1991–92 San Antonio Spurs season

The 1991–92 San Antonio Spurs season was the 16th season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 25th season as a franchise.^[1] During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Antoine Carr from the Sacramento Kings,^[2][3] and then signed free agent Vinnie Johnson in December.^[4]

With the addition of Carr, the Spurs won seven of their first eight games of the regular season, and held a 10–3 record at the end of November. However, the team struggled with mediocrity holding a 21–17 record as of January 19, 1992, as head coach Larry Brown was fired, and soon took a coaching job with the Los Angeles Clippers; Brown was replaced with General Manager Bob Bass as an interim coach.^[5][6][7] At mid-season, the team signed three-point specialist Trent Tucker.^[8] Under Bass, the Spurs held a 27–19 record at the All-Star break,^[9] and finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record, earning the fifth seed in the Western Conference.^[10]

David Robinson averaged 23.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 4.5 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.^[11][12][13] In addition, Terry Cummings averaged 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while Sean Elliott provided the team with 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, Rod Strickland provided with 13.8 points, 8.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and Willie Anderson contributed 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds and assists per game each. Off the bench, Carr averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Johnson contributed 8.0 points per game, Tucker provided with 6.5 points per game, but only played just 25 games, Sidney Green averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and Donald Royal contributed 4.2 points per game.^[14]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, Robinson was selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team;^[15][16][17] he also finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, and Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers.^[18][19]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 4th–seeded Phoenix Suns, who were led by the All-Star trio of Kevin Johnson, Jeff Hornacek, and sixth man Dan Majerle. However, late during the regular season, Robinson suffered a season-ending thumb injury in March, and would not be available for the team's first-round series against the Suns.^[20][21][22] Without their star center, the Spurs lost the first two games to the Suns on the road at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, before losing Game 3 at home, 101–92 at the HemisFair Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.^[23][24][25]

The Spurs finished tenth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 658,337 at the HemisFair Arena during the regular season.^[14][26] Following the season, Strickland signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers,^[27][28][29] while Bass was fired as head coach, Tucker signed with the Chicago Bulls, and Johnson retired.