NBA Playoff Predictions: Why the Spurs Are the Most Dangerous Team in Playoffs
The San Antonio Spurs appear to be the team that just won’t go away.
Having made the playoffs every season since drafting Tim Duncan in 1997-98, the Spurs have been a cause for concern amongst Western Conference opponents for the last 14 years.
Everybody today, though, wants to talk about the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder as champions, while the Spurs are considered by some to be simply too old to compete any longer.
At 18-9, the Spurs appear to be flying a bit under the radar. While two of their biggest stars, Duncan and Manu Ginobili, continue to age, the Spurs find themselves currently second in the West, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Last year’s playoff loss to the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies did a good job of convincing their critics that they were done as a unit, and being swept by the Phoenix Suns the year before didn’t help either.
But for a team that holds the NBA’s longest active playoff streak, the Spurs are about as consistent as it gets, and should in no way be counted out as a contender this season.
In the overwhelming assumption that the Spurs have aged too much over the past few seasons, it’s easy to forget that Tony Parker is only 29 years old.
He’s no kid out of college, but alongside 34-year-old Ginobili and 35-year-old Duncan, Parker is a veteran leader who has the ability to push the ball and add a sense of youth to the Spurs’ version of the Big Three.
His signature game this season came in an 11-point victory over the talented young Thunder, in which Parker had a season-high 42 points. While matching up against one of the league’s best young point guards, Russell Westbrook, Parker also managed zero turnovers, nine assists and two steals.
Despite his shooting percentages being down, Parker is averaging a team-high 18.9 points and a career-high 7.7 assists.
Although the four-time All-Star may see a decrease in his numbers when Ginobili returns, don’t expect the team to lose a step.
Ginobili, who hasn’t played since going down with a broken hand on Jan. 2, will soon rejoin a team that is only 2.5 games back from first place in the conference.
Head coach Gregg Popovich is known for sitting his players before the playoffs in order to preserve their endurance for a playoff run, and by getting hurt early in the season, Ginobili may have taken care of that for him.
Having missed the early part of the year, Ginobili has not only given himself fresher legs going into the second half of a shortened season, but the younger players on the roster have been given the time to learn the system set in place by coach Popovich.
Guys such as Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green have all filled their roles nicely, and where would this team be without Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter?
While some teams try to narrow down their rotation to around nine consistent players before the playoff push, Popovich has 10 guys on his roster averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
Ginobili’s return, though, should be welcomed by all Spurs fans, as he was averaging nearly 20 points per game before his departure, and is arguably the team’s best player when the game is on the line.
The truth remains, however, that no team flies under the radar because everything is going right.
While the team has put together impressive victories against the Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, they have also put up lackluster performances in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, two losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and a narrow victory over the conference’s worst team, the New Orleans Hornets.
The difference in those games can likely be found in one simple concept.
Home court advantage.
With just a single home loss this season, the Spurs have looked nearly immortal at AT&T Center. A 5-8 road record, however, has prevented the Spurs from capturing the top spot out West.
Ginobili’s scoring and intensity will help in road games, along with continuing to utilize the depth that Popovich has brought to the forefront.
We know Ginobili is a difference maker, and we’ve seen that the bench can be too. But as soon as they begin to flourish on the court in the same game, the defense may pick up and the road woes may disappear toward the season’s end.
But with Duncan being the only San Antonio player to average more than one block per game this season and the team giving up more points on the road than at home, the Spurs could consider taking advantage of their depth in a different way.
In today’s NBA of moving big-name players to big-time markets, the Spurs don’t exactly jump out as a candidate to make a drastic in-season move, but the buzz surrounding Chris Kaman's availability is interesting to think about.
Kaman hasn’t been outstanding this season, and the New Orleans Hornets would likely take back Richard Jefferson’s contract, as well as another piece or two.
But on a roster as deep as San Antonio’s, the big guy could provide an inside presence alongside Duncan and Blair that would be tough to compete with.
Assuming Popovich will have Duncan sit more and more the further into the season the team gets, Kaman could be a highly regarded replacement when Duncan rests, and a superior sidekick when they’re on the floor together.
Splitter and Bonner have been very good in their roles this season, but Kaman could step in as a starter and add even more depth with Blair moving to the bench.
But whether the organization makes a move or not, don’t overlook this team.
The question is not if the Spurs are the best team in the league, or even the most talented—they’re probably not.
The most dangerous team in a season is often times the team that doesn’t get enough credit, and in a Western Conference that is being considered by some as “wide open,” the Spurs can make their move this year.
Being dangerous has never given any team in history a 100 percent chance at anything, but while last year’s loss to Memphis woke up the critics, it may have woken up Popovich and the Spurs as well.
