18 Years in the Making: How the Spurs Have Sustained Their Success for So Long
Defensive Force: Counting Stats
The Spurs defense has always been considered suffocating, and a lot of that comes from the rim protection David Robinson and Tim Duncan provided when they played together in Duncan's early years. Duncan continued to become a force in the paint after Robinson and the statistics measure up.
| Top 10 in Blocks | Rebounds | Steals | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuggets | 61,078 | 11,650 | 8,116 |
| Spurs | 60,944 | 10,336 | 8,098 |
| Clippers | 59,678 | 10,454 | 7,803 |
| Jazz | 59,339 | 11,186 | 7,654 |
| Lakers | 62,499 | 10,723 | 7,581 |
| Mavericks | 60,185 | 10,813 | 7,451 |
| Pacers | 60,982 | 10,498 | 7,435 |
| Warriors | 62,278 | 11,703 | 7,357 |
| Pistons | 59,492 | 10,613 | 7,280 |
| Grizzlies | 58,710 | 11,382 | 7,245 |
Over the last 18 years, the Spurs have been top-10 in blocks and rebounds, though their efforts in trying to steal the ball haven't always been up to par with the league. On average, a team has produced 10,768 steals over the last 18 years, amounting to 7.65 per game. The Spurs have only produced 10,336 steals (7.24 per game) in the same time span. Their total is fourth-worst and the average per game is the second-worst in the last 18 years.
But what the Spurs lack in thievery, they've made up for in rebounds and blocks. The franchise has pulled down 60,944 total rebounds in 18 years, resulting in 42.7 rebounds per game, both of which rank seventh in the NBA. And on average, they usually win the rebounding battle, though it is close. They have only allowed their opponents to grab 40.9 rebounds per game, the sixth lowest per-game average in the last 18 years.
But the counting stat that puts this franchise over the edge is their massive advantage in blocks. The league average in blocks since Duncan and Pop teamed up is 6,958.6, though 18 different teams have exceeded that number. However, there are only five teams that have accumulated over 7,500 blocks in the last 18 years. At the top of that list are the Nuggets and Spurs, the only two teams with over 8,000 blocks in the last 18 years.
