Ranking the Best Playoff Matchups for San Antonio Spurs
Since the beginning of the season, it has been the general consensus that the eight teams currently leading the Western Conference playoff race will be the ones to ultimately represent the conference in the postseason.
However, while the home stretch of the season might not feature a race for the final seed between fringe playoff contenders, the lack of separation between the middle-six postseason-bound squads guarantees that there will be a push for better seeding.
In seventh place, just 2.5 games behind fourth, the San Antonio Spurs are right in the middle of it. The conference goes eight deep, with every playoff team seemingly capable of contending for a title.
However, that doesn't mean that the Spurs should ignore seeding implications. Throughout the season, San Antonio has been more successful against certain teams.
Depending on positional matchups, depth and general talent discrepancies, San Antonio's entire postseason run could be dependent on its first-round draw.
1. Dallas Mavericks
1 of 5
Currently, the Dallas Mavericks sit just 1.5 games behind the fourth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers, while San Antonio is 2.5 games back. Movement up the standings down the stretch by both the Mavs and the Spurs could earn the teams a first-round matchup as the West's No. 4 and No. 5 squads.
The matchup wouldn't be a walk in the park for San Antonio. As it stands, not one of the conference's top eight teams is an easy out. However, compared to the other two-way juggernauts who sit atop the West, Dallas offers San Antonio the best chances of winning.
The intra-state rivals met in the first round of 2014 too. Despite giving the Spurs the best competition that they would see over the course of their title run, the Mavericks ultimately fell in seven games.
Since last year, Dallas' roster has seen quite an overhaul, with Tyson Chandler returning to man the middle, Chandler Parsons now filling the small forward slot and Rajon Rondo running the floor.
Yet despite these roster upgrades, Dallas' defense continues to have easily exploitable holes. With opponents shooting the league's fourth-best three-point percentage against the Mavericks, the Spurs—whose offense is predicated on high-powered perimeter ball movement—would finds themselves in a great position to unleash their deadly long-ball attack.
The presence of Dirk Nowitzki down low bodes well for Tim Duncan, whose remarkable campaign would expectedly continue against an offensive-minded opponent like Nowitzki.
And while each player in the starting lineup poses an offensive threat, the matchups for the Spurs' weakest defenders guarantee that Dallas—who relies on offense as the backbone of its success—has the potential to be stopped. Rajon Rondo has regressed as a scorer and still can't shoot, while Tyson Chandler is virtually useless outside the key.
Nowitzki, Parsons and Monta Ellis are more versatile threats, but the three of them will presumably draw Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, respectively, meaning no points will come easily.
The Spurs already showed themselves capable against them this year, beating them in the season-opener and then losing by just six after Rondo was acquired despite resting its starting unit and sixth man.
Though they certainly stand a chance, the Mavericks—thanks to their shoddy defense and an overreliance on a beatable offense—would be the easiest first-round matchup for San Antonio.
2. Los Angeles Clippers
2 of 5
Currently tied with the Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers could find themselves playing San Antonio as the fourth or fifth seed with a similar late-season push.
And for the Spurs, that's a scary thing: When a team that beat you by 20 earlier in the season is the second-best projected first-round matchup, you know that there's no easy route to the Finals.
The Clippers match up well with the Spurs. As a pick-and-roll team, they boast the league's best point guard (Chris Paul), one of the most dynamic power forwards in the league (Blake Griffin) and the current leader in field-goal percentage and rebounding (DeAndre Jordan).
However, the team also has an abundance of holes—more than any other Western Conference team.
The Clippers start Matt Barnes at small forward, who despite being a solid defender has virtually zero chance of playing Kawhi Leonard to a draw.
DeAndre Jordan, despite posting the best field-goal percentage in the league, doesn't shoot all that often. Defensively, he's prone to losing his man and could struggle against a Splitter-Duncan duo that passes the ball so well along the interior.
More than anything, though, the Clippers' bench guarantees that they'll struggle against any potential matchup—especially one two- or three-deep at every position.
Though Jamal Crawford is a dynamic second unit scoring spark, there's little talent around him. Meanwhile, the Spurs boast a reserve core that includes Manu Ginobili, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Cory Joseph—all of whom have shown themselves capable of contributing off the bench.
Matched up against the Clippers' subpar backups, the Spurs' second unit could easily be the deciding factor.
Despite its dominant 20-point win earlier in the season, L.A. has fallen to San Antonio twice in the regular season. With a roster not built for a playoff series, the Clippers are extremely beatable despite possessing top-tier talent in the starting five.
3. Houston Rockets
3 of 5
The Spurs and the Rockets have played each other just twice this season, with each team taking one game.
However, the Spurs have struggled historically against Houston since James Harden was brought in to lead the attack.
Nevertheless, the Rockets—in a similar manner to the Mavs—have exploitable holes that make them a relatively preferable first-round matchup for San Antonio.
Point guard Patrick Beverley is virtually useless on offense as anything but a shooter, and outside of Harden, the Rockets don't really have a player who can create his own shots.
Trevor Ariza is a three-point specialist on offense, and the big-man tandem of Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones is defensive-minded.
Though the Rockets have one of the league's best scoring attacks, it is far too reliant on the services of Harden both as a scorer and a playmaker. He averages seven points more in wins than losses and, when taken out of the equation, renders Houston a middling squad.
Stopping one of the league's best scorers is not easily done, but if anybody has the capacity do so, it's Leonard. Smart coaching would help to keep Harden off the free-throw line, and the overall prospect of shutting him down is far more likely than one might think.
The Spurs have the perimeter defense to—at the very least—limit Harden. Throw in the other visible holes on the offensive end, and Houston could be headed for a first-round exit if defended properly.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
4 of 5
The Spurs have struggled to defend the perimeter this season. Against some teams, that bodes poorly for their chances of a postseason run.
Against Portland, it could be an absolute nightmare.
The Trail Blazers haven't been perfect this season. They've shown themselves limited defensively. And with one of the league's worst benches, they could struggle to hang with some of the deeper teams in the league.
However, they have one of the best staring lineups in the league, one that matches up well with the Spurs.
Damian Lillard's ability to score at will could hurt Parker, while LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the few players in the league capable of embarrassing Duncan. Robin Lopez has the size to bang with Splitter, and Arron Afflalo and Nicolas Batum have the length and defensive ability to hamper Leonard and Green.
Their bench has improved since the start of the year, with Chris Kaman providing the size to hurt San Antonio's second unit, while C.J McCollum is slowly coming into his own.
With a good mix of youth and experience as well as defense and offense, the Blazers have Finals potential. Their limited depth is the only major knock, but as a whole, the prospect of drawing Portland in the first round should scare San Antonio.
5. Memphis Grizzlies
5 of 5
The Memphis Grizzlies aren't simply the scariest prospective matchup for the Spurs. They're the most formidable opponent any Western Conference team will have to face in the first round.
Spurs fans are still haunted by the memory of San Antonio's being bounced by Memphis—then an eighth seed—in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
Now, Memphis is set to be the West's No. 2 team, and with Jeff Green now playing the 3, the Grizz are a more complete squad than ever before.
Defensively, they're a nightmare for San Antonio. Marc Gasol has the chops to shut down Duncan. Tony Allen is the best perimeter defender in the league and could either hamper Kawhi Leonard or take Danny Green out of the equation altogether.
Mike Conley has proved himself to be one of the best guards in the league on that end. Tony Parker is currently enjoying a late-season renaissance after struggling through the first half of the season, but Conley possesses the ability to return Parker to his pre-All-Star break form.
Offensively, they're complete. Zach Randolph and Gasol are one of the most dominant interior duos in the league. With Tiago Splitter failing to live up to the defensive standards he set for himself last year, things could get ugly inside.
Green finally gives that team the scoring wing necessary to draw Leonard out of the paint. Conley, meanwhile, has made significant improvements on offense.
The Spurs have dropped two of their three contests against Memphis so far. With depth, an unmatched motor and a well-rounded two-way attack, the Grizzlies are built for a postseason run.
The Spurs should cross their fingers that it doesn't begin against them.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
