1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season

1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season
Tim Duncan's rookie season
Head coach Gregg Popovich
Owner(s) Peter Holt
Arena Alamodome
Results
Record 5626 (.683)
Place Division: 2nd (Midwest)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finish West Semifinals
(eliminated 1–4)

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television Fox Sports Southwest, KRRT, KSAT 12
Radio KRIO

The 1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season was the 31st as a franchise, the 25th in San Antonio, and the 22nd season in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] After finishing with the third-worst record in 1996–97, the Spurs won the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery, dubbed as the "Tim Duncan sweepstakes."[2] The Spurs finished second in the Midwest Division with a 56–26 record as Duncan was named Rookie of The Year, and was selected to the 1998 NBA All-Star Game along with David Robinson. In the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns 3–1 in the Western Conference First Round, but lost 4–1 to the Utah Jazz in the semifinals. Following the season, Vinny Del Negro signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Chuck Person signed with the Charlotte Hornets.

The team's season roster is featured in the video game NBA 2K16.[3]

NBA Draft

Main article: 1997 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 1 Tim Duncan PF/C  United States Virgin Islands Wake Forest

Roster

San Antonio Spurs roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
SF 9 United States Burton, Willie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Minnesota
SG 15 United States Del Negro, Vinny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) North Carolina State
PF 21 United States Virgin Islands Duncan, Tim 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Wake Forest
SF 32 United States Elliott, Sean  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Arizona
PG 4 United States Geary, Reggie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Arizona
PF 7 United States Herrera, Carl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Houston
SG 2 United States Jackson, Jaren 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Georgetown
PG 6 United States Johnson, Avery 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Southern
PF 54 United States Lohaus, Brad 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Iowa
C 41 United States Perdue, Will 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Vanderbilt
SF 45 United States Person, Chuck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Auburn
C 50 United States Robinson, David 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Navy
PF 31 United States Rose, Malik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Drexel
SF 3 United States Williams, Monty 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Notre Dame
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Regular season

Tim Duncan

The Spurs were coming off a poor 1996–97 NBA season; in which their best player, David Robinson—himself a number one draft pick in 1987—was sidelined for most of the year with an injury. The Spurs had finished with a 20–62 win-loss record.[4] However, as the 1997–98 NBA season approached, the Spurs were considered a notable threat in the NBA. With both an experienced center in Robinson and the number one pick in Duncan, the Spurs featured one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Duncan and Robinson became known as the "Twin Towers", having earned a reputation for their exceptional defense close to the basket, forcing opponents to take lower percentage shots from outside. From the beginning, Duncan established himself as a quality player: in his second-ever road game, he grabbed 22 rebounds against opposing Chicago Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman, a multiple rebounding champion and NBA Defensive Player of the Year.[5] Later, when Duncan played against opposing Houston Rockets Hall-of-Fame power forward Charles Barkley, Barkley was so impressed he said: "I have seen the future and he wears number 21 [Duncan's jersey number]."[6] In his rookie season, Duncan lived up the expectations of being the number one draft pick, starting in all 82 regular-season games, and averaging 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. His defensive contributions ensured that he was elected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and was also named NBA Rookie of the Year. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich lauded Duncan's mental toughness, stating his rookie's "demeanor was singularly remarkable", Duncan always "put things into perspective" and never got "too upbeat or too depressed."[7] Center Robinson was equally impressed with Duncan: "He's the real thing. I'm proud of his attitude and effort. He gives all the extra effort and work and wants to become a better player."[8]

Season standings

Midwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Utah Jazz 62 20 .756 36–5 26–15 22–2
x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 6 31–10 25–16 18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 45 37 .549 17 26–15 19–22 14–10
x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 21 24–17 17–24 14–10
Dallas Mavericks 20 62 .244 42 13–28 7–34 9–15
Vancouver Grizzlies 19 63 .232 43 14–27 5–36 4–20
Denver Nuggets 11 71 .134 51 9–32 2–39 3–21

Record vs. opponents

1997-98 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta 2–1 4–0 1–3 4–0 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–3 3–1 0–2 1–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 4–0
Boston 1–2 1–2 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–2 1–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–2 2–0 3–2
Charlotte 0–4 2–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 2–2 1–3 3–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2
Chicago 3–1 3–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–1 4–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 3–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 3–1
Cleveland 0–4 3–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 3–1 1–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–2
Dallas 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 1–1 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 2–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–4 0–4 0–4 2–2 1–1 0–4 4–0 1–1
Denver 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 2–2 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 1–3 0–4 0–4 0–2 0–4 1–3 1–1
Detroit 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–2 2–2 0–2 2–2 2–2 1–2 3–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 0–2 0–2 2–2
Golden State 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 3–1 3–1 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–4 1–3 2–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–4 1–3 0–2
Houston 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 4–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–3 4–0 2–2 1–3 2–0 0–4 3–1 1–1
Indiana 3–1 4–0 1–3 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–1 4–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 4–0
L.A. Clippers 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 3–1 2–2 0–2 3–1 0–4 0–2 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–4 3–1 1–3 0–4 1–1 1–3 1–3 0–2
L.A. Lakers 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–2 2–2 4–0 4–0 1–3 2–0 3–1 4–0 1–1
Miami 3–1 4–0 1–3 1–2 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 0–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2
Milwaukee 1–3 2–2 1–3 0–4 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–0 0–2 1–3 1–1 0–4 3–1 2–1 2–2 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–2
Minnesota 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 4–0 3–1 0–2 4–0 0–4 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 3–1 1–3 3–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–3 4–0 0–2
New Jersey 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–4 1–3 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 4–0 0–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3
New York 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–4 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–3 1–1 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3
Orlando 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–2 2–0 1–3 0–4 4–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 3–1
Philadelphia 1–3 1–3 1–2 1–2 1–3 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 0–4 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–2 0–2 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–2 0–2 2–0 3–1
Phoenix 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 4–0 1–1 4–0 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–0 1–3 4–0 1–1
Portland 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 0–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 0–4 2–0 3–1 2–2 1–1
Sacramento 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 4–0 3–1 1–1 2–2 0–4 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–3 0–4 1–3 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1
San Antonio 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 2–2 2–0 3–1 0–4 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–3 4–0 1–1
Seattle 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 4–0 3–1 2–2 2–0 2–2 4–0 1–1
Toronto 0–4 0–3 0–4 0–4 1–3 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–0 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 0–4 1–3 1–1 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–3
Utah 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–3 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–0 4–0 0–2
Vancouver 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 3–1 2–0 3–1 1–3 0–2 3–1 0–4 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 2–2 0–4 0–4 1–1 0–4 1–1
Washington 0–4 2–3 2–2 1–3 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 1–1

Playoffs

West First Round

(4) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Western Conference First Round (San Antonio won 3-1)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(PHO-SAS)

Venue Box score Television
1 April 23 Phoenix 96 San Antonio 102 0-1 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona 1 TNT 10:30et
2 April 25 Phoenix 108 San Antonio 101 1-1 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona 2 NBC 3:30et
3 April 27 San Antonio 100 Phoenix 88 1-2 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas 3 TNT 9:30et
4 April 29 San Antonio 99 Phoenix 80 1-3 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas 4 TBS 8:00et
San Antonio wins series 3–1

West Conference Semifinals

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Western Conference Semifinals (Utah won 4-2)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(UTA-SAS)

Venue Box score Television
1 May 5 Utah 83 San Antonio 82 1-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 1 TNT 10:30et
2 May 7 Utah 109 San Antonio 106 2-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 2 TNT 10:30et
3 May 9 San Antonio 86 Utah 64 2-1 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas 3 NBC 3:30et
4 May 10 San Antonio 73 Utah 82 3-1 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas 4 TNT 9:00et
5 May 12 Utah 87 San Antonio 77 4-1 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 5 TNT 8:00et
Utah wins series 4–1

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Cory Alexander 37 3 13.5 .414 .313 .676 1.3 1.9 .7 .1 4.5
Willie Burton 13 0 3.3 .381 .333 .667 .7 .1 .2 .2 2.1
Vinny Del Negro 54 38 31.9 .441 .436 .796 2.8 3.4 .7 .1 9.5
Tim Duncan 82 82 39.1 .549 .000 .662 11.9 2.7 .7 2.5 21.1
Reggie Geary 62 2 11.0 .331 .300 .500 1.1 1.2 .6 .2 2.5
Sean Elliott 36 36 28.1 .403 .378 .718 3.4 1.7 .7 .4 9.3
Carl Herrera 58 1 8.9 .434 .000 .409 1.6 .4 .3 .2 2.9
Jaren Jackson 82 45 27.1 .394 .377 .797 2.6 1.9 .7 .1 8.8
Avery Johnson 75 73 35.7 .478 .154 .726 2.0 7.9 1.1 .2 10.2
Brad Lohaus 9 0 11.3 .333 .286 .333 1.3 .6 .1 .2 2.1
Will Perdue 79 30 18.9 .549 . .526 6.8 .7 .3 .6 5.0
Chuck Person 61 11 23.9 .359 .344 .757 3.3 1.4 .5 .2 6.7
David Robinson 73 73 33.7 .511 .250 .735 10.6 2.7 .9 2.6 21.6
Malik Rose 53 0 8.1 .434 .333 .639 1.7 .4 .4 .1 3.0
Monty Williams 72 16 18.3 .448 .500 .670 2.5 1.2 .5 .3 6.3

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Vinny Del Negro 9 3 31.4 .481 .200 .941 2.7 3.2 .9 . 10.7
Tim Duncan 9 9 41.6 .521 . .667 9.0 1.9 .6 2.6 20.7
Reggie Geary 7 0 6.6 .429 .250 .500 .3 .9 .1 . 1.3
Carl Herrera 5 0 5.0 .333 . . .8 .2 . . .4
Jaren Jackson 9 8 35.4 .341 .305 .737 4.3 1.6 .6 .1 10.2
Avery Johnson 9 9 38.0 .604 . .667 1.4 6.1 1.0 . 17.3
Brad Lohaus 4 0 2.5 . . . .5 .3 .3 . .
Will Perdue 9 7 21.2 .333 . .857 6.7 .1 .7 1.0 4.0
Chuck Person 9 0 21.8 .340 .350 1.000 3.0 .8 .4 . 5.8
David Robinson 9 9 39.2 .425 . .635 14.1 2.6 1.2 3.3 19.4
Malik Rose 5 0 3.6 .667 . .500 1.4 .2 .2 . 2.0
Monty Williams 5 0 5.6 .625 . .667 1.2 .2 . . 2.4

Award winners

References

  1. 1997-98 San Antonio Spurs
  2. "Spurs Win the Tim Duncan Sweepstakes". New York Times. May 19, 1997.
  3. Lelinwalla, Mark (September 11, 2015). "'NBA 2K16': All The Classic Teams Announced". Tech Times. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  4. 1996-97 Standings, nba.com/history, accessed 19 April 2007.
  5. Kernan, Kevin (2000). Slam Duncan. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-58261-179-2.
  6. Kernan, Kevin (2000). Slam Duncan. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-58261-179-2.
  7. Kernan, Kevin (2000). Slam Duncan. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-58261-179-2.
  8. Kernan, Kevin (2000). Slam Duncan. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-58261-179-2.
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