San Antonio returns to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in franchise history. The Spurs had won all of their previous Finals matchups until last season, when the Miami Heat beat them in a dramatic seven-game series. Gregg Popovich has been rock solid since taking over during the 1996-97 season, with four championships to his name. Let's take a look at the history of the Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Spurs’ NBA Finals history: Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich look to make NBA history
The San Antonio Spurs have won four of the five NBA Finals they’ve been to, and are a force to be reckoned with as they meet the Miami Heat on Thursday.
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2013 Finals: Lost to Miami Heat, 4-3
San Antonio played valiantly all series, with the Heat and Spurs trading back-and-forth wins until Game 7. Danny Green had the series of a lifetime for five games, shooting the lights out from three until the Heat finally corralled him in the final two contests.
The Spurs had it all wrapped up in Game 6 until a late-game push and a Ray Allen dagger with 5.2 seconds left forced overtime, which the Heat won. In Game 7, LeBron James couldn't be stopped, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds as Miami won its second straight championship.
2007 Finals: Beat Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-0
San Antonio received a breath of life in the Western Conference semifinals, escaping the Phoenix Suns after a controversial call in Game 4. The Spurs' Robert Horry hip-checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table, Amare Stoudemire came off the bench and the rest is history.
In the Finals, the Spurs handily beat James and the Cavaliers, sweeping them to claim their fourth NBA championship. Tony Parker earned Finals MVP, the first European player to do so in NBA history.
2005 Finals: Beat Detroit Pistons, 4-3
San Antonio beat the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the 2005 NBA Finals. There, the Spurs faced off with the reigning champion Detroit Pistons. In the first four games, each team took care of business on its home floor. In Games 5 and 6, they swapped road victories, resulting in a series-deciding Game 7 in Texas.
A third-quarter rally led by Duncan saw the Spurs take control late in the final game. San Antonio's big man won his third Finals MVP, the fourth player to do so along with Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan.
2003 Finals: Beat New Jersey Nets, 4-2
The Spurs met the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 Finals after finishing with the best regular season record. It was the first time that two former ABA teams had met in the NBA Finals. Many lost interest due to the “boring” nature of play, as only one team broke 100 points a single time during the series.
Tim Duncan, who won the regular season MVP, doubled up and won the Finals MVP as the Spurs handled the Nets in six games. Hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the end of the season was also the curtain call for David Robinson, who retired after that year.
1999 Finals: Beat New York Knicks, 4-1
In a lockout-shortened season, the Spurs found their way to the best record in the NBA and their first appearance in the Finals. To get there, San Antonio swept through both the semifinals and Western Conference Finals against the Lakers and Trail Blazers, respectively.
San Antonio needed just five games to beat New York, taking care of things at home and allowing just one Knicks victory at Madison Square Garden in Game 3. The Spurs beat the Allan Houston-led Knicks in Game 4 and a 78-77 win in Game 5 secured their first championship.
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