David Robinson wasn’t the kind of player who would sound off unless warranted. However, once The Admiral saw that the performance of his teammates was sub-par, he knew he had to take over.
One such instance was in March 1995 when the San Antonio Spurs were playing the Detroit Pistons. Robinson felt his teammates were playing sloppy ball, so he took it upon himself to take over.
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“We stopped putting pressure on them, and we stopped running. All of a sudden, it was down to six. That’s when I told them, ‘We’re going inside. Give me the ball,”‘ the top pick of the 1987 Draft stated via UPI.
Robinson made those remarks after the Spurs wasted a 21-point lead, allowing the Pistons to come within six, 80-74, in the third quarter. David anchored a 21-4 counter-run to foil Detroit’s uprising.
The Spurs controlled the contest from there, winning that matchup 114-93. Robinson finished with a game-high 40 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks in that win, San Antonio’s eighth win in a row.
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At that point, the Spurs had a 49-18 win-loss record but never slowed down. They stretched that winning run to 15 games before dropping back-to-back assignments to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns.
After that, the Spurs got back on the winning track, stringing seven straight wins to end the regular season. They finished with a 62-20 win-loss card, the best record by any team that year.
Spurs fall short of goal
With the Spurs streaking that season, it seemed imminent that they would reach the 1995 NBA Finals. However, that was until the Houston Rockets spoiled all that, shocking the Spurs in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
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Robinson admitted that it was a disappointing finish, especially since he wanted to bring a championship to San Antonio. However, with Hakeem Olajuwon outplaying him, The Admiral admitted it was a hard pill to swallow.
“He was playing amazing basketball, and I played OK, but OK is not good in the playoffs. In the playoffs, you actually have to step it up and be better, and he did that against us,” Robinson shared on “Undeniable with Joe Buck.”
Spurs could have won the 1995 crown
The Rockets went on to win it all, defeating the upstart Orlando Magic via sweep. Had San Antonio overcome Houston in the WCF, the Spurs could have won it all, especially if Robinson maintained that level of performance that season.
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Robinson finished the regular season averaging 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 81 regular-season games. In the playoffs, his numbers were near those averages (25.3 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game).
It was a case of what could have been for The Admiral and the Spurs. It took time, but Robinson and San Antonio finally won one in 1999. Another championship came in 2003, a fitting gift since it was his last year in the NBA.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.