2000–01 San Antonio Spurs season

The 2000–01 San Antonio Spurs season was the 25th season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, their 28th season in San Antonio, Texas, and their 34th season as a franchise.^[1] During the off-season, the Spurs signed free agents Derek Anderson,^[2][3][4] and Danny Ferry.^[5] All-Star forward Tim Duncan had nearly signed a free-agent deal with the Orlando Magic, who had offered him a six-year contract worth $67.5 million; however, Duncan decided to stay with the Spurs.^[6][7][8]

With the addition of Anderson, the Spurs got off to a 13–9 start to the regular season,^[9] then won ten of their next twelve games, and held a 31–16 record at the All-Star break.^[10] The Spurs continued to be among the NBA's elite teams, winning 23 of their final 29 games to recapture the Midwest Division title with a 58–24 record, which was the best record in the league, as they earned the first seed in the Western Conference, while posting a league best 33–8 home record at the Alamodome.^[11]

Duncan averaged 22.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA-All Defensive First Team, while David Robinson averaged 14.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Anderson provided the team with 15.5 points, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and also led them with 101 three-point field goals, while Antonio Daniels contributed 9.4 points and 3.8 assists per game off the bench, Sean Elliott provided 7.9 points per game in only 52 games, and Malik Rose averaged 7.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game off the bench in only 57 games. Three-point specialist Terry Porter contributed 7.2 points per game, Avery Johnson provided 5.6 points and 4.3 assists per game, and Ferry also contributed 5.6 points per game.^[12]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Duncan and Robinson were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Robinson's final All-Star appearance.^[13][14][15] Duncan also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers,^[16][17] and in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Robinson finished tied in fifth place.^[18][17]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 8th–seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that featured All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, Terrell Brandon, and second-year star Wally Szczerbiak. The Spurs won the first two games over the Timberwolves at home at the Alamodome, before losing Game 3 on the road, 93–84 at the Target Center.^[19] The Spurs won Game 4 over the Timberwolves on the road, 97–84 to win the series in four games.^[20][21][22]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded Dallas Mavericks, who were led by the quartet of All-Star guard Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Juwan Howard and Steve Nash. The Spurs won the first two games over the Mavericks at the Alamodome, before winning Game 3 on the road, 104–90 at the Reunion Arena to take a 3–0 series lead.^[23] After losing Game 4 on the road by a score of 112–108, the Spurs won Game 5 over the Mavericks at the Alamodome, 105–87 to win the series in five games.^[24][25][26]

In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs then faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who won the Pacific Division title, and were led by All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher. Despite having home-court advantage in the series, the Spurs lost their first two home games at the Alamodome, as the Lakers took a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Spurs suffered a 39-point margin loss to the Lakers on the road, 111–72 at the Staples Center, only shooting .321 in field-goal percentage.^[27] The Spurs lost Game 4 to the Lakers on the road, 111–82, thus losing the series in a four-game sweep.^[28][29][30] The Lakers would advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, and defeat the 76ers in five games in the 2001 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.^[31][32][33]

The Spurs led the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 913,176 at the Alamodome during the regular season.^[12][34] Following the season, Anderson was traded along with Steve Kerr to the Portland Trail Blazers,^[35][36][37] while Johnson re-signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets,^[38] Samaki Walker signed with the Los Angeles Lakers,^[39] and Elliott retired after twelve seasons in the NBA, eleven in which he spent playing with the Spurs.^[40]