With the Rest of the West Improving, Can San Antonio Spurs Keep Up?

It took more than three months for the San Antonio Spurs to enjoy a completely healthy roster. When the defending champions were finally back to full strength, the NBA took notice.

The Spurs appeared to send the league a warning shot against the Portland Trail Blazers with a convincing 110-96 victory on Jan. 16. That showdown marked the first game since Dec. 5 in which both Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard were available.

After that triumph, however, San Antonio has ridden a roller coaster. Following four months of waiting for a torrid stretch of victories that never came, it's not unreasonable to declare the Spurs a second-tier team in the West.

The much improved conference has started to pull away from San Antonio, who hasn't resembled the juggernaut that waltzed through the playoffs in 2014.

Every time the Spurs were expected to regroup, they've faltered.

San Antonio won a pair of contests after Portland but then collapsed 104-81 opposite the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 22. Gregg Popovich's crew ripped off three straight victories but were controlled in a 105-85 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 31.

During the following game—a 110-103 win over the Orlando Magic on Feb. 4—every returning member of the Spurs' 2014 title-winning team was physically prepared to play. But San Antonio hasn't capitalized on its clean billing of health up with a dominant outing.

Between three unimpressive victories against Eastern Conference teams and disappointing losses to the Toronto Raptors, Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz, the Spurs are not in good shape right now.

Considering how deep and wonderfully talented the Western Conference is, reasonable doubt has started to surround San Antonio.

In the aftermath of an ugly 90-81 loss to the Utah Jazz on Feb. 23, Manu Ginobili provided a truthful anecdote Spurs supporters probably didn't want to hear, as noted by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

"Playing like we did today," Ginobili said, "we are not a playoff team."

Now, reaching the postseason is half the battle; anything can happen from mid-April through mid-June, particularly for the reigning champions who have compiled a still-decent 34-22 record.

But without a few major improvements, San Antonio has zero chance of keeping up with the surging Western Conference.

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Leonard has entered a shooting slump, netting 12 points or less in six consecutive games. Tiago Splitter has been virtually nonexistent. The Brazilian's offense is even more limited than in years past, and his defensive contributions are scarce.

Additionally, three-pointers aren't falling like they did throughout 2013-14. The Spurs have knocked down more than 40 percent of their triples just once in the last 13 outings and only 17 times overall. Last season, the sharpshooters reached that clip on 45 occasions.

Most notably, however, Parker has been terribly inconsistent since returning from a hamstring injury. In early February, Mike Monroe of the Express-News noted the veteran point guard was battling conditioning issues.

"I'm just starting to get back to normal and get back in shape and get comfortable with my hamstring," Parker said. "Hopefully, it's getting better and I hope I'm (heading) in the right direction so I don't get any more tweaks."

Nevertheless, it's been a one step forward, two steps back kind of season for Parker following his extended absence. Parker's scattered ineffectiveness has severely limited the attack because he's been unreliable as a facilitator in the paint.

In conjunction with the West, San Antonio's struggles are made exponentially worse. Each of the seven other franchises most likely to represent the conference have plenty more than luck on their rosters.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors have emerged as the standard, and Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Gate writes rookie head coach Steve Kerr is already thinking like a veteran, resting his players for the postseason.

Behind Golden State, Marc Gasol's Memphis Grizzlies, James Harden's Houston Rockets and Damian Lillard's Blazers have all firmly planted themselves near the top of the standings. Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks and Chris Paul's Clippers have overcome injuries to key players.

Similarly, Russell Westbrook's quickly rising Oklahoma City Thunder have won six straight showings while the Spurs have dropped three, cutting the margin for the No. 7 seed to a mere three games. Even sans Kevin Durant, the Thunder could drop San Antonio into the final playoff spot.

To make matters a little more difficult, Anthony Davis and Eric Bledsoe will continue nipping at the eighth-seed's proverbial heel, keeping the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, respectively, in the picture.

Ginobili's quote came following a loss to the Jazz; Just imagine how ugly the final score would've been against one of those nine teams.

San Antonio has the roster to make another deep run—again, it's basically the same one that earned a title last year. The players didn't suddenly lose their talent to a group of conniving extraterrestrials straight out of Space Jam.

Though the journey to the top isn't easy, the Spurs know what it takes to keep up with the West. Yet if the 2014 NBA champions want to remain a legitimate contender for the 2015 crown, Parker, Leonard and Co. must start showcasing that talent on a nightly basis.

Without vastly improved—and consistent—execution, Pop's well-documented coaching genius cannot solely propel San Antonio to 12 conference victories during the playoffs.

The Spurs aren't dead yet, but they're certainly testing the limits of life.

Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of Feb. 23.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.