It’s hardly a secret that San Antonio Spurs fans look back at the late 90s with a lot of fondness. It was the beginning of an era of great success, which lasted the best part of a decade. It was also the beginning of the Greg Popovich era. Indeed, looking back and seeing Coach Pop as being new to the job feels a little strange.
Of course, we can point to the titles in ‘99, ‘03, ‘05, ‘07, and ‘14 as being among the best seasons in Spurs’ history, but the 1997-1998 season was when the pieces started to fall into place. The Spurs’ dynasty wasn’t built in a single season, though, despite what nostalgia might tell us today.
The front office was laying the groundwork for a couple of seasons beforehand, and Popovich also had ideas that were beginning to yield success before that season began.
And yet, it is well-noted that the 1996-1997 Spurs really struggled, going 20-62 and eventually costing Bob Hill his job. It was a huge disappointment for Spurs fans, who had seen their team win 55 games in each of their previous three seasons. 1997-1998 saw the return of Dave Robinson from injury and, of course, the drafting of Tim Duncan. Things would never be the same again.
A Dramatic Turnaround Is Unlikely For Current Spurs Team
You can perhaps claim some parallels between the 1997-1998 Spurs and the crop of today, but they are mostly superficial. Yes, the 2024 Spurs have their No.1 draft pick in Victor Wembanyama, and fans will be hoping he makes half as much impact as Duncan did.
But the Spurs of today are huge outsiders in the NBA lines for total wins to have a turnaround season in 2024/25 after limping to 22 wins in the two previous seasons. They are very much a work in progress for Greg Popovich to guide. Although, fans will be hoping that they see green shoots for forthcoming campaigns.
Going back to the late 1990s, there is perhaps a nostalgic unfairness to give too much attention to the “Twin Towers” of Duncan and Robinson. Yes, they were great, but the likes of Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro, and Mario Elie were all key contributors to the quick turnaround in fortunes. Several of the roster were veterans – with the Spurs since the late 80s and early 90s.
That’s something that perhaps gets overlooked when modern fans claim Wembanyama will quickly transform this team.
Duncan and Wembanyama are very different players, and despite his talent, it remains to be seen whether the latter can have any of the impact that the latter did. Duncan’s performance in 1997-98 was an all-timer in terms of rookie impact – up there with Larry Bird in 1979-80 and Wilt Chamberlain in 1959-60. Wembanyama, like Duncan, gained the Rookie of the Year award, but his influence wasn’t just as stark.
Clear Popovich Was Building A Special Team
The Spurs of 1997-98 had a relatively shaky start to the season, going .500 for their first 20 games. But the real magic came in the lead-up to the All-Star Break, with the new-look team winning 17 of 19 games. They finished the season relatively strongly, ending up on 56-26 – a 26-win improvement from the previous season. San Antonio fans would love to see that sort of turnaround going into the 2024/25 season, but it looks unlikely.
As for the Playoffs, the 97/98 Spurs went alright, beating the Suns 4-1 in the First Round but then coming up well short against a hugely talented Utah Jazz team in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. In the end, it was just the beginning of something special: Popovich and the Spurs went on a two-decade Playoff streak, winning five championships along the way. We could all see the Spurs were building something special back in 1997, but few knew it was going to be that special.
As teams prepare for the 2024-25 season, Spurs fans will look at their head coach – in situ for almost three decades – and wonder if the magic can be found again. Popovich says he is going to stick around for a few more seasons yet, but there is a sense that he will need that if he is to truly transform them into contenders again.
History won’t repeat in the same way as the late 1990s – San Antonio and Popovich himself are in a different place. Yet, fans will expect to see green shoots soon, even if they are not as dramatic as they were when Popovich built his first great team.
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