1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Spurs' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 31st season as a franchise.^[1] This season is most memorable when the Spurs selected Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} After finishing with the third-worst record in 1996–97, the Spurs won the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery, dubbed as the "Tim Duncan Sweepstakes".^[7][8] During the off-season, the team signed free agents, three-point specialist Jaren Jackson, and second-year forward Malik Rose.^[9]

1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season
Head coach	Gregg Popovich
President	Gregg Popovich (vice)
General manager	Gregg Popovich
Owner(s)	Peter Holt
Arena	Alamodome
Results
Record	56–26 (.683)
Place	Division: 2nd (Midwest) Conference: 5th (Western)
Playoff finish	Conference semifinals (lost to Jazz 1–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KSAT-TV KRRT Fox Sports Southwest
Radio	WOAI
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

The Spurs got off to a mediocre 10–10 start to the regular season, but then won 17 of their next 19 games, and held a 34–14 record at the All-Star break.^[10] Despite losing Sean Elliott for the remainder of the season to a knee injury after 36 games,^[11][12][13] the Spurs finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 56–26 record, and returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence.^[14] The Spurs had the second best team defensive rating in the NBA.^[15]

Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named Rookie of the Year,^{[16][17][18][19]} and was also named to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Rookie First Team, while David Robinson averaged 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Avery Johnson provided the team with 10.2 points and 7.9 assists per game, while Vinny Del Negro contributed 9.5 points per game, and Elliott provided with 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Jackson contributed 8.8 points per game and led the Spurs with 112 three-point field goals, while three-point specialist Chuck Person contributed 6.7 points per game, and Will Perdue averaged 5.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.^[20]

Both Duncan and Robinson were named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York City, New York, which was Duncan's first ever All-Star appearance.^{[21][22][23][24][25]} Duncan finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Robinson finished in seventh place;^[26][27][28] Robinson also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Duncan finished tied in fifth place.^{[29][30][27][28]}

In the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the 4th-seeded Phoenix Suns, 3–1 in the Western Conference First Round,^{[31][32][33][34]} but lost 4–1 to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semi-finals.^{[35][36][37][38]} The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.^{[39][40][41][42][43]} Following the season, Del Negro signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks,^[44][45][46] while Person signed with the Charlotte Hornets,^[47] Monty Williams was released to free agency, and Carl Herrera was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies.^[48]

Following the 1997–98 season, the Spurs enjoyed immense levels of success, winning five championships between 1999 and 2014, and qualifying for the playoffs every year until 2019, the longest playoff streak in NBA history, tied with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to 1971.

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

1997–98 San Antonio Spurs roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From SF 9 Willie Burton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1968–05–26 Minnesota SG 15 Vinny Del Negro 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1966–08–09 NC State PF 21 Tim Duncan 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1976–04–25 Wake Forest SF 32 Sean Elliott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–02–02 Arizona PG 4 Reggie Geary 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1973–08–31 Arizona PF 7 Carl Herrera 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1966–12–14 Houston SG 2 Jaren Jackson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1967–10–27 Georgetown PG 6 Avery Johnson 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1965–03–25 Southern PF 54 Brad Lohaus 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–09–29 Iowa C 41 Will Perdue 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1965–08–29 Vanderbilt PF 45 Chuck Person 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–06–27 Auburn C 50 David Robinson 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1965–08–06 Navy PF 31 Malik Rose 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1974–11–23 Drexel SF 3 Monty Williams 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1971–10–08 Notre Dame

Head coach Gregg Popovich Assistant(s) Mike Budenholzer Hank Egan Paul Pressey Legend (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.^[49] 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.^[50]

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]."^[51] 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."^[52] 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."^[53]

Season standings

Midwest Division v t e	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

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Utah Jazz	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Seattle SuperSonics	61	21	.744	1
3	x-Los Angeles Lakers	61	21	.744	1
4	x-Phoenix Suns	56	26	.683	6
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	56	26	.683	6
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	46	36	.561	16
7	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	45	37	.549	17
8	x-Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	21
9	Sacramento Kings	27	55	.329	35
10	Dallas Mavericks	20	62	.244	42
11	Vancouver Grizzlies	19	63	.232	43
11	Golden State Warriors	19	63	.232	43
13	Los Angeles Clippers	17	65	.207	45
14	Denver Nuggets	11	71	.134	51

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	—

Game log

Playoffs

1998 playoff game log
First Round: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 23 @ Phoenix W 102–96 Tim Duncan (32) David Robinson (15) Vinny Del Negro (6) America West Arena 19,023 1–0 2 April 25 @ Phoenix L 101–108 David Robinson (23) David Robinson (16) Avery Johnson (8) America West Arena 19,023 1–1 3 April 27 Phoenix W 100–88 Tim Duncan (22) Tim Duncan (14) Avery Johnson (5) Alamodome 20,486 2–1 4 April 29 Phoenix W 99–80 Avery Johnson (30) David Robinson (21) Avery Johnson (7) Alamodome 27,528 3–1
Conference semifinals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 5 @ Utah L 82–83 Tim Duncan (33) David Robinson (16) Avery Johnson (8) Delta Center 19,911 0–1 2 May 7 @ Utah L 106–109 Tim Duncan (26) David Robinson (14) Vinny Del Negro (5) Delta Center 19,911 0–2 3 May 9 Utah W 86–64 David Robinson (21) Will Perdue (11) Avery Johnson (5) Alamodome 26,086 1–2 4 May 10 Utah L 73–82 Tim Duncan (22) David Robinson (11) Avery Johnson (7) Alamodome 28,587 1–3 5 May 12 @ Utah L 77–87 David Robinson (21) David Robinson (13) Avery Johnson (8) Delta Center 19,911 1–4
1998 schedule

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Tim Duncan	PF	82	82	3,204	977	224	55	206	1,731	39.1	11.9	2.7	.7	2.5	21.1
Jaren Jackson	SG	82	45	2,226	210	156	60	8	722	27.1	2.6	1.9	.7	.1	8.8
Will Perdue	C	79	30	1,491	535	57	22	50	394	18.9	6.8	.7	.3	.6	5.0
Avery Johnson	PG	75	73	2,674	150	591	84	18	766	35.7	2.0	7.9	1.1	.2	10.2
David Robinson	C	73	73	2,457	775	199	64	192	1,574	33.7	10.6	2.7	.9	2.6	21.6
Monty Williams	SF	72	16	1,314	179	89	34	24	453	18.3	2.5	1.2	.5	.3	6.3
Reggie Geary	PG	62	2	685	67	74	37	12	152	11.0	1.1	1.2	.6	.2	2.5
Chuck Person	PF	61	11	1,455	204	86	29	10	409	23.9	3.3	1.4	.5	.2	6.7
Carl Herrera	PF	58	1	516	91	22	19	12	170	8.9	1.6	.4	.3	.2	2.9
Vinny Del Negro	SG	54	38	1,721	152	183	39	6	513	31.9	2.8	3.4	.7	.1	9.5
Malik Rose	PF	53	0	429	90	19	21	7	158	8.1	1.7	.4	.4	.1	3.0
Cory Alexander†	PG	37	3	501	47	71	25	5	165	13.5	1.3	1.9	.7	.1	4.5
Sean Elliott	SF	36	36	1,012	124	62	24	14	334	28.1	3.4	1.7	.7	.4	9.3
Willie Burton	SF	13	0	43	9	1	2	2	27	3.3	.7	.1	.2	.2	2.1
Brad Lohaus	PF	9	0	102	12	5	1	2	19	11.3	1.3	.6	.1	.2	2.1

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Spurs only.

Playoffs

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Tim Duncan	PF	9	9	374	81	17	5	23	186	41.6	9.0	1.9	.6	2.6	20.7
David Robinson	C	9	9	353	127	23	11	30	175	39.2	14.1	2.6	1.2	3.3	19.4
Avery Johnson	PG	9	9	342	13	55	9	0	156	38.0	1.4	6.1	1.0	.0	17.3
Jaren Jackson	SG	9	8	319	39	14	5	1	92	35.4	4.3	1.6	.6	.1	10.2
Will Perdue	C	9	7	191	60	1	6	9	36	21.2	6.7	.1	.7	1.0	4.0
Vinny Del Negro	SG	9	3	283	24	29	8	0	96	31.4	2.7	3.2	.9	.0	10.7
Chuck Person	PF	9	0	196	27	7	4	0	52	21.8	3.0	.8	.4	.0	5.8
Reggie Geary	PG	7	0	46	2	6	1	0	9	6.6	.3	.9	.1	.0	1.3
Monty Williams	SF	5	0	28	6	1	0	0	12	5.6	1.2	.2	.0	.0	2.4
Carl Herrera	PF	5	0	25	4	1	0	0	2	5.0	.8	.2	.0	.0	.4
Malik Rose	PF	5	0	18	7	1	1	0	10	3.6	1.4	.2	.2	.0	2.0
Brad Lohaus	PF	4	0	10	2	1	1	0	0	2.5	.5	.3	.3	.0	.0

Award winners

• Tim Duncan, Forward, NBA Rookie of the Year
• Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA First Team
• Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA Rookie First Team
• Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA Second Defensive Team
• David Robinson, Center, All-NBA Second Team
• David Robinson, Center, All-NBA Second Defensive Team

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