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#4 1999 Title vs the New York Knicks (4-1)
Caveat - this season's title is here simply because it was a 50-game lockout season that is unlike any other the league has seen. Most of the league returned out of shape and the quality of basketball never reached what we are accustomed to watching. On the surface, this team had it all - the best record and net efficiency in the league, their twin towers of Duncan and David Robinson were decimating teams, a playoff run with just 2 losses in total, and role players that fit so perfectly into their slow it down, defense-first mentality.
The twin towers of Duncan and Robinson cannot be understated as there was no way for the league to fully handle two 7-footers of this caliber. Both offensively and defensively, they meshed perfectly for this slowed down era where big men were more important for team success than point guards like we see today. This made up for their tepid guard rotation, as the guards could focus on playing tight defense and simply getting the team into offensive sets, knowing they had the big guys down low to finish the job. I admit, if this was a full season, they probably rank higher but these are my rankings and some subjectivity will prevail.
If you want to poke a hole, besides the 50 game season, you can point to them beating the 8-seed New York Knicks, who were missing their best player in Patrick Ewing in the Finals, are not really the most daunting opponent. But beyond that, their run through the Playoffs ranks them above the 2007 title.
They dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in back-to-back series, sweeping both teams who were the Western Conference Final participants the following year (1999-200). Duncan was nearing the form that would have him win back-to-back MVPs in a few years and started the Spurs on their early run of titles.
