NBA Playoffs 2013: San Antonio Spurs' Resurgence Will End with 5th Title

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are still locked in a heated battle in the 2013 NBA playoffs.

Regardless of the outcome of that series, the timeless San Antonio Spurs are on the verge of capturing the fifth NBA championship in franchise history.

They’re playing their best basketball too.

After sweeping Memphis in the conference finals, the Spurs will have over a week to rest and prepare for the June 6 start of the Finals.

Rested and healthy veterans like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan won’t complain about the extended layoff, although they acknowledge the challenges presented by that time off.

“We’re going to be a little rusty starting the first game – it’s just how it is,” Duncan said, according to AP’s Teresa M. Walker (via Yahoo! Sports).

The leadership of Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili should help the team bide their time and be back in shape when things tip off. That trio, the core of this year's team, swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2007 Finals.

As a franchise, the Spurs have yet to lose a finals series as NBA Legion pointed out on Twitter:

Were people sleeping on this Spurs team?

Injuries to Parker and Ginobili hampered expectations for the Spurs early on but they stayed tough to claim the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Role players and youngsters like Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard stepped into prominent roles and shined in Gregg Popovich’s balanced offensive system.

The team meshed well on defense this season too. After struggling over the past few seasons, Popovich’s squad improved remarkably on the opposite end of the court. They finished with the third-highest defensive efficiency mark in the NBA this season, according to NBA.com.

While they are certainly riding high as a team defensively, no one is playing at a higher level overall than point guard Tony Parker. During the 2013 playoffs he has scored 23 points on 47.5 percent shooting while averaging seven assists and one steal per game. Only four players in NBA history—Larry Bird, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Gary Payton—have matched that stat-line (h/t Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale).

With Parker in top form and the Spurs rolling, it’s hard to imagine anyone—even the Heat—stopping this resurgent train dead in its tracks.

The longer the Pacers continue providing resistance to Miami’s will, the better the chances for the Spurs to do something remarkable. Rest is something the Heat won’t have if the Pacers continue to press them further into their series.

As a result, a rested and resurgent Spurs team isn’t just a contender, but a favorite, to win the NBA championship.