EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- No matter what. They are a success story if the NBA Finals end this week or next, in East Rutherford or the Old West, by the ocean or the river.

The No. 28 pick in the 2001 draft who became the starting point guard and an early hero in the championship series.

The free-agent signing who had to go around the world, literally, to find his way home and become the starting shooting guard.

The guy who wasn't drafted, signed for the minimum and became the starting small forward.

The No. 57 pick -- 57! -- in 1999 who immediately showed star power and became the backup shooting guard.

The 6-foot-7 backup center whose second-half resurgence helped sparked the drive to a division title.

The San Antonio Spurs. Favorites to win the championship and the ultimate underdogs at the same time.

	Stephen Jackson, like most Spurs, have come a long way to reach the NBA Finals.

"It gives us that fighting mentality," said Stephen Jackson, Mr. Passport. "That never-give-up mentality. That helps us a lot."

The Spurs have a pair of No. 1 selections, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, who think they belong or something. The rest of the team lets them play anyway.

The three other starters were once available to the world. Literally. Jackson, originally from Port Arthur, Texas, came by way of Australia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and the CBA, Tony Parker arrived from France and late in the first round and Bruce Bowen joined the team on a minimum deal after playing for three NBA teams in as many seasons.

The two top reserves are mega-finds: Malik Rose and, in the real genius move, Manu Ginobili.

And that's not even counting the retirement home they've built on the bench. Kevin Willis, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Steve Smith. At least they're known. Known for the 1990s, but known.

"We've had to do it like that all the time," general manager R.C. Buford said. "When you have David Robinson and the contract he's had since he got here, you've always drafted late in the first round and been over the salary cap. It was Terry Porter coming in or Mario Elie coming in or Jerome Kersey coming in."

It was being advantageous. Bowen felt unwanted in Miami in the summer of 2001, so he came to San Antonio for the minimum as an elite perimeter defender. He has since re-signed with a greater price tag.

It was the foresight that makes general managers. Ginobili was a relative unknown from Argentina and playing in Italy when the Spurs took him with the next-to-last pick in the 1999 draft. He continued to play in Europe and turned into a star, before finally coming to San Antonio as a 2002-03 rookie. He would have been a lottery choice, probably in the top five or six, in the 2002 draft.

It was luck. The Celtics needed a point guard in 2001 and took Joseph Forte at No. 21. The Magic needed a point guard and took Jeryl Sasser at 22. The Pacers needed a point guard and had Atlanta take Jamaal Tinsley at 27 as part of a pre-arranged deal. The Spurs needed a point guard and, laughably, got Parker at 28.

It was taking a flyer. Jackson had always been intriguing since starring in high school; he had played in the '96 McDonald's game with Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Tim Thomas. But he was also a project unable to run down his potential. More to local concerns, he didn't have the defensive approach the Spurs preferred. But they didn't have much money to spend and he was available and cheap, so they were a perfect fit. All he did this season was lead the team in steals and average 11.8 points, an especially solid contribution since it came in 28.2 minutes.

Jackson had previously been waived by the Suns, Bulls and Grizzlies and played with Fort Wayne in the CBA. His passport had been so overworked, it needed to go on the injured list. He finally stuck, with New Jersey in 2000-01, but got ripped by coach Byron Scott, like most every Net, and wasn't re-signed.

Two seasons later, he is the starting shooting guard for the Western Conference champions, playing against the Nets.

"The things Byron said about me -- not being coachable and not being able to play on his team -- maybe he was right," Jackson said. "Maybe some of the things might be right. I don't have any hard feelings. I wake up every morning and thank God for being here. People say bad things about me and say good things about me. It doesn't bother me. I get on my knees and pray every morning. I'm in the Finals and on a great team."

Parker is the starting point guard and the steal of the 2001 draft.

Bowen is the starting small forward, after not being drafted out of Cal State Fullerton and pinballing between Miami twice, Boston, Philadelphia, the CBA and France. He just led the league in 3-point percentage and starred with Duncan as the Spurs finished third in field-goal defense.

Ginobili is the first perimeter player off the bench, a slashing shooting guard.

Rose, the No. 44 pick in 1996 by Charlotte and living on short-term deals in San Antonio until the seven-year contract came in 2002, is the first big man off the bench -- and playing 10 minutes more a game in the playoffs than starting center Robinson.

	“	We've had to do it like that all the time. When you have David Robinson and the contract he's had since he got here, you've always drafted late in the first round and been over the salary cap. It was Terry Porter coming in or Mario Elie coming in or Jerome Kersey coming in. ”
		— R.C. Buford

It's become a tradition by now. Give them your tired and poor and huddled masses. Avery Johnson, Elie, Jaren Jackson, Porter. That was the last group, Porter the only one who had known much career stability before coming to San Antonio. Fast forward. The second-round shooting guard, the point guard from late in the first round, the wandering shooting guard.

"I think a lot of it begins with Avery Johnson," coach Gregg Popovich said. "If you think back, everybody said, 'You can't win with Avery Johnson and Avery can't shoot and Avery can't do that.' And we went and gave him a four-year contract, the first time he ever had anything extended in his life. And Tim and David and everybody realized what a great leader he was and the great things he did to help us do what we did (with the 1999 championship).

"It probably instilled a bit more confidence with them. We brought in other people. Mario Elie when nobody wanted him any more and Jaren Jackson. So we had a little bit of a record of bringing in people that we thought would fit in for a variety of reasons, and it worked. When we talked to them about these guys, they said OK, fine. But mostly it's because they are trusting people and we had a history of it working before. That's probably why."

The others decided Tim and David could stay, too. It was tough because they stood out and all, early picks who didn't have to fight for respectability and financial security, but maybe they could help win a few games. Somebody, after all, has to have the unusual path to get here.

Scott Howard-Cooper, who covers the NBA for the Sacramento Bee, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.