|
San Antonio Spurs mustered another strong regular season, finishing with a 58-24 record, identical to the 2000-01 season.
Tim Duncan elevated his game even higher during the 2001-02 campaign, as the fifth year pro captured the league’s MVP award. Duncan finished fifth in the league in points, second in rebounding, tied for third in blocks and sixth in minutes. He led the San Antonio Spurs in scoring 70 times and in rebounding 69 times while accounting for 26.3% of the team’s total points and 30.0% of the team’s total rebounds. Duncan also set a new career-high for points with 53 against the Dallas Mavericks on 12/26.
David Robinson made San Antonio Spurs history when he slammed down his 19,384th point at 6:20 mark of the first quarter vs. Cleveland on 11/16. With that dunk Robinson became the San Antonio Spurs all-time NBA scoring leader surpassing George Gervin. Robinson was not finished with his milestones yet. The Admiral scored his 20,000th point on 3/5 vs. Golden State. Robinson was the 27th player all-time and 10th center to reach that plateau.
Youth was served for San Antonio Spurs on 10/30 vs. the L.A. Clippers when 19-year old Tony Parker entered the game at the 8:26 mark to become the youngest player to appear in a game in franchise history. Parker’s tender age did not slow him down as the rookie earned starting duties on 11/6 vs. Orlando. His play earned him a trip to the ‘got milk?’ Rookie Challenge at All-Star weekend and a spot on the All-Rookie First Team.
The San Antonio Spurs led the NBA in attendance for the second straight season as 906,390 fans passed through the doors of the Alamodome. Over 41 home dates San Antonio Spurs averaged 22,107 fans per game including a season-high 35,052 vs. Washington on 12/5. The 2001-02 campaign also marked the San Antonio Spurs final season in the Alamodome, where they posted a 258-95 record.
San Antonio Spurs met an eager Seattle SuperSonics team in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals. Tony Parker continued his strong play in the playoffs as he almost doubled his season scoring average posting 17.2 points as the San Antonio Spurs edged the Sonics 3-2. For the second year in a row, the San Antonio Spurs had the Los Angeles Lakers end their season this time by a 4-1 margin.
|