All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Golden State Warriors

Our next match features two powerhouse franchises who have won the past two NBA championships. They’ve taken different approaches in earning their nine combined rings: Golden State has had intermittent periods of success spread out over 70 years of franchise history, while San Antonio has had one sustained run of dominance, where they secured five championships over 16 seasons. Who has the advantage in the highly anticipated matchup between the All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Golden State Warriors?

All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Golden State Warriors

Key Matchups

Golden State’s firepower vs. San Antonio’s defensive might: Golden State is one of the most explosive teams in our tournament, with ALL FIVE STARTERS having led the league in scoring at some point in their Warriors career, along with a sixth scoring champion off the bench from the league’s earliest days (Joe Fulks). They feature perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history (Stephen Curry), along with arguably the greatest inside scorer ever (Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 41.5 PPG in his six seasons with the franchise). They have a wealth of shooting depth beyond Curry (Paul Arizin, Rick Barry, Chris Mullin), and a Hall-of-Fame offensive (Neil Johnston) and defensive (Nate Thurmond) big man to support Chamberlain. They also have perimeter playmakers (Curry, Barry, Tim Hardaway, Guy Rodgers) who will facilitate ball movement and offensive flow. No team can contain this group, but San Antonio is better equipped than most to withstand a potential offensive onslaught. Tim Duncan and David Robinson are two of the greatest defensive big men in NBA history; in their six seasons together, the Spurs ranked first (2 times), second (3 times), and third (one time) in defensive rating. Kawhi Leonard has developed into the best defender in the current NBA, and will see time on all of Golden State’s perimeter options. Alvin Robertson was the greatest thief in modern NBA history, standing as the all-time leader in steals per game and steals percentage, which will cause problems for Curry and his sometimes loose ball protection. Even though the Spurs have two former scoring champions on their team (Robinson and George Gervin), they must slow the games down to have a chance to win this series.

Battle of the Big Men: Duncan and Robinson were perhaps the greatest ‘Twin Towers’ duo in NBA history, capturing two titles together and dominating opponents defensively. While those two are used to playing with one another, Chamberlain and Johnston will have to adjust to each other’s tendencies. Chamberlain will also have to adjust to playing with a team with so much perimeter firepower; his later days with the 76ers and the Lakers proved he could take a back seat, but the Warriors version of Wilt was a one-man wrecking crew who was the most dominant offensive force in league history. He won’t get the ball on as many possessions as he’s used to, and will have to help set up his teammates for easier baskets.

Tim  Duncan and David  Robinson
The Admiral faces The Big Dipper – two of the most athletic centers ever
Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Biggest Mismatches

Golden State’s three-point shooting advantage: The Warriors have the ability to blow opponents away from long range. Curry, Arizin, Barry, Hardaway, Jeff Mullins, and Chris Mullin have the ability to spread the floor like the modern-day Warriors team. San Antonio will be forced to play Chamberlain straight up without double-teaming, to avoid leaving these shooters open, though they are better equipped to deal with him than most teams. The Spurs have Manu Ginobili and Leonard as their best outside threats, but their other perimeter stars were more comfortable with penetrating and breaking down opposing defenses (especially Tony Parker and James Silas).

San Antonio’s coaching: Gregg Popovich has ascended to the top of the all-time coaching ranks. He has continually remade San Antonio’s offense over a nineteen year period, and kept them in contention throughout. Al Attles experienced great success with Golden State, but Popovich has a proven ability to maximize talent and get the most out of his players.

X-Factor

Pace: Though San Antonio can play different styles, they don’t want to run-and-gun with the Warriors. While Golden State will start two big men, expect them to utilize a few lineups where Chamberlain is surrounded by four perimeter players. Barry and Tom Gola can both initiate the offense from the forward position, and they have a slew of guards and wings to space the floor. Will San Antonio stick with their Twin Towers lineup when Golden State goes small? Who would Duncan or Robinson guard in this scenario? How would Golden State guard San Antonio in this setup? Speaking of which…

Golden State’s defense: While the Warriors are known for their offensive exploits, their defense will play a key factor in this series. Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, and Gola are their best defenders, and they’ll be tasked with slowing down San Antonio’s explosive frontcourt. San Antonio’s perimeter players will face less resistance, however, as Golden State’s guards weren’t known for their work on the defensive end of the floor.

Results

This series lives up to the hype. The teams go back and forth as both coaches make adjustments to their rotations. Kawhi Leonard and Nate Thurmond are both inserted into the starting lineups for defensive purposes as the series progresses. The seventh and final game goes into overtime, as these two teams prove to be dead even. Although the Spurs have one of the best defensive units in the tournament, the Warriors have too many weapons to contain. Golden State advances.

Golden State wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Golden State faces the All-Time Celtics.

All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Memphis Grizzlies

Well this doesn’t seem fair. The plucky Grizzlies, who have recently emerged as a Western Conference power, face a brutal first round match up against the All-Time Spurs. Can Memphis make this competitive? Here’s the tale of the tape.

San Antonio’s Advantages

Offensive firepower: We’ll keep it simple with the Spurs’ advantages. They can score from every position on the court, and play any style, depending on their opponent. Memphis’s strength is the play of their big men, but the Gasol brothers, Zach Randolph, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim are outmatched by Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Larry Kenon, John Beasley, and Artis Gilmore. They have no chance of hanging with George Gervin, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and the deep Spurs bench on the perimeter. Tony Allen will struggle to stay on the floor in this series; smart teams tend to sag off of him, knowing he won’t be able to hurt them from the outside. Shane Battier, a much better shooting threat, will get plenty of minutes, but he, Mike Miller, and Rudy Gay are still at a huge disadvantage offensively.

Defensive suffocation: Memphis is not an explosive team, relying primarily on their defensive might. With Duncan and Robinson, San Antonio has one of the best inside defensive tandems in the tournament. In addition, Alvin Robertson and Kawhi Leonard can shut perimeter opponents down off the bench. The Grizzlies also don’t have a go-to option who can consistently break down a defense.

Memphis’s Advantages

Sure, that’s not entirely fair. Memphis is a tough-minded team who will be very difficult to score against. However, it’s difficult to identify where they have an advantage over a deep San Antonio team.

X-Factor

49 – 21. That’s the number of years that the Spurs and Grizzlies have been in existence, respectively. While we’ve seen several newer franchises thrive earlier in this tournament (Orlando and Miami), it’s still very difficult to overcome this kind of age disparity.

Results

No surprise here. The Spurs control the series, and overwhelm Memphis on both ends of the court. Much like the 2013 Western Conference Finals, San Antonio dominates.

NBA_Playoffs_2013_Western_Conference_Finals_Spurs_vs_Grizzlies_Recap

Spurs sweep, four games to none.

Next Round

San Antonio faces the winner of the All-Time Kings vs. All-Time Nuggets.

All-Time San Antonio Spurs Team

All-Time San Antonio Spurs Team Infographic

The Spurs have come a long way from their days in the American Basketball Association. Since joining the NBA, this franchise has been a powerhouse. They’ve earned a .616 NBA winning percentage, which translates to 50.5 wins per season. They’ve appeared in six NBA Finals, and won five NBA championships. They’ve qualified for the playoffs in 35 of 40 seasons. In two of the five seasons they didn’t make the playoffs? They won the lottery (both literally and metaphorically), drafting future Hall-of-Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan. As the number four seed in our tournament, the All-Time San Antonio Spurs team looks a contender to win it all.

Tony Parker, the starting point guard, is one of the fastest players in this tournament, and a deadly scorer who became a true force in the latter part of his career. While he doesn’t have the floor vision or all-around skill of many other point guards, he puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenders, and knows Gregg Popovich’s system as well as any player on this team. Due to the size and defensive might of their big men, this team can afford to start three guards, so both Manu Ginobili and George Gervin will play as the starting wings. Among shooting guards, these two rank sixth (Gervin) and seventh (Ginobili) all-time in PER. Gervin won four scoring championships in five seasons, and ranks ninth ever in NBA points per game. Ginobili ranks 20th ever (among all players, NBA and ABA) in win shares per 48 minutes. He also might be the best passer on the team, and will help to space the floor for their penetrators and big men.

The starting bigs are the aforementioned legends, Duncan and Robinson. The ageless Duncan has cemented his legacy with a mind-blowing 15 All-Star game, All-NBA, and All-NBA defense selections. He’s been at the center of every Spurs championship, and has a claim as a top-ten player in NBA history. Had advanced statistics been prominent in the 1990s, Robinson’s career may have been seen in a different context. Consider that Robinson ranks second in NBA history in win shares per 48 minutes, behind Michael Jordan. He ranks fourth in NBA history in PER, in between Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Robinson is the only player in NBA history to have led the league in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots, and to have won Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year.

The bench is very solid, with five former ABA and NBA all-stars. James Silas was a clutch player who earned the nickname “Captain Late” for his fourth quarter heroics. Alvin Robertson is a former Defensive Player of the Year, who is the all-time leader in career steals per game and steal percentage. The small forwards provide the team with different options: Mike Mitchell was an excellent scorer, while Kawhi Leonard is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who can attack opponents offensively as well. Larry Kenon was the Spurs first 20-10 man, and, with John Beasley (the franchise’s first star player) and Artis Gilmore, gives them great size to match up with any opponent.

This team can overwhelm opponents in a number of ways. They can play fast, with the three starting guards, and Robinson, one of the most athletic big men ever. They can play slow, with Duncan and Robinson dominating opponents inside. They can smother you defensively, with three former defensive players of the year in addition to Tim Duncan, who somehow never won the award, but rates as one of the greatest defenders ever. They also have one of the best coaches in this tournament, who’ll maximize the abundant talent on the roster.

Coach: Gregg Popovich

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .595