Spurs: Ranking All 43 Players from Champion Playoff Rosters

10. Avery Johnson

While some guys I've already mentioned may have had bigger roles across multiple championships, Avery Johnson being 10th demonstrates the importance of franchise-defining moments in my list. I could argue his shot in New York to seal the Knicks' fate in the NBA Finals was even bigger than Sean Elliott's Memorial Day Miracle that same postseason. Will I? Nah. Not now, at least.

Of course, Avery did much more than hit the shot that lifted the Spurs to their first of five franchise titles. After averaging 19.5 points and 6.3 assists per game in the opening round against Minnesota, he finished the 1999 postseason with averages of 12.6 points and 7.4 assists.

9. Boris Diaw

I was so torn on how to rank these next three guys that I turned to Twitter for opinions. An argument certainly could be made for all three being interchangeable, but in the end, I settled on inserting Boris Diaw into the ninth spot.

His series against the Miami Heat will always be remembered for the flashy passes and beautiful footwork he demonstrated, but his biggest contribution to the 2014 title run came against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals.

In the last three games against the Thunder, Diaw averaged 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists off the bench, including a monster 26-point performance to close them out in front of their home crowd.

8. Sean Elliott

Imagine forever having a holiday associated with a basketball shot you made one time. Well, that might only be a San Antonio thing, but there hasn't been a year since 1999 that Sean Elliott's huge miracle three hasn't resurfaced in May. And why not? It was a hell of a shot.

Elliott retired with the Spurs having shown up in nine playoffs for them and averaged 13.2 points and 4.0 rebounds across his 85 games played.

7. Robert Horry

Like Stephen Jackson before, Robert Horry is another guy who's held a grudge against the Spurs for years, which I've previously written about. But this isn't about that. When it comes to playoff contributions, I'll forever be of the opinion that he hit the single biggest shot in Spurs' playoff history -- unless, of course, someone somehow tops it in the future.

Without a doubt, the 2005 Detroit Pistons were the toughest team the Spurs ever had to face in their championship runs. I mean seriously, what kind of teams goes on the road after losing on a shot like that and takes the next game in a must-win situation? Well, they did.

Beyond the heroic Game 5 display he put on, Horry scored 214 points in those playoffs and also contributed to the '07 title run -- mostly with an infamous hip check.

6. Kawhi Leonard

How does one of three NBA Finals MVPs end up sixth on this list? Well as I said at the outset, my personal feelings also come into play on this list. I won't turn this into another excuse to bash Kawhi Leonard though. The truth is he was an absolute beast for San Antonio in the twilight years of the Big Three.

While he scored a combined 18 points in the first two games of the NBA Finals, Leonard went on to score 29, 20, and 22 in the final three, solidifying his case for Finals MVP. Kawhi would only continue growing his game exponentially as the years went on.

Beyond his quickly evolving offensive game, Leonard's world-class defense also brought us all this classic moment.

Speaking of defense, number five on the list knows a thing or ten about that.