Before he could move forward this summer, David Robinson first had to look back.
So late one afternoon when he felt particularly wistful, when he wondered about a future without Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott, when he contemplated walking into a locker room with eight new faces staring at him, Robinson retired to his living room and popped the tape into the VCR.
Within minutes, Mario Elie was once again burying Houston with his Kiss of Death. Elliott tiptoed the sideline and threw in the Memorial Day Miracle. Johnson squared up from 18 feet on the Madison Square Garden baseline and knocked down the biggest shot of his life.
Tim Duncan lifted the Finals MVP award above his head as Robinson hoisted the championship trophy. Will Perdue chewed on a cigar in the champagne-drenched locker room.
Robinson soaked all of it up as the Spurs' run to the 1999 NBA title sprang back to life.