A Different Dynasty

Since the San Antonio Spurs clinched their 4th championship in 9 years, the debate has raged on whether their reign deserves to go down in NBA lore as a dynasty.    So instead of just debating without facts I'll assess them based on the actual criteria using dynasties of the past as the benchmark. 

            Ever dynasty has had at least one constant, a crucial component which made their gears grind.  Russell’s Celtics had well… Bill Russell nestled in the post, sending every shot in his stratosphere into the ether on his way to eleven rings and redefining the center position.  The Showtime Lakers in the 80’s had the Fantastic duo of Lew Alcind… Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson win 5 titles in 8 years.

            The 90’s, better known as the decade of the Running of the Bulls was the decade which officially pronounced Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all-time as his backcourt running mate Scottie Pippen staked his claim to being one of the all time great small forwards for all 6 championships.

            Throughout the Spur’s 9 year run of excellence, they have been defined by their two symbols of stability, Tim Duncan and head coach, Greg Popavich as opposed to the Showtime Lakers who were represented by two coaches from 1979 to 1987, their final championship of the Showtime era.

 Bird’s Celtics meanwhile, whose near dynasty ended prematurely because of a nagging back injury for Larry Bird as well as the death of Len Bias was also coached by multiple head coaches.

            The Spurs’ dynasty will also be remembered for their multiple interchangeable pieces around Tim Duncan, a common component of each of the NBA’s noteworthy dynasties.  The early Celtics which were anchored by Auerbach and Russell were noteworthy for the multiple Hall of Famers who contributed to their dozen years of dominance.  

             With Tommy "Gun" Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, and Frank Ramsey as the Celtics sixth man, Boston epitomized balance. The bench for their early championships included spectacular guards, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones and John Havlicek who was drafted in 1962, that would become integral pieces to their future championship success.
 

            The Showtime Lakers of the 80’s would also thrive with the aid of smooth scoring forward Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, the #1 overall pick in ’82 Draft, in addition to Byron Scott who quietly won 3 titles as the Lakers starting shooting guard for 9 years and Bob McAdoo, the former three time scoring champ who’s once promising career had been derailed by injury during the 70’s.

            The Spurs first championship was defined by the dominance of the Twin Towers, David Robinson, with the assistance of clutch shooter Steve Kerr who would win his fourth NBA title in 4 years as well as veterans Mario Elie, Sean Elliot and Avery Johnson.  The next time the Spurs would win a championship four years later, they were composed of a much different supporting cast featuring upstarts Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen and Stephen Jackson.  

After one year intervals between each championship the 2005 and 2007 champions for the first time won without David Robinson and were led by the emerging Big 3 as well as another wily, clutch veteran with multiple rings--Robert Horry.

            One of the other more comical items of debate has been whether they classify as a dynasty in this era because of the because of the inferior level of competition in this modern era of expansion and free agency in NBA basketball which have diluted the level of overall talent.  While the Showtime era Lakers had to contend with Larry Legend’s Celtics for NBA supremacy, and the Bulls of the 90’s denied Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Dominique Wilkins of NBA championships, the Spurs have never had an elite rival.  

            This argument has to be one of the most misguided attempts to discredit the Spurs 9 years of brilliance that I’ve heard by far.  It should be enough that they won all four Finals appearances but if you want to concentrate on the paucity of great teams in a particular era, look no further than the 90’s.

Not to take anything away from Jordan’s accomplishments but for argument’s sake in his 6 championship appearances, the Bulls met five different opponents, the Jabbar-less Lakers, Trailblazers, Barkley’s Phoenix Suns, Seattle Supersonics and the Utah Jazz twice. 

            Duncan and the Spurs meanwhile, outlasted Kobe and Shaq’s Lakers.  In fact, for those who don’t remember, their first title came after they swept those very same Lakers and their second came after they handily put a halt to the Lakers aspirations of a 4-peat(on a day which I now look back and regret prematurely signaled the end of the Lakers dynasty.)  

While Magic contended with Bird for elite status during the 80’s Duncan and Shaq have appeared in the NBA Finals all 9 years since the end of the Jordan era, winning 4 apiece and 7 of in this millennium.  

When history takes its course, the Phoenix Suns, which the Spurs have dismissed twice in the playoffs in their last two championship appearances will also be remembered as one of the great teams in this era.
 

Throughout the NBA’s 60 year history, dynasty has beget dynasty.  From Mikan’s Lakers to Red Auerbach’s Celtics, the Showtime Lakers, Jordan’s Bulls and eventually the Shaq and Duncan era, the transition to the next dynasty is inevitable.

            The Western Conference has become so inflated with top shelf talent compared to the despondent Eastern Conference, not to mention that the playoff format was expanded to four rounds in 1984 to its present 16-team format and in 2003 the first round was changed to a best-of-seven series that just getting through to the Finals is a journey in itself.  In this era, the Western Conference has become so treacherous, that the champion is compensated with a relatively easy series.  This is what the Eastern Conference is there for.

 The NBA Finals for the Western Conference champion has become similar to Tiger Woods showing up at a pro-am before a tournament, he’s just there for the fans not the competition. 

Keep in mind, the Spurs brilliant run began in Duncan’s second season, when he was only 31 years old.  This regime has been so vast and impressive that when it began Lebron James was only 13 years old.  I’ve always held the opinion that History tends to reflect favorably on the past and in the case of the Spurs, I expect this to hold true.   

              For all the speculation, conjecture and comparisons every one seems to have missed the point that every dynasty is different.  There is no rigid model to define the term except championships won, and the Spurs have exceeded that criterion.  They may not have repeat three-peats like Jordan's Bulls, the flash of Magic's Showtime Lakers,  or the downright invincibility of Russell's Celtics but in this generation they've been just as effective with their own style.   

    Like it or not, hail the San Antonio Spurs, the Dynasty of our generation.