The San Antonio Spurs were on one of the greatest runs in NBA history. After a 102-82 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs streak ended at 20 straight games.
The last time the Spurs lost was on Aprill 11th against the Los Angeles Lakers. Spring was just a few weeks old and baseball season had just begun.
They went on to win their last 10 regular season games, followed by a sweep of the Utah Jazz in four games, a matchup that probably only Spurs fans remember. The Spurs also trampled the mighty Los Angeles Clippers in four straight games.
The team won the first two games against the Thunder in demonstrative fashion. They won Game 1 101-98 and Game 2 120-111.
The 20-game streak will go down tied for the third best streak in NBA history and there is good news behind these streaks.
The best streak ever was 33 games by the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers. They were led by Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain and went on to win the NBA Championship that year.
The 2007-2008 Houston Rockets, they did not win the championship, but won 22 games in a row, setting the mark for the second best winning streak in the NBA.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who the Spurs tied, also won 20 straight and were crowned champions that season. The 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers won 19 straight and Kobe Bryant captured his first championship at the end of the season.
The San Antonio Spurs look more than capable of capturing the title this year. If they continue to get solid performances from Tony Parker and the future hall of famer, Tim Duncan, they could definitely win it all in 2012.
