18 Years in the Making: How the Spurs Have Sustained Their Success for So Long
Offensive Production: Ratings
Points are good and all, but how efficient have the Spurs been? They're an excellent shooting team, but how has their offense looked as a whole over the last 18 years.
| Top 10 in ORtg | Assists | Turnovers | Pace | ORtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mavericks | 30,769 | 18,960 | 92 | 108.8 |
| Lakers | 32,374 | 20,275 | 93 | 108.3 |
| Suns | 33,260 | 21,152 | 94.1 | 107.9 |
| Sonics/Thunder | 30,278 | 21,116 | 92 | 107.9 |
| Spurs | 31,563 | 20,164 | 90.6 | 107.5 |
| Jazz | 33,711 | 21,974 | 90.3 | 107.3 |
| Blazers | 30,652 | 20,609 | 89.5 | 106.8 |
| Rockets | 29,873 | 21,607 | 91.5 | 106.4 |
| Kings | 31,142 | 21,448 | 94.5 | 106 |
| Pistons | 29,855 | 19,845 | 89.5 | 105.7 |
Scoring points and doing it effectively has put the Spurs' offense at or near the top in many offensive categories. The Spurs have been one of the best passing teams, as they rank seventh in assists (31,563) and have committed the sixth-fewest turnovers over the last 18 years (20,164).
Along the way, they have formed into one of the slowest teams in the league in terms of Pace at 90.6 possessions per 48 minutes. Only five other teams have had a slower pace over the last 18 years. A slower pace helps put their Offensive Rating into perspective though.
The Spurs' Offensive Rating over the last 18 years has come to 107.5, meaning the Spurs would score 107.5 points per 100 possessions. This is the fifth-highest rating over the last 18 years -- and the teams higher in Offensive Rating are near the top of the league in Pace at 92 or higher.
But the offensive success is only part of the formula for Popovich, Duncan and the Spurs. They may have been just another team if it wasn't for their excellent defensive play.
