Spurs open NBA season seeking first title repeat

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- The defending champion San Antonio Spurs will try to accomplish a franchise first --back-to-back National Basketball Association titles -- in the 2007-08 season that starts today.

San Antonio swept to their third title in five years -- and their fourth in nine years -- with a four-game sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers in last June's finals.

But in a remarkably successful span -- with championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 -- the Spurs have never been able to win consecutive titles.

Essentially unchanged this season, the team led by superstar Tim Duncan and the ever-improving Tony Parker are nevertheless tabbed by their rivals as the team to beat.

""They know how to do it and they know what it takes,"" says Chicago coach Scott Skiles.

While the NBA balance of power is still tipped toward the Spurs and their Western Conference cohorts, the Boston Celtics have created a buzz in the East with the acquisition of All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play alongside longtime mainstay Paul Pierce.

NBA commissioner David Stern will be counting on a return to the court to turn fans' minds away from the disquieting specter raised by disgraced referee Tim Donaghy, who has admitted betting on games he officiated.

Donaghy is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges linked to illegal gambling, but Stern insists that NBA investigations have found Donaghy is a lone bad apple among the league's officiating corps.

""The current state of the record is that Mr. Donaghy acted alone,"" Stern said. ""There are no other referees that bet on NBA games.""

While Stern was upbeat about off-season NBA ventures in Europe and China, he will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief when the Spurs kick off the new season hosting the Portland Trail Blazers.

Teams gunning for the Spurs in the still powerful Western Conference will again include the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, with the Mavericks bidding to bounce back from a colossal postseason collapse.

Dallas, rebounding from their loss to Miami in the 2006 finals, won 67 regular-season games. They then imploded in the first round against the Golden State Warriors.

German star Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA Most Valuable Player, scored just eight points in the deciding game.

Nowitzki says he wants to focus on the future, but he admits the stinging memories remain.

""You don't want to harp on what you've done wrong, you've got to find ways to move on,"" he says. ""But, still, the frustration – I won't forget.""

The Suns, felled in the second round by San Antonio last season, have added veteran forward Grant Hill to an otherwise largely unchanged rotation that will again rely on an offense guided by point guard par excellence Steve Nash.

The Denver Nuggets, whose talented team finally gelled late last season, will be hoping to build on the strong form they showed in winning 10 of their last 11 games before falling to the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

While the Houston Rockets are banking on the addition of Argentinian power forward Luis Scola to complement Chinese center Yao Ming and shooting guard Tracy McGrady, Los Angeles Lakers' big-scoring superstar Kobe Bryant still lacks a strong supporting cast.

In addition, the atmosphere at the Lakers could be tainted by off-season trade talk surrounding Bryant -- which came from both Bryant himself and team owner Jerry Buss.

It's a different story across the continent in Boston, where a July deal brought 10-time All-Star Garnett from Minnesota together with playmaker Pierce and veteran guard Ray Allen.

None of the three has ever been able to claim an NBA championship despite years of success on the court.

The new-look Celtics will still face a strong challenge in the East from the old-style Detroit Pistons, who appear poised for yet another 50-win season.

While the Cavaliers, led by young superstar LeBron James, will be determined to get back to the championship series, the Chicago Bulls will also be vying to build on a breakout 2006-07 season that saw Sudanese-born Briton Luol Deng emerge as star material.

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