Spurs vs. Clippers Game 3: Deep Bench Will Keep San Antonio's Momentum Rolling

The Spurs are a basketball purist's dream. Gregg Popovich's bunch spreads the floor with absurd precision, dissects defenses and let's Tim Duncan be Tim Duncan.

Generally, this is a winning recipe by itself.

When you add in the NBA's best bench to one of the league's most consistent attacks, you get a nearly impossible team to beat.

Just ask the Clippers.

Despite Chris Paul's superhuman efforts, Los Angeles has lost Games 1 and 2 by a combined 33 points. The Clippers simply do not have enough answers for an incredibly steady squad sporting 11 capable players.

Let's take a look at Los Angeles' bench as a whole, each player on the Spurs' bench and why the Clippers stand no chance of overcoming the Spurs' championship aspirations.

Clippers' Bench

The Clippers bring Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans, Mo Williams, Nick Young and Eric Bledsoe off the bench.

Williams is by far their most effective bench player. He averaged 20-plus minutes per game in the regular season and put up 13-plus points per game.

Beyond Williams, no regular Clipper bench player averaged more than five points per game. Depth is not judged by the number of bodies brought off the bench, but by the production those players bring to the court.

Martin and Bledsoe are both intriguing players.

Bledsoe has improved dramatically over the course of the season. Martin has started 641 games in his 11-year NBA career.

However, both struggle with consistency in terms of production and effort.

The other bench players, Evans and Young, fill roles as well.

Evans is arguably the dirtiest paint enforcer the league has to offer right now, and Young is a high-volume shooter with limitless confidence.

Again, both players are solid, but not reliable producers.

Los Angeles does not have the worst bench you will ever see, but it is nowhere near San Antonio's quality.

San Antonio has bench players to fill every role. Let's take a look.

Slashers

The Spurs bring Stephen Jackson, Manu Ginobili and James Anderson off the bench.

Anderson does not receive many minutes. Ginobili and Jackson have both played 20-plus minutes a night this postseason.

Jackson and Ginobili are both accomplished scorers, essentially providing San Antonio with seven legitimate starters.

Ginobili does not fit your traditional slasher move but the Argentinian veteran is extremely crafty. He wiggles his way through miniscule seams with a dancer-like jive.

Jackson's personality may not always be appetizing, but he is a 20-point scorer when he has his head on straight. He is a versatile scorer with an underrated, all-around game.

Shooters

Ginobili falls under this category too, but the Spurs also bring Gary Neal's sniping perimeter shot and Matt Bonner's balmy complexion off the bench.

All three, including Ginobili, shoot more than 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Bringing three-point aces off the bench is important to any team's success. The Spurs boast three sharpshooters, capable of knocking down a dagger at any time.

San Antonio's offense relies on floor spacing and able passing. Unselfish play creates open looks from the perimeter, and the Spurs have more than enough shooters to take advantage of that.

Size

Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw and DeJuan Blair provide size off the Spurs' bench.

This is especially important considering Tim Duncan's old knees, even though Duncan is averaging 31 minutes per postseason game.

Splitter's developing post game has resulted in seven bench points a night so far this postseason. He is a great athlete for his 6'11'' frame. His repertoire is not Duncan's by any stretch of the imagination, but he is still a threat.

Diaw was a midseason free agent signing. He is an excellent passer for a big man and can also do damage from beyond the arc.

Blair is a hard worker whose sole purpose is to rebound and eat up space down low.

Does it Ever End?

Yes, it does.

The Spurs also bring Patty Mills off the bench, but that is the end of their luxuries.

San Antonio manages to bring quality players off the bench at every position, and fill every role needed. Their depth negates any concerns their age and subsequent fatigue may cause.

Popovich is a master at finding players who fit his system. Every player earning quality minutes for the Spurs knows his role and plays it well.

That is why the Spurs will beat the Clippers in four, maybe five, games and eventually win the 2012 NBA Championship.