1992–93 San Antonio Spurs season

The 1992–93 San Antonio Spurs season was the 17th season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 26th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired former All-Star guard Dale Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade, signed free agents Vinny Del Negro and undrafted rookie shooting guard Lloyd Daniels, and re-signed Avery Johnson after a brief stint with the Houston Rockets. The team also hired former University of Nevada, Las Vegas coach Jerry Tarkanian as their new head coach. However, prior to the start of the regular season, Terry Cummings suffered a serious knee injury during a pick-up game, and only played in the final eight games of the season.

Under Tarkanian, and with the addition of Ellis, Johnson and Del Negro, the Spurs struggled with a 9–11 start to the regular season. After 20 games into the season, Tarkanian was fired as head coach, then after playing one game under assistant coach Rex Hughes, the team hired John Lucas II as their new coach. In December, the team traded Sidney Green to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for J.R. Reid. Under Lucas, the Spurs played solid basketball posting a 10-game winning streak in January, and then posting an eight-game winning streak between January and February, as the team held a 34–15 record at the All-Star break. However, the Spurs played below .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, finishing in second place in the Midwest Division with a 49–33 record, and earning the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

David Robinson averaged 23.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.2 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, while Sean Elliott finished second on the team in scoring averaging 17.2 points per game, and Ellis provided them with 16.7 points per game and led the Spurs with 119 three-point field goals. In addition, Antoine Carr averaged 13.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Reid provided with 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 66 games after the trade, Daniels contributed 9.1 points per game off the bench, Johnson contributed 8.7 points and 7.5 assists per game, and Del Negro averaged 7.4 points and 4.0 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, Robinson and Elliott were both selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Elliott's first ever All-Star appearance. Robinson finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished tied in second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets, while Lucas finished in sixth place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1993 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 4th–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, All-Star guard Terry Porter, and Sixth Man of the Year, Clifford Robinson. With the series tied at 1–1, the Spurs won the next two games over the Trail Blazers at home, which included a Game 4 win at the HemisFair Arena in overtime, 100–97 to win the series in four games.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Spurs faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Phoenix Suns, who were led by the All-Star trio of Most Valuable Player of the Year, Charles Barkley, three-point specialist Dan Majerle, and Kevin Johnson. The Spurs lost the first two games to the Suns on the road at the America West Arena, but managed to win the next two games at the HemisFair Arena to even the series. However, the Spurs lost the next two games to the Suns, including a Game 6 loss at the HemisFair Arena, 102–100, in which Barkley hit a game-winning buzzer-beater, as the Spurs lost the series in six games. The Suns would advance to the 1993 NBA Finals, but would lose to the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in six games.

The Spurs finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 658,337 at the HemisFair Arena during the regular season; this was also their final season playing at the HemisFair Arena. Following the season, Elliott was traded to the Detroit Pistons, and Johnson signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors.