Spurs 2015-16 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
The San Antonio Spurs' sudden opening-round exit in these past NBA playoffs as reigning champions should only provide the 2015-16 squad with further fuel to bounce back.
San Antonio's schedule for the upcoming season dropped Wednesday, and it can be viewed at NBA.com. There is plenty of reason to believe the Spurs will be legitimate championship contenders thanks to the addition of All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Although Aldridge plays the same position as Spurs legend Tim Duncan, the latter figures to slide over to the 5 to accommodate the former Portland Trail Blazers franchise pillar. Odds Shark has San Antonio listed as second favorites with 3-1 odds for the NBA title behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Take a closer look at the Spurs' marquee 2015-16 matchups below, followed by a final record prediction for the impending regular season.
Breakdown of Top Games
San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors
First Meeting: Monday, Jan. 25
The blend of championship pedigree, depth and coaching could have made the Spurs a real threat to knock Golden State off course in its pursuit of the Larry O'Brien Trophy. This showdown will be most exciting with San Antonio's addition of Aldridge.
What everything may boil down to is the point guard position. Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry has the quickness and craftiness to dance around anyone, even a savvy veteran like Tony Parker.
Lacking the foot speed he once had, Parker has his work cut out and will need help from primary backup Patty Mills defensively to ensure the Spurs stay within striking distance. The loss of defensive stopper Cory Joseph in free agency may be more glaring against Golden State in particular.
The Warriors like to go small, and the front-line pair of Duncan and Aldridge allows San Antonio to match up well. Veteran David West will be coming off the bench to play the 4, and Boris Diaw figures to get into the rotation with his point forward skill set.
West could have signed for a lot of money, yet he opted to take the $1.5 million veteran minimum for a shot at a title in San Antonio. That speaks volumes to the strength of the Spurs organization and West's desire to win the big one.
Taking that little money compared to what he could've gotten isn't just a show of good faith. It also shows West is expecting to be rewarded for his sacrifice with a championship trophy—not merely hoping for it by joining one of the league's perennial winners.
"At this point in my career, it's all about winning," West said in an interview with Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com in Indianapolis (h/t ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright). "And again, I don't want to be in a position where we're just fighting to make the playoffs. I want to be in a spot where we can legitimately taste the Finals."
Winning the deep Western Conference by 11 games last season was a monumental achievement by Golden State. A revamped roster gives the Spurs a chance to close the gap, but it will be easier to determine whether they can surpass the Warriors when the two powerhouses face off.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
First Meeting: Friday, Dec. 18
Good thing L.A. managed to hang on to center DeAndre Jordan, who nearly fled for Dallas in free agency but opted to stick it out with the Clippers. Jordan is the league's reigning rebound champion and a supreme paint enforcer with offensive upside to explore entering the prime of his career.
Among last season's contributors, there isn't any Spur who can really match up with Jordan from a physical standpoint. That's why newly signed 7'3", 290-pound Serbian import Boban Marjanovic could be such a clutch wild card.
TrueHoop Network's Matthew R. Tynan highlights the measurable assets Marjanovic brings to the hardwood:
Anyone skeptical of an unproven NBA commodity like Marjanovic making an impact ought to take a gander at these notes from Basketball Insiders international expert David Pick:
The acquisition of Paul Pierce should excite Los Angeles fans—until he has to deal with 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard on both ends of the floor.
San Antonio has the personnel up front in Aldridge and West to stay fresh and more consistently stop Blake Griffin as well. That will be a big key, because Griffin averaged 24.1 points, 13.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the seven postseason contests against the Spurs.
Once again the onus falls on Parker and Mills to at least offset the play of Clippers floor general Chris Paul, whose Game 7 heroics sunk San Antonio in the playoffs.
Record Prediction
Much of the attention will rightly be focused on how Aldridge coexists with Duncan and how the brilliant tactician of a head coach in Gregg Popovich will reshape his rotation. Should Marjanovic step up in his first year stateside, there's no telling what type of dynamic lineups San Antonio could assemble.
Summer League first-teamer Kyle Anderson is a point forward in the mold of Diaw who could carve out a solid role depending on how Popovich juggles so many talented players.
For all of the reinforcements San Antonio can call upon from the bench, ESPN's Dick Vitale believes the Spurs starters will be regarded as the best in the Association:
What is bound to determine how this formidable San Antonio juggernaut shapes up is how high of a level Duncan and sixth man extraordinaire Manu Ginobili can play at. The longtime franchise cornerstones were at least mulling retirement this offseason but opted to return for one last ride.
For the Spurs to achieve their bottom-line objective, Duncan and especially Ginobili may have to take a step back in the regular season, allowing the younger contributors to accumulate valuable live reps. Then they'll be charged with leading the locker room for all the marbles.
San Antonio is too well-coached and talented to win fewer than 50 games—even in the West. It's likely Popovich will find the proper chemistry sooner than later, allowing the Spurs to win more than 60 games and reclaim their perpetual perch atop the West over Golden State.
Record Prediction: 62-20
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