One of the biggest sports broadcasters in the business, ESPN has voted San Antonio Spurs as the second best in all of North American professional sports. It might be an unofficial ranking but the Spurs must be doing something right to earn a title like this. Their history is all about championships and that is the best criteria to judge any team in any sport. They will be looking to win the league this time around after an agonizingly close call last season. With the kind of squad they have, it will take a very brave man to bet against them going all the way to winning the title.
One of the biggest sports broadcasters in the business, ESPN has voted San Antonio Spurs as the second best in all of North American professional sports. It might be an unofficial ranking but the Spurs must be doing something right to earn a title like this. Their history is all about championships and that is the best criteria to judge any team in any sport. They will be looking to win the league this time around after an agonizingly close call last season. With the kind of squad they have, it will take a very brave man to bet against them going all the way to winning the title.
San Antonio Spurs are among NBA’s most famous teams. They have been there and have done it all over the years to solidify their status as a true powerhouse. They went ever so close to lifting another league title last season but were denied by LeBron led Miami Heat. They have added new faces to their roster so expect another attempt for the championship. It might not be beyond them this time around. Their fans are certainly excited and rightly so which will once again have a direct impact on San Antonio Spurs tickets sales as they gear up for another exciting and hopeful season.
The Beginning
San Antonio Spurs trace their history back to the year 1967 when they were formed as Dallas Chaparrals. That team was a member of the now defunct ABA, a rival league that competed with NBA during that era. The team made it to the playoffs consistently but that was about as good as it got. Facing severe financial crisis, the team was sold to a consortium from San Antonio who moved the team to the city and changed the name to its current one in 1973.
Move to NBA and Division Success
ABA merged into NBA in 1976 and San Antonio Spurs made the jump too as part of that deal. It didn’t take them too long to make their mark on the new league and proceeded to clinch their first division title just two years later in 1978. They repeated the trick next year to start their journey towards the top. Three more division championships were accumulated during 1980’s which were followed by another four between 1990 and 1996. They had been winning division titles consistently since that time but the conference and NBA title had still eluded them. That statistics was about to change and in a pretty good style too.
Conference and NBA Championships
San Antonio Spurs had a bad 1996-1997 season. Later, the management brought in a young Tim Duncan who led the team to new heights. Duncan became the star of the franchise and in 1999 led the team to a division, conference and NBA Championship. The long wait finally ended that year and Spurs grew from strength to strength after that. Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili were brought on board in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Two more division crowns were clinched in 2001 and 2002 before Spurs reached the top once again. Duncan, Parker and Ginóbili were working together now and were beginning to be known as "The Big 3." They were on fire during the 2002-2003 season and led the team to division, conference and the league title once again. The same trick was repeated in the year 2005. Spurs lifted the division title next year and followed that up by clinching the conference and league double in 2007. 2009, 2011 and 2012 saw the team win the division on three more occasions with a division and conference double coming a year later. San Antonio Spurs certainly know what it takes to win championships. They have shown how it is done over the years and that consistency is a hallmark of great teams. They don’t look like taking their foot off the gas so get ready to see them in the playoffs and championships games in the foreseeable future.