1998–99 San Antonio Spurs season

The 1998–99 San Antonio Spurs season was the 23rd season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 32nd season as a franchise.^[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.^[2] During the off-season, the Spurs acquired second-year guard Antonio Daniels from the Vancouver Grizzlies,^[3][4][5] acquired three-point specialist Steve Kerr from the Chicago Bulls,^[6][7][8] and signed free agents Mario Elie,^[8][9][10] and Jerome Kersey.^[11][10]

With the addition of Elie, Kerr and Kersey, and after a promising rookie season from second-year star Tim Duncan, the Spurs got off to a slow start to the regular season by posting a 6–8 record in February.^[12] However, the team posted a nine-game winning streak in March afterwards, posted a six-game winning streak between March and April, posted a seven-game winning streak in April, and won their final five games of the season. The Spurs finished in first place in the Midwest Division with a league-best 37–13 record, which was roughly equivalent to 61–21 in a full season, and earned the first seed in the Western Conference.^[13]

Duncan averaged 21.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, while David Robinson averaged 15.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocks per game, and Sean Elliott provided the team with 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Avery Johnson provided with 9.7 points and 7.4 assists per game, while Elie also contributed 9.7 points per game. Off the bench, three-point specialist Jaren Jackson contributed 6.4 points per game, while Malik Rose averaged 6.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, Daniels provided with 4.7 points and 2.3 assists per game, Kerr contributed 4.4 points per game, and Kersey averaged 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, but only shot .340 in field-goal percentage.^[14]

Duncan finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, and Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat, while Robinson finished in twelfth place;^[15][16] Robinson also finished in fourth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Duncan finished tied in fifth place,^[16] and head coach Gregg Popovich finished tied in sixth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[16]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 8th–seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that featured All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, Terrell Brandon and Joe Smith. The Spurs won Game 1 over the Timberwolves at home, 99–86 at the Alamodome, but then lost Game 2 at home, 80–71 as the Timberwolves evened the series. The Spurs won the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 win over the Timberwolves at the Target Center, 92–85 to win the series in four games.^[17][18][19]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 4th–seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by the All-Star trio of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice. The Spurs won the first two games over the Lakers at the Alamodome, and then won the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 win over the Lakers at the Great Western Forum, 118–107 to win the series in a four-game sweep.^[20][21][22]

In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs then faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by Isaiah Rider, Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire. After winning Game 1 at the Alamodome, 80–76,^[23][24][25] the Spurs trailed by 17 points against the Trail Blazers in Game 2; however, the Spurs made a fourth-quarter run that culminated with a game-winning three-pointer from Elliott, which was dubbed as the "Memorial Day Miracle" as the team defeated the Trail Blazers at home, 86–85.^[26][27][28] The Spurs won the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 win over the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden Arena, 94–80 to win the series in another four-game sweep, becoming the first former ABA team to advance to the NBA Finals.^[29][30][31]

In the 1999 NBA Finals, the Spurs faced off against the 8th–seeded New York Knicks, a team that featured All-Star center Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and sixth man Latrell Sprewell. However, Ewing was out due to a ruptured Achilles tendon injury, in which he sustained during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.^[32][33][34] The Spurs won the first two games over the Knicks at home at the Alamodome, and took a 2–0 series lead, before losing Game 3 on the road, 89–81 at Madison Square Garden. The Spurs won their next two road games, including a Game 5 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 78–77, in which Johnson hit the title-winning shot. The Spurs won the series over the Knicks in five games, winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history, as Duncan was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.^[35][36][37] Kerr, who previously won three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls, won his fourth consecutive NBA title.

The Spurs finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance behind the Chicago Bulls, with an attendance of 527,357 at the Alamodome during the regular season.^[14][38] Following the season, Will Perdue re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Bulls.^[39][40] In 2024, HoopsHype would list this Spurs squad as the team with the 24th easiest route to an NBA Finals championship, due to the opponents they faced in the first round, and the Finals in particular.^[41]