Spurs Offseason: Is San Antonio 3rd Best NBA Franchise Of All-Time?

After the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs come in third in current all-time rankings.

Jan 12, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; President Barack Obama (middle) poses with the San Antonio Spurs during a ceremony honoring the NBA Champion Spurs in the East Room at The White House. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report has ranked the 30 NBA franchises from worst to first. The San Antonio Spurs check in at third-best all time.

The Spurs only rank below the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, who have 18 and 17 championships, respectively.

San Antonio gets its ranking primarily from the five championships it won. It had spectacular players such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, David Robinson and George Gervin.

When Robinson showed up, the Spurs reached a different level, winning games aplenty as they made clear that they were on the cusp of great things.

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Then, in 1997, everything changed. The Spurs drafted Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick. During the stretch that Duncan played for the Spurs and a few seasons thereafter, San Antonio went on a run where it won 69.9 percent of its games. Dallas came in second, and it was not even close.

Jun 18, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (middle) speaks as teammates Tony Parker (left) and Manu Ginobili (right) listen during NBA championship celebrations at Alamodome. / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

When Robinson finally had Duncan by his side, the Spurs started to win championships.

The Silver & Black won five titles with Duncan. He won two with Robinson and three with a different supporting cast. Duncan, Ginóbili and Parker were as dominant as you could get.

Sprinkle in Kawhi Leonard in 2014, and the Spurs were on their way to building their legacy.

Unfortunately, Leonard's first season was ruined by a Chris Bosh rebound off a LeBron James 3-point attempt. Bosh kicked it out to Ray Allen, who buried one of the most iconic shots in NBA Finals history. The Heat would take Game 7 at home and the rest is history.

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Despite that loss, the Spurs earning the No. 3 overall ranking is fair.

As great as the Spurs have been, they do not have titles or the longevity the Celtics or the Lakers have. It seems like the Celtics have been winning titles since Naismith invented the game.

Now, the mission becomes how quickly they can reach the mountaintop again.