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SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- David Robinson has been labeled a soft player by some type of standard. Avery Johnson was not supposed to make it in the NBA and survive eleven years. Both were considered too "nice" to be stars in this league and yet four years removed from the Western Conference Finals in which they lost to the Houston Rockets 4-2, these two "nice guys" are on the threshold of possibly leading the first former ABA team to the Larry O'Brien trophy. And who says nice guys don't finish on top.
It's been a tumoltrous season for both Johnson and Robinson. The two saw a lockout end and a very abbrieviated training camp in February lead to a 6-8 start with a horrific loss to the Utah Jazz; a 101-87 drumming in San Antonio. "This has been a disappointing start to a process that we thought would be easier," Gregg Popovich said. "A 50-game season can make people anxious. The process doesn't care how many games you have to play. We just have to believe in the guys and the system."
Those words would soon be prophetic in the coming weeks and months left in this 50 game season. Over the next 36 games that were left, this team went on a 31-5 and ended up a 37-13 record. Yes the words from Popovich would soon become prophetic as both Johnson and Robinson led this team to a place that they have never travelled as teammates.
"Early in the year we had a long way to go," David Robinson said after the April 16th win over Portland. "Now we don't have so far to go, but we are still improving. Our chemistry we are still working on, but this was the biggest win for us."
Robinson, who has spent ten years on the team, realized what this team was capable of early. In the previous appearances in the playoffs, Robinson was the focal point. Yet after a dismal 20-62 season just two years ago in which many fans thought Popovich fired then head coach Bob Hill for selfish reasons, the man that Avery Johnson calls "50" saw a chemistry formula that was never present; it was called teammwork.
When this franchise made it to the Western Conference Finals in the 1995-96 season, the team had Avery at the point and David was playing his usual center position. Back then this team had a very healthy Sean Elliott who had made the All-Star team. Yet that was pretty much it as far as points were. "This team is so completely different than the 1995 team," Johnson said recently. "Back then we didn't really have any role players. There wasn't anyone out there who we could truly trust. Now we have that belief."
And that is probably what has brought this team to the pinnacle of their season this year. During the first round series with Minnesota, the team trusted Avery's jump shot. In years past, Johnson's jumper would have made hearts leap into people's throats yet not this time. Johnson canned his open looks and scorhed the T-Wolves to help lead the team into the second round. For Robinson it was a season where he saw his role diminish and take a back seat to the new kid on the block. When Tim Duncan came into the group last season, he reminded David of himself of years past. Duncan was explosive, fluid and athletic. As the Rookie of the Year last year, Duncan came into his sophomore season hoping not to hit the wall and Robinson was right there to help him.
With Duncan being the focal point, Robinson took to being a role player and thrived. Yet he did an intangilble that has also helped his team get to this first ever appearance. During the Los Angeles series, Popovich used Duncan, Robinson, Malik Rose and Wil Perdue to shackle Shaquile O'Neal. Yet by Robinson accepting his role, other players were able to thrive as well. Jaren Jackson became the "Glen Rice" of the Spurs and helped sweep the favored Lakers. Then in the Portland series it was again Jackson who helped with the wins on the road but it was also a re-juvinated Robinson who altered shots and forced Portland's big men to expend energy.
In just four years this team has come to a point where only thirteen other teams have been and with a chance to capture their first world championship, the San Antonio Spurs are being led by two of the league's true gentlemen in the game. The monikers have all but fallen off of Robinson and Johnson. Now there is only one moniker left that both players wouldn't mind wearing; champions.
By Gregory Moore
