On this date: Spurs win second, fifth NBA championships

SAN ANTONIO – June 15 is an important date in Spurs franchise history.  It represents the date the Spurs won their second and fifth NBA championships.

The Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals to win the series 4-2.

It was David Robinson’s final game with the Spurs after a stellar 14-year career in San Antonio, and the first year the Spurs played in the AT&T Center, which was called the SBC Center at the time. 

The series also marked the end of Steve Kerr’s career. Kerr just won his second championship as head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Tim Duncan was named Finals MVP after a dominating series highlighted by a near quadruple-double in Game 6.

Duncan scored 21 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, had 10 assists and 8 blocks.

Duncan and Robinson were later named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsmen of the Year for 2003. 

Eleven years later, the Spurs won the franchise’s fifth NBA title on June 15, 2014. 

San Antonio beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat, 4-1.

The series was a rematch of the 2013 Finals that saw Miami beat San Antonio in a seven-game series.

The Spurs outscored the Heat by an average of 14 points per game in the series, which is the largest average point differential in NBA Finals history. 

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The Spurs ran circles around Miami with a blend of offensive balance and great team defense.

Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP due to his play on both ends of the court.

He was San Antonio’s primary defender on James and averaged nearly 18 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

The championship was Leonard’s first of his career and Duncan’s fifth.

Duncan retired two years later, while Leonard has become the new face of the franchise. 

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