The quirkiest part of San Antonio's two decades of success?

The Vancouver Grizzlies.

Yes, the Vancouver Grizzlies.

As part of the expansion agreement with the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies, neither Canadian club was allowed to have the #1 overall pick in the draft until 1999.

Pretty onerous, if you ask me!

So the Raptors were merely bad, while the Grizzlies sucked.

I mean suuuuuucked.

It's lottery time for the 1997 draft and the Grizzlies actually had the worst record in the whole NBA.

Grizzlies 14-68
Boston 15-67
Spurs 20-62

The Grizzlies SHOULD have had the best odds to draft Tim Duncan, but the NBA rules meant that no matter what, the Grizzlies (or Raptors) couldn't get the #1 pick.

Now of course, this all comes down to mathematical luck, but do the Spurs engage in the 1997 tank-a-thon if they knew they woulda had to leapfrog two teams for the #1 pick instead of just one?

Who knows.

Certainly made the decision easier though.

Anyhoo, just another example of how the NBA strangled Vancouver in its basketball crib.

Go Spurs Go!