The Boring San Antonio Spurs are Contenders Again

These current Spurs were written off even before this season
started. Last season saw San Antonio win 61 games which was good enough
for the best record in The Western Conference. Prior to the start of the
playoffs, All-Star guard Manu Ginobli was injured which helped to
derail “The San Antonio Express”. The Spurs would go on to lose in six
games to The Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Many skeptics
wondered if that would be the last hurrah for the aging core of Ginobli
and fellow All-Stars forward Tim Duncan and point guard Tony Parker, but
hope springs eternal at the start of every season.

The Spurs were flying under the radar this season as they were being
overshadowed in The West by The Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and
The Los Angeles Lakers. In February, The Spurs went on an 11-game
winning streak which included winning their first seven games on their
infamous “Rodeo Road Trip”. The Spurs caught The Thunder in the
standings who had appeared to be running away with The Western
Conference and now have they have their eyes set on the top seed in the
playoffs out West as the regular season winds down.

The success of The Spurs comes down to Duncan and head coach Gregg
Popovich. Duncan was drafted by San Antonio with the first overall pick
in 1997 and has become one of the quietest stars that the game has ever
seen. Duncan has averaged 20 points per game for his career and is a
three-time NBA Finals MVP, but his best moment might have come a few
years ago when Popovich approached him about a new role with the team.
Popovich gave Duncan a reduced role in The Spurs offense as he would no
longer be the main scoring threat. Most stars in Duncan’s shoes would
have demanded a trade because they would have felt disrespected. Duncan
has taken it in stride as he has become the third wheel behind Parker
and Ginobli.

Popovich believes in “team ball” as players on The Spurs do not go
out of the way to assume the spotlight. In practice, Popovich has been
known to criticize Duncan the same way that he would critique the other
fourteen players on the team. When role players see that their captain
is right in the foxhole taking his lumps with them, they gain respect
for him and it makes it easier for Popovich to get the team to fall in
line.

Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford get a ton of credit for
finding talent on the international level and late in The NBA Draft. Six
current members of The Spurs were born outside of The United States.
Forward Dejuan Blair appeared to be a certain Lottery Pick in 2009, but
fell to San Antonio at pick 37 in the second round due to concerns over
his knees. Blair is currently averaging 9.3 points on the season along
with 5.4 rebounds. Small forward Kawhi Leonard came into the league as
an athlete, but it was going be interesting to see how the wing man from
San Diego State would fit in. Leonard was drafted by The Indiana Pacers
last year with the 15th overall pick and was traded to The Spurs as
apart of the deal for George Hill. Leonard has become a key contributor
off of the bench as he had a career-high 24 points in a victory over The
Portland Trailblazers back in February.

The Spurs have made their living over the last decade on the defensive
end but now they have sprinkled in some offense. Duncan and Blair are
surrounded by good perimeter players in Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw and
Matt Bonner. Although San Antonio has been one of the better defensive
teams in The NBA over the last decade, they are only 17th this season in
points allowed at 96.4, but they are second in the league in points
scored with 103 per game. They will need those points along with their
defensive mindset in the playoffs.