.8
PG7046261096.6.3.9.1.01.3
SF50286100125.61.2.2.0.02.4
PF5025410025.0.8.2.0.0.4
PF50187110103.61.4.2.2.02.0
PF4010211002.5.5.3.3.0.0

Award winners

  • Tim Duncan, Forward, NBA Rookie of the Year
  • Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA First Team
  • Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA Rookie First Team
  • Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA Second Defensive Team
  • David Robinson, Center, All-NBA Second Team
  • David Robinson, Center, All-NBA Second Defensive Team

References

References

  1. [https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/1998.html 1997-98 San Antonio Spurs]
  2. Wise, Mike. (June 26, 1997). "After Duncan, Utah Forward Steals Show". The New York Times.
  3. Heisler, Mark. (June 26, 1997). "Draft Over, But Not Finished". Los Angeles Times.
  4. "1997 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
  5. El-Bashir, Tarik. (May 19, 1997). "Spurs Win the Tim Duncan Sweepstakes". The New York Times.
  6. (May 19, 1997). "Spurs Win Big with Top Pick". Los Angeles Times.
  7. Broussard, Chris. (June 18, 1999). "N.B.A. FINALS; For Spurs' Jackson, Depth Is the Key". The New York Times.
  8. "NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference.
  9. (January 22, 1998). "Rumor, Rockets Fizzle". The Spokesman-Review.
  10. (January 29, 1998). "Spurs 109, Clippers 86". The Oklahoman.
  11. (May 14, 1998). "Spurs Satisfied, But Have Work to Do". Deseret News.
  12. "1997–98 San Antonio Spurs Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  13. "Teams Defense". [[NBA.com]].
  14. (April 27, 1998). "Duncan Wins Rookie of Year Award". The Washington Post.
  15. (April 27, 1998). "Duncan's Top Rookie". Deseret News.
  16. "NBA & ABA Rookie of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.
  17. "1997–98 San Antonio Spurs Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  18. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (January 28, 1998). "Lakers Get Four-Star Rating as Van Exel, Jones Honored". Los Angeles Times.
  19. (September 13, 2021). "1998 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
  20. "1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114". Basketball-Reference.
  21. Wise, Mike. (May 19, 1998). "THE N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Jordan Is Winner of M.V.P. a 5th Time". The New York Times.
  22. "1997–98 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
  23. (May 6, 1998). "Mutombo Earns Defensive Honor". Los Angeles Times.
  24. (April 30, 1998). "Jordan Finishes Off the Nets; Rockets Put Jazz on the Ropes". Los Angeles Times.
  25. (April 30, 1998). "Spurs' Johnson Soars In Game of "Small Ball"". Deseret News.
  26. "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round: Spurs vs. Suns". Basketball-Reference.
  27. (May 13, 1998). "THE N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; The Finals In the West: It's Jazz Vs. Lakers". The New York Times.
  28. Heisler, Mark. (May 13, 1998). "Worth Getting Jazzed About". Los Angeles Times.
  29. "1998 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Spurs vs. Jazz". Basketball-Reference.
  30. Araton, Harvey. (June 15, 1998). "Sports of the Times; At the End, Jordan Lifts Bulls to Their Sixth N.B.A. Title". The New York Times.
  31. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (June 15, 1998). "A Rousing Six-cess". Los Angeles Times.
  32. "1998 NBA Finals: Bulls vs. Jazz". Basketball-Reference.
  33. "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.
  34. (January 30, 1999). "Del Negro Becomes a Buck". CBS News.
  35. (January 30, 1999). "Bucks Agree to Deal with Del Negro". United Press International.
  36. (January 31, 1999). "Del Negro Leaves Italy for Milwaukee". Los Angeles Times.
  37. (January 26, 1999). ""Rifleman" Signed by Charlotte". CBS News.
  38. Wise, Mike. (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times.
  39. [http://www.nba.com/history/standings/19961997.html 1996-97 Standings] {{Webarchive. link. (2015-11-25 , nba.com/history, accessed 19 April 2007.)
  40. Kernan, Kevin. (2000). "Slam Duncan". Sports Pub.
  41. Kernan, Kevin. (2000). "Slam Duncan". Sports Pub.
  42. Kernan, Kevin. (2000). "Slam Duncan". Sports Pub.
  43. Kernan, Kevin. (2000). "Slam Duncan". Sports Pub.
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