5 Statistics That Are Defining the San Antonio Spurs' Season So Far
A handful of statistics have defined the San Antonio Spurs' start to the 2014-15 campaign, which has been highlighted by strong team defense.
San Antonio has collectively succeeded on the glass, which is directly connected to and affects other important areas of the game.
Injuries have overshadowed the roster through the opening third of the regular season, but replacements adhering to Gregg Popovich's system have allowed the team to supply what the Spurs were missing from expected starters.
Overall, San Antonio has amassed 17 victories, though that solid mark can be somewhat deceiving when put under the microscope.
Three-Point Percentage
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San Antonio, as the athletic proverb goes, tends to "live and die" by the three-point shot.
San Antonio has tallied 101.5 points per game, which is a noticeable drop from last year's 105.4 average. The blame can certainly be placed on its outside shooting, since Danny Green was the only volume-focused outside shooter actually burying long-distance attempts early on.
Consequently, San Antonio has managed a 37.4 percent clip to this point. Yes, that number is slowly rising because Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw have started draining their looks, plus Marco Belinelli has returned from an injury.
But still, the Spurs have connected on 29.2 percent of three-pointers in losses. Conversely, they've nailed a superb 40.9 percent during their victories.
Defensive Rebounding
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Limiting second-chance opportunities is a key part of Popovich's system, because the Spurs basically forgo the offensive glass in order to contain transition opportunities.
Even without Tiago Splitter, San Antonio has recorded the second-best defensive rebounding percentage in the league. The Spurs have grabbed 79.0 percent of missed shots by opponents, which trails the Charlotte Hornets by a mere 0.9.
For comparison's sake, the Spurs have raised the percentage 4.1 points since the 2012-13 campaign, a scheme tweak intended to counteract the age of core players. Instead of crashing the boards, most of the team races back to prevent any quick counterattacks.
Plus, now that Splitter has returned alongside Tim Duncan, San Antonio should preserve that outstanding clip.
Defensive Discipline
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Another impressive part of San Antonio's defense is the stout, physical nature that has been demonstrated in a legal—or at least rarely whistled—manner.
The Spurs have ceded the third-fewest free throws allowed per field-goal attempt, a paltry .189 mark. In other words, San Antonio is forcing opponents to take approximately 10 shots before committing one shooting foul.
Since the team's overall pace has also slowed, opponents are receiving fewer possessions and taking fewer shots per game.
When those two statistics are combined, the result is a beautifully engineered and executed recipe to battle elite franchises even while being short-handed due to injury or rest.
Opponent Points Per Game
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If the opponents can't score, they can't win.
Consequent to controlling the defensive glass and limiting free throws, the Spurs are allowing just 94.9 points per game—the second-best average in the league.
The impressive clip has again been accomplished sans Splitter, who is best recognized for his defensive prowess against Marc Gasol-type opponents.
Most importantly, however, San Antonio has played outstanding perimeter defense, largely a product of Cory Joseph, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs have surrendered a 34.6 percent mark beyond the arc, which is mere percentage points from being top 10 in the NBA.
San Antonio's offense has struggled at times, but its defense has obviously picked up the slack.
Strength of Schedule
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The Spurs recently ripped off an eight-game winning streak, though victories included the Philadelphia 76ers (twice), Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets. Consequently, San Antonio is currently tied with Brooklyn for the NBA's second-easiest schedule.
Of course, the Spurs have officially entered the gauntlet to end December. San Antonio could solidify itself at the top of the standings, or Pop's crew could fight with the top competition yet merely remain around the No. 6 spot in the West.
Either way, the league will learn plenty about the Spurs during the final two weeks of the month.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of Dec. 15.
Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR
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