The San Antonio Spurs is a professional basketball team in the NBA.
They are based in San Antonio, Texas and is a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. They are famous at the time they won multiple championships in the late 90s and 2000s. They are ranked third for the highest winning percentage in the history of the NBA. They only missed the playoffs 4 times as an NBA franchise. For the last decade, the Spurs has been a consistent title contender.
Franchise History (Early Years or ABA Years)
The Spurs was formerly known as the Dallas Chaparrals in the ABA. They were formed in 1967 and was led by Cliff Hagan. They are one of the eleven teams who had taken the floor in the inaugural season of the ABA. They struggled slightly in their second season as they only finished 41-37 record. In the postseason, they had an early exit against the New Orleans Buccaneers.
As they had success in playing, they are struggling financially off the court because of poor attendance and the ownership group is not dedicated to spend money for the team. They missed the playoffs for the first time in 1972-73 season.
Almost all of the owners wanted out of the franchise but a group of businessmen in San Antonio had a deal with the Dallas owners. The deal was to lease the franchise for 3 years and transfer it to San Antonio and will return it to Dallas if it is not purchased up to 1975. They changed the name to San Antonio Slingers but immediately changed it to Spurs before their first game.
In their first game, they lost against the San Diego Conquistadors. They were known as a defensive team as they only allowed the opposing teams less than 100 points in 49 times. The squad was led by James Silas and acquiring Swen Nater and George “The Ice Man” Gervin.
They finished the season with 45-39 record and was in third place of the Western Division. They faced the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs but lost in game seven. The San Antonio fans were supporting the squad greatly, enough for them to break the lease agreement and buy the team, so the Spurs would stay in San Antonio for good.
Their head coach Tom Nassaike was fire in the 1974-75 season and was replaced by Bob Bass who set a new style for the team compared to its previous defense first minded style. As the players had shown good chemistry to his style, they finished the season with an impressive 51-33 record. They were the 2nd place in the Western Conference. They still flunked out of the first round against the Pacers in six games.
Though they are struggling in the postseason, they were still regarded as one of the top teams of the ABA. As they showed exciting games, they have been eyed by the NBA. In 1976, the merger of ABA-NBA happened, transferring the Spurs’ sole professional franchise to the NBA. Other teams that had merged in the NBA were the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and the New York Nets in the 1976-77 NBA season.
San Antonio Spurs – The Early Years