The San Antonio Spurs have been the model franchise in the NBA for quite some time now.
They are the standard of how an organization should be run from top to bottom from ownership to the front office to their coaching staff to their on court leadership and team chemistry.
They have extended two historic and incredibly impressive streaks this past week. Their 17th straight 50 win season (an NBA record) and a playoff berth for the 19th consecutive season, or all 19 seasons of Tim Duncan’s all-time great career.
These two streaks exemplify just how uniquely consistent the Spurs have been since the Clinton administration (there may be another on the way). As longtime NBA.com Columnist Fran Blinebury wrote a year ago, it’s death, taxes and Spurs 50 win seasons.
Here are the longest playoff streaks in NBA history:
Most Consecutive Playoff Appearance – NBA
1949-71 76ers 22
1982-03 Blazers 21
1983-03 Jazz 20
1997-16 Spurs 19
1950-69 Celtics 19— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 3, 2016
Out of the teams on that list, only the Celtics of the 50s and 60s won more titles than the Spurs and that was in an era with far fewer teams.
Although many role players have come and gone over the years, and some players like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have been in black and silver for over a decade, there have been two mainstays for the entirety of the Spurs unprecedented run of success: Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich.
Nowhere in the NBA does there exist a better player-coach relationship. Tim Duncan has always been the rare selfless star completely open to be coached and Gregg Popovich has been the mastermind that has helped get the most out of this generational star.
Of all 19 seasons since Tim Duncan entered the league, this Spurs team, with him at the age of 39, has been the quickest to reach 50 wins, doing it in a mere 59 games.
We are in the twilight of the Tim Duncan era of basketball in San Antonio. With Popovich committed to coach the team for the near future, a young two-way star, Kawhi Leonard and a top 15-20 player in his prime, LaMarcus Aldridge, it will continue to be death, taxes and Spurs 50 win seasons.
