2001–02 San Antonio Spurs season
The 2001–02 NBA season was the Spurs' 26th season in the National Basketball Association, the 29th in San Antonio, and 35th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Steve Smith from the Portland Trail Blazers, and signed free agents Bruce Bowen, second-year guard Stephen Jackson, and Charles Smith, and drafted French basketball star Tony Parker with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. This was also the Spurs' last season at the Alamodome, as they moved into the brand new SBC Center the next season. The Spurs won 20 of their first 24 games after a ten-game winning streak in December, held a 31–17 record at the All-Star break, then posted a 13-game winning streak in March and won their final nine games, finishing first place in the Midwest Division with a 58–24 record.
| 2001–02 San Antonio Spurs season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Gregg Popovich |
| General manager | Gregg Popovich |
| President | Gregg Popovich (vice) |
| Owner(s) | Peter Holt |
| Arena | Alamodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 58–24 (.707) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Midwest) Conference: 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost to Lakers 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Net Southwest, KENS, KRRT |
| Radio | KLEY |
Tim Duncan averaged 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as he earned his first NBA MVP award, joining David Robinson as the only Spurs to win the award. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team, and was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. In addition, Robinson averaged 12.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while Smith contributed 11.6 points per game, and Parker provided the team with 9.2 points and 4.3 assists per game, and made the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Malik Rose averaged 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game off the bench, while Antonio Daniels provided with 9.2 points per game also off the bench, and Bowen contributed 7.0 points per game. Rose finished in fourth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Bowen was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
In the 2002 NBA Playoffs, the Spurs breezed past the Seattle SuperSonics in five games in the Western Conference First Round, but they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semi-finals by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The Lakers would then go on to defeat the New Jersey Nets in four straight games in the NBA Finals, winning their third consecutive championship. For the second year in a row, the Spurs had their playoff run ended by the Lakers.
Following the season, Daniels and Smith were both traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and Terry Porter retired after seventeen seasons in the NBA.