Why Tim Duncan was mad about the Spurs' 1999 title: 'We should have swept that series'

In 1999, the San Antonio Spurs won their maiden championship, with Tim Duncan helping steer the squad to the title amid the rigors of the NBA lockout-shortened season. They entered the Finals as heavy favorites, as their opponents were the No. 8-seeded New York Knicks.

However, the Knicks proved to be a more challenging opponent than expected, with the series ending 4-1. Apparently, Duncan was displeased with the result. Former Spurs teammate Sean Elliott even said the Hall of Famer was "mad" they failed to get the sweep.

"I talked about that [series] with Tim a while back, and he was like, 'We should have swept that series,'" Elliott said. "He's still mad about it. He's still mad we lost that game at Madison Square Garden."

Losing Game 3

San Antonio showed its dominance over the "Knickerbockers" in the first two contests, winning each game by at least 12 points. Without Patrick Ewing and a healthy Larry Johnson, New York just had no answer for the twin towers of Duncan and David Robinson.

However, playing in Madison Square Garden seemed to invigorate the Knicks. They came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, scoring 32 points in the opening quarter. That was the only time they breached the 30-point mark in any period in the 1999 Finals against the terrifying defense of the Spurs.

Allan Houston led the way for New York. He put up 13 points in the first stanza and finished with a game-high 34. Despite Duncan being mad about the loss, he offered a compliment for the former Knicks star.