Lakers–Spurs rivalry

The Lakers–Spurs rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. The rivalry started in the late 1970s and peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 1999, the teams have met in the NBA Playoffs 7 times, with the clubs combining to appear in seven straight NBA Finals from 1999–2005. Additionally, the teams won each NBA Title from 1999–2003 (the Spurs won in 1999 and 2003, while the Lakers won in 2000, 2001, and 2002). From 1999–2004, the rivalry was considered as the NBA's best,[1] as each time the clubs faced each other in the playoffs, the winner advanced to the NBA Finals. The rivalry fell off from 2005–07, with the Lakers missing the playoffs in 2005 and losing in the first round to the Phoenix Suns in 2006 and 2007, but intensified again in 2008 when they met in the Western Conference Finals, and later on, again in the first round of the 2013 Western Conference playoffs.

Lakers–Spurs rivalry
Lakers player Kobe Bryant (No. 24 in white) goes up for a layup while Spurs player Tim Duncan (No. 21 in black) is defending.
Los Angeles Lakers
First meetingDecember 3, 1976
Lakers 114, Spurs 105
(The Forum)
Latest meetingJanuary 7, 2021
Spurs 118, Lakers 109
(Staples Center)
Next meetingTBD
Statistics
Meetings total233
All-time seriesLakers, 121–112 (.519)
Regular season seriesSpurs, 90–87 (.509)
Postseason resultsLakers, 34–22 (.607)
Longest win streak
  • Lakers, 6 (1986–87; 1997–99)
  • Spurs, 8 (2015–17)
Current win streakSpurs, 1
Post-season history

As of the end of the 2019–20 season, the Lakers are the only team with a winning overall record against San Antonio.[2]

Background

The Lakers were founded as the Detroit Gems in 1946 before relocating to Minneapolis, Minnesota and renaming themselves the Lakers (Minnesota's nickname is "The Land of 10,000 Lakes"). The club won several titles led by center George Mikan in the 1950s before moving to Los Angeles in 1960.[3] In 1972 they won another championship led by center Wilt Chamberlain and point guard Jerry West.[4] After acquiring center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 and point guard Magic Johnson in 1979, the Lakers built a team that won 5 titles in the 1980s. With the retirement of Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, they struggled in the 1990s. However, in 1996 the club acquired free agent center Shaquille O'Neal and traded with the Charlotte Hornets for newly drafted shooting guard Kobe Bryant. With the two maturing under coach Phil Jackson, the club turned into a contender in the early 2000s.[3]

The Spurs, meanwhile, were founded as the Dallas Chaparrals in the American Basketball Association in 1967 before moving to San Antonio, Texas and renaming themselves the Spurs in 1973. When the ABA disbanded in 1976, the Spurs were one of four teams absorbed into the NBA. Led by prolific scorer George Gervin, the Spurs experienced regular season success in the 1970s and 1980s, but were unable to advance out of the Western Conference playoffs.[5] After struggling in the latter half of the 1980s, they acquired center David Robinson in the 1987 NBA Draft and the club's fortunes improved.[5] Although they were competitive in the mid-1990s, they never advanced to the NBA Finals. In 1997, they acquired power forward Tim Duncan with the first pick in the draft.[5] The 6'11" Duncan combined with the 7' Robinson to form what was dubbed the "Twin Towers" duo.

Rivalry history

Although the Spurs and Lakers have played each other in the Western Conference since 1981, they weren't considered rivals until 1999, when the Spurs swept the Lakers 4–0, eventually winning their first NBA title.[6] They had met in the 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988, and 1995 NBA Playoffs. In both the 1982 and 1983 playoffs, the Gervin-led Spurs made the Western Conference Finals, but the Lakers of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar eliminated the Spurs each time, preventing Gervin from reaching the NBA Finals. The Lakers easily swept the Alvin Robertson-led Spurs in the first round of both the 1986 and 1988 playoffs. Then in 1995, the Robinson-led Spurs made the conference finals by eliminating the Lakers, but would lose to the Houston Rockets in that round.

The rivalry intensified with the Lakers' offseason hiring of former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson before the 1999–2000 season. Jackson had previously commented that the Spurs title in 1999 should come with an asterisk.[7] Jackson stated this because the title took place during a lockout-shortened season,[8] and the three-time defending champion Bulls team (which Jackson coached) was dismantled before it was able to defend its 1998 title.[9]

The following season the Lakers finished with the league's best record,[10] and the Spurs struggled down the stretch after Duncan suffered a knee injury. With Duncan out for the playoffs, the Spurs were defeated 3–1 by the Phoenix Suns, themselves missing Jason Kidd and Tom Gugliotta, in the first round.[11] The Lakers, meanwhile, defeated the Indiana Pacers 4–2 in the NBA Finals to win the club's first title since 1988. While the Lakers won the title, there was speculation that the Lakers would not have advanced to the Finals if they had faced the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs. In 2001, the Lakers, having swept the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings, exacted revenge for their 1999 sweep by sweeping the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.[12] The series was very one-sided, with L.A. winning games by 39 and 29 points.[7] They then won their 2nd straight title over the Philadelphia 76ers 4–1.[12]

The teams faced off again in the 2002 Western Conference Semifinals. Again, the Lakers beat the Spurs. This time the Lakers won 4–1,[13] as the Spurs led each game of the series going into the fourth quarter, but won just once. The Lakers went on to sweep the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.[13]

The next year, they played in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals.[14] This time, the Spurs ended the Lakers' dynasty in 6 and went on to beat the back-to-back Eastern Conference champion Nets in the 2003 NBA Finals.[14] One of the series' crucial moments came when the Lakers' Robert Horry, a well known clutch shooter, missed a potential game-winning 3 in Game 5. With another title won, David Robinson retired after the season.

In 2004, the teams met again in the Western Conference Semifinals. After the home team won the first 4 games to set the series at 2, the Lakers beat San Antonio on the road in a memorable Game 5. With the Spurs down 72–71 with 5.4 seconds left, Duncan was almost perfectly defended by Shaq and still made an off-balance fadeaway 20-footer to take a 73–72 lead with 0.4 seconds left. After a few timeouts, Derek Fisher received the inbounds pass from Gary Payton and hit a turn-around 18-footer while falling away. Instant replay showed the ball left Fisher's hands with 0.1 seconds left, thus the Lakers escaped with a 74–73 victory. The NBA denied a Spurs protest stating that the clock did not start in time. The Lakers went on to win the series, and advance to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Detroit Pistons.

O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in the following offseason, and the Lakers missed the playoffs in 2005. Meanwhile, the Spurs won their third NBA Championship over the defending champion Pistons in a long, hard-fought 7-game series. The rivalry became dormant, as the Bryant-led Lakers started anew with a younger nucleus that lost in the first round in 2006 and 2007. Meanwhile, the Spurs were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals 4–3, but rebounded in 2007 to win their 4th Title in 9 years.

During the 2007–08 season, Bryant and the rebuilt Lakers reemerged as a contender. With the added help of Pau Gasol, a second-half acquisition from the Memphis Grizzlies, the team received the #1 seed in the West. The Spurs received the #3 seed. They met again in the 2008 Western Conference Finals. In Game 1, the Lakers overcame a 20-point 3rd quarter deficit to win 89-85 en route to defeating the defending champions 4–1 and advance to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.

In the 2008–09 and 2009-10 season, they did not meet in the playoffs. The Spurs were eliminated for the first time in the first round and second round by the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns respectively, while the Lakers went on to win the NBA Championship against the Orlando Magic in 2009 and the Boston Celtics in 2010.

The 2011 Playoffs was the first time since 2006 that neither appeared in the Western Conference Finals and for only the second time since 1999, neither team made the NBA Finals.

A new rivalry was formed with the arrival of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to the Lakers in 2012. Nash was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with Phoenix, while Howard was acquired in a blockbuster trade from Orlando Magic that also involved the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. In their first game of the 2012–13 season, Danny Green hit a game-winner for the Spurs to win 84-82. The Spurs and Lakers met in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, with the Spurs holding home-court advantage as they had a 58-24 record in contrast to the Lakers' 45-37 record. Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant was unable to play in this last series between the two teams due to his torn Achilles tendon suffered in a season win against the Golden State Warriors.[15] Without their star player, the Lakers were swept by the Spurs 4-0. When the Miami Heat faced against the Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals, a lot of Laker fans went for the Heat, who would eventually defeat them four games to three in the NBA Finals. In 2014, the Spurs and Heat met in the NBA Finals again, with the dominant Spurs beating the Heat in 5 games. As a result of the 2014 victory, Tim Duncan now has as many championships as Kobe Bryant.

On Saturday February 5, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers went to San Antonio, Texas to play the San Antonio Spurs for Bryant's final game there. The Spurs honoured Kobe Bryant with a 2½ minute video while the spotlight shone on Kobe, seated on the Lakers bench. The video showed highlight plays of Bryant, and interviews with Coach Greg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. 3 of spurs players who have faced Kobe during his entire career. The Spurs won the game 106-102 and Kobe finished the game with 25 points and converted just 9 of his 28 shots.[16]

The rivalry is once again being intensified with the arrival of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the Lakers and DeMar DeRozan to the Spurs, a former Raptors player that was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017-18 playoffs. James, as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, has met the Spurs in the NBA Finals on three occasions. In 2019–20 NBA season, the Spurs missed the playoffs for the first time since 23 years, while the Lakers clinched the Playoffs and won the title that season.

Fan Reaction

Fans of the Lakers have been known to denounce the Spurs for "dirty", "overaggressive play", and vice versa with Spurs fans who claim Kobe Bryant is "overrated". Notable instances have been observed of fans chanting "Spurs Suck!" from the Lakers' fans, and "Beat LA" from the Spurs' fans.

Head to head (through 1976–77 season)
Season at Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers-Spurs		 at San Antonio Spurs
Spurs-Lakers		 Total Notes
1976–77 114–105, 107–102 106–109, 135–103 Lakers 3–1
1977–78 109–107, 128–114 129–118, 109–105 Tie 2–2
1978–79 134–121, 119–111 112–111, 125–112 Tie 2–2
1979–80 121–119 121–127 Lakers 2–0 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
1980–81 102–108, 135–122, 118–104 112–109, 118–112 Spurs 3–2 Spurs moved to the Western Conference
1981–82 136–116, 94–100 128–102, 96–117, 110–105 Spurs 3–2 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
128–117, 110–101 108–118, 123–128 Lakers 4–0 Western Conference Finals
1982–83 119–110, 103–124, 120–132 117–114, 114–109 Spurs 4–1 Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions
119–107, 113–122, 112–117 100–113, 121–129, 100–101 Lakers 4–2 Western Conference Finals
1983–84 117–124, 143–124 113–108, 98–110, 137–109 Spurs 3–2 Spurs did not qualify for the playoffs
Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions
1984–85 119–100, 99–98, 115–114 113–112, 122–108 Lakers 3–2 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
1985–86 118–102, 117–109, 124–102 116–121, 109–91 Lakers 4–1
135–88, 122–94 94–114 Lakers 3–0 Western Conference First Round
1986–87 111–109, 147–115, 131–121 108–117, 115–103 Lakers 4–1 Spurs did not qualify for the playoffs
Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
1987–88 147–130, 133–115 124–133, 132–133, 126–133 Lakers 5–0 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
122–110, 130–112 107–109 Lakers 3–0 Western Conference First Round
1988–89 126–96, 138–98 122–107, 100–107 Lakers 3–1 Spurs did not qualify for the playoffs
Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions
1989–90 132–112, 84–86 106–98, 114–115 Tie 2–2
1990–91 97–80, 98–91 110–99, 115–122 Lakers 3–1 Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions
1991–92 98–96, 94–102 103–87, 104–86 Spurs 3–1
1992–93 92–104, 100–101 101–107, 87–92 Tie 2–2 Spurs' final season at HemisFair Arena
1993–94 89–95, 110–126 94–92, 112–97 Spurs 4–0 Spurs' first season at the Alamodome
Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
1994–95 115–99, 87–101 116–102, 107–84 Spurs 3–1
92–85, 71–80, 88–100 110–94, 97–90, 96–98 Spurs 4–2 Western Conference Semifinals
1995–96 99–107, 107–97 117–89, 103–100 Spurs 3–1
1996–97 96–86, 83–94 95–83, 92–99 Tie 2–2 Spurs did not qualify for the playoffs
1997–98 98–88, 91–84 100–109, 75–99 Lakers 4–0
1998–99 106–94 75–80, 108–81 Lakers 2–1 Season shortened to 50 games due to lockout
Lakers' final season at The Forum
Spurs were the eventual NBA champions
91–103, 107–118 87–81, 79–76 Spurs 4–0 Western Conference Semifinals
1999–00 99–93, 80–98 105–81, 103–98 Spurs 3–1 Lakers' first season at Staples Center
Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
2000–01 109–100, 89–93 91–81, 99–101 Tie 2–2 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
111–72, 111–82 90–104, 81–88 Lakers 4–0 Western Conference Finals
2001–02 94–91, 96–95 81–98, 108–90 Lakers 3–1 Spurs' final season at the Alamodome
Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
86–80, 85–88, 93–87 89–99, 85–87 Lakers 4–1 Western Conference Semifinals
2002–03 82–87, 95–103 95–88, 98–89 Spurs 4–0 Spurs' first season at AT&T Center
Spurs were the eventual NBA champions
110–95, 99–95, 82–110 87–82, 114–95, 96–94 Spurs 4–2 Western Conference Semifinals
2003–04 103–87, 89–95 117–120, 86–90 Lakers 3–1 Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions
105–81, 98–90, 88–76 88–78, 95–85, 73–74 Lakers 4–2 Western Conference Semifinals
2004–05 96–105, 91–103 100–83, 95–94 Spurs 4–0 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
Spurs were the eventual NBA champions
2005–06 96–103, 85–96 90–84, 92–100 Spurs 3–1
2006–07 106–99, 94–96 96–100 Lakers 2–1 Spurs were the eventual NBA champions
2007–08 102–97, 106–85 107–92, 103–91 Tie 2–2 Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions
89–85, 101–71, 100–92 103–84, 91–93 Lakers 4–1 Western Conference Finals
2008–09 99–85 112–111, 95–102 Lakers 2–1 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
2009–10 101–89, 81–100 105–85, 83–92 Tie 2–2 Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
2010–11 88–89, 102–93 97–82, 83–99 Tie 2–2
2011–12 91–112 84–98, 121–97 Spurs 2–1 Season shortened to 66 games due to lockout
2012–13 82–84, 91–86 108–105 Spurs 2–1 Spurs were the eventual Western Conference champions
89–120, 82–103 91–79, 102–91 Spurs 4–0 Western Conference First Round
2013–14 85–91, 109–125 119–85, 100–113 Spurs 3–1 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
Spurs were the eventual NBA champions
2014–15 80–93 110–112, 99–85 Spurs 2–1 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
2015–16 95–108, 113–119 109–87, 106–102 Spurs 4–0 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
2016–17 107–116, 98–119 134–94, 95–102 Spurs 3–1 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
2017–18 93–81, 122–112(OT) 112–116 Lakers 3–0 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
2018–19 142–143(OT), 121–113 110–106, 133–120 Spurs 3–1 Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs
2019–20 129–102 104–114, 96–103 Lakers 3–0 Spurs miss the playoffs for the first time in twenty-three years. This is only the fifth time since the merger that the Spurs missed the playoffs.
Lakers were the eventual NBA champions
2020–21 109–118 107–121, 103–109 Lakers 2–1 Season reduced to 72 games due to COVID-19 pandemic

Statistics
Los Angeles Lakers San Antonio Spurs
Total wins 121 112
At Los Angeles Lakers 71 47
At San Antonio Spurs 50 65
Regular season wins 87 90
At Los Angeles Lakers 51 37
At San Antonio Spurs 36 53
Playoff wins 34 22
At Los Angeles Lakers 20 10
At San Antonio Spurs 14 12

Common players

The following players have played for both the Lakers and the Spurs in their careers:

See also
  • National Basketball Association rivalries

References
  1. Aparicio, Ricardo (April 23, 2004). "Glamour vs. Grit: The perfect NBA rivalry". InsideHoops.com. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  2. "NBA : Series records : San Antonio Spurs - select an opponent (sorted by all time win %)". mcubed.net. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  3. History of the Lakers, nba.com/lakers, accessed April 18, 2007.
  4. Top 10 Teams in NBA History Archived 2013-01-29 at WebCite, nba.com/history, accessed April 17, 2007.
  5. San Antonio Spurs History, nba.com/spurs, accessed April 18, 2007.
  6. San Antonio Spurs 1998-99 Game Log and Scores Archived 2006-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, databasebasketball.com, accessed April 17, 2007.
  7. Deveney, Sean. Team 'tude: the Lakers might not be as good as they were the past three seasons, but they have rediscovered a swagger the Spurs know all too well Archived 2008-05-26 at the Wayback Machine, The Sporting News, May 12, 2003, accessed April 15, 2007.* Note article has several pages.
  8. Stewart, Sean. Jackson vs. Riley - basketball coaches Phil Jackson and Pat Riley - Brief Article Archived 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, The Sporting News, May 1, 2000, accessed April 18, 2007.
  9. Associated Press. No asterisk will smudge this champion, June 8, 2000, accessed April 18, 2007.
  10. 1999-00 NBA Standings, Stats and Awards Archived 2007-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com/history.com, accessed April 17, 2007.
  11. 2000 Playoff Results Archived 2010-04-20 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com/history.com, accessed April 17, 2007.
  12. 2001 Playoff Results Archived 2010-06-15 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com/history, accessed April 17, 2007.
  13. 2002 Playoff Results Archived 2010-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com/history.com, accessed April 17, 2007.
  14. 2003 Playoff Results Archived 2010-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com/history, accessed April 14, 2007.
  15. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9166874/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-probably-tore-achilles-team-says
  16. "Lone star setting: Kobe Bryant savours his last visit to a most formidable foe". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
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