2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season

The 2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season was the 36th season for the San Antonio Spurs as a franchise, their 30th season in San Antonio, Texas, and their 27th season in the National Basketball Association. This was also the Spurs' first season playing at their new arena, the SBC Center. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Kevin Willis, acquired second-year guard Speedy Claxton from the Philadelphia 76ers, and re-acquired former Spurs guard, and three-point specialist Steve Kerr from the Portland Trail Blazers. Argentinian rookie shooting guard Manu Ginóbili, who was drafted by the team as the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, made his debut for his first NBA season. This was also the 14th and final season for former All-Star center, and long-time Spurs star David Robinson.

With the addition of Ginóbili, the Spurs got off to a 19–13 start to the regular season, but later on posted a nine-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 33–16 record at the All-Star break. The Spurs posted an 11-game winning streak between March and April, and won 60 games for the second time in franchise history, finishing in first place in the Midwest Division with a league-best 60–22 record, and earning the first seed in the Western Conference; the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. Head coach Gregg Popovich was named the NBA Coach of the Year, despite the team only posting a two-game improvement over the previous season.

Tim Duncan averaged 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year for the second consecutive year; he was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, second-year guard Tony Parker showed improvement, averaging 15.5 points and 5.3 assists per game, while Stephen Jackson provided the team with 11.8 points and 1.6 steals per game, sixth man Malik Rose contributed 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game off the bench, and Robinson averaged 8.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, which were career-lows. Meanwhile, Ginóbili contributed 7.6 points and 1.4 steals per game off the bench, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Bruce Bowen provided with 7.1 points per game and 101 three-point field goals, but struggled only shooting .404 in free-throw percentage, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Steve Smith contributed 6.8 points per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Duncan was selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team. Meanwhile, Parker and Ginóbili were both selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as Parker was a member of the Sophomores team, while Ginóbili was a member of the Rookies team. Duncan also finished in fourth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, with Bowen finishing in seventh place, while Parker finished in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting, with Jackson finishing tied in 18th place, Rose finished in sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Ginóbili finished in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting. This season marked the official beginning of the Big Three era, and the end of the Twin Towers era; the trio of Duncan, Parker, and Ginóbili would lead the Spurs to win 3 more championships in 2005, 2007, and 2014.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 8th–seeded Phoenix Suns, a team that featured All-Star guard Stephon Marbury, All-Star forward Shawn Marion, and Rookie of the Year, Amar'e Stoudemire. The Spurs lost Game 1 to the Suns at home in overtime, 96–95 at the SBC Center, but then won the next two games, before losing Game 4 on the road, 86–84 at the America West Arena. The Spurs won the next two games, which included a Game 6 win over the Suns at the America West Arena, 87–85 to win the series in six games.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, and for the third consecutive year, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded, and 3-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, and Derek Fisher. The Spurs won the first two games over the Lakers at the SBC Center, but then lost the next two games on the road, losing Game 4 to the Lakers at the Staples Center, 99–95. The Spurs managed to win the next two games, including a Game 6 road win over the Lakers at the Staples Center, 110–82 to win the series in six games.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs then faced off against the 3rd–seeded Dallas Mavericks, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, All-Star guard Steve Nash, and Michael Finley. The Spurs lost Game 1 to the Mavericks at home, 113–110 at the SBC Center, but managed to win the next three games, including a Game 4 road win over the Mavericks, 102–95 at the American Airlines Center. After losing Game 5 at the SBC Center, 103–91, the Spurs won Game 6 over the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center, 90–78 to win the series in six games, and advance to the NBA Finals.

In the 2003 NBA Finals, the Spurs faced off against the 2nd–seeded New Jersey Nets, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and second-year star Richard Jefferson. The Spurs took a 2–1 series lead before losing Game 4 to the Nets on the road, 77–76 at the Continental Airlines Arena. The Spurs managed to win the next two games, including a Game 6 home win over the Nets at the SBC Center, 88–77 to win the series in six games, winning their second NBA championship in franchise history, and their first title since 1999; Duncan was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the second time.

The Spurs finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 735,990 at the SBC Center during the regular season. Following the season, Jackson signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks, while Smith signed with the New Orleans Hornets, and Robinson, Kerr and Danny Ferry all retired. For the season, the Spurs changed their primary logo, adding black and silver colors, and slightly changed their uniforms. The team's new primary logo would remain in use until 2017, while the new uniforms would last until 2010.

NBA draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 26 John Salmons SG/SF Miami 2 55 Luis Scola F TAU Cerámica (Spain) 2 56 Randy Holcomb F San Diego State

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Game log

2002–03 San Antonio Spurs season

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