The Spurs were fortunate enough to nab Duncan with the first pick of the 1997 draft lottery, a pick Rick Pitino believed would have changed the face of the Celtics. Instead, Duncan has hand-delivered five championships to the Alamo along with his two buddies and curmudgeon coach Gregg Popovich, carved on the Mount Rushmore of NBA coaches.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili can’t play together forever . . . can they? Let’s assume they can’t, and that’s no cinch, but it appears their time together is limited and their run should be celebrated, and mimicked by opposing teams.

When the San Antonio Spurs grace the courts of opposing teams, they do so as the pristine model of all NBA teams. These sightings should be considered special because they are finite.


Perhaps what has been most impressive about the Spurs’ 15-year run is their ability to recover from the disheartening NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat in 2013 and to dismantle the Heat in a rematch a year later, the series that likely chased LeBron James back north.

The common denominator for four of the five titles has been the trio of Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker. It’s a combination that has proved to carry lasting power while Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford replace pieces around the triumvirate with better and younger ones.

And they all follow the Spurs’ model. No selfishness. No challenging Popovich — unless you’re one of the prized trio — and winning by making the extra pass and bypassing the good shot for the better shot.

It’s a system that has proved as effective as the Lakers’ dynasty in the 1980s and Bulls’ in the 1990s, and the Celtics viewed this as a blueprint for their potential success.

The Celtics recently owned an effective system, the six-year run by the Big Three that produced one NBA championship and one other Finals appearance. The fundamental difference is the Celtics acquired their potential Hall of Fame trio deep into their careers.


The Spurs drafted Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, in addition to 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. The Celtics are attempting to use the draft to amass cornerstones for a foundation that will keep the organization competitive for years.

“What those guys do, I don’t take for granted anymore,” Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo said. “I made a run with my guys but losing sucks and to be a team that goes to the Finals or Western Conference finals every year is definitely difficult. Teams can’t say that. They can’t put a team together in training camp and say they expect to make it to the Finals, but the Spurs have the last 18 years, since Duncan’s been there, they’re a great contender.

“One key that’s underrated is their chemistry. That core’s been together for so long. It’s big. When you get a bunch of new guys that don’t have too much chemistry, it’s tough to compete over and over again. Their organization has done a nice job of keeping those guys together.”

Rondo acknowledged the Celtics were beginning to develop a dominant stretch when the Big Three arrived in 2007, but age and decline caused their eventual breakup. Rondo got a taste of the cohesion created by time and dedication to a system.

“Once upon a time we had chemistry like that,” Rondo said. “Kevin [Garnett], Ray [Allen], and Paul [Pierce] and other guys, [Kendrick Perkins], we went through four or five training camps together and you get those types of timing and it trickles down, to trick other teams, to know what you need to look for in the fourth quarter. We’re starting over here and it’s a learning process.”


When asked if the Celtics can regain their system and build consistency similar to that of the Spurs, Rondo said, “It’s all so hard. When you have guys who are in for one year, out the next. It’s not going to happen in one year. It’s not going to happen in one training camp. It takes time. That’s what separates the great teams like the Spurs. They’ve been together for so long. Even though Miami jelled quickly, as we did back in the day, but [the Spurs] were still a team that was together about four years straight. Chemistry is a lot.”

The Spurs mixed astute roster moves with some good fortune and the legendary consistency of Duncan, who has accepted moderate contracts — as have Parker and Ginobili — to keep the trio together. This year, they will earn a combined $29.8 million — less than half of the league’s salary cap. By comparison, Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks will earn $23.4 million this year himself.

That type of salary sacrifice may not be seen for a generation, so when the Spurs step on the court Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, their philosophy should be respected and applauded. Because when the trio fades away, their culture could become extinct.


Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe.