Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs Quietly Lead the NBA
The Tim Duncan-led and Gregg Popovich-guided San Antonio Spurs are quietly sitting atop the NBA with an outstanding 16-3 record.
Their star studded Southwest division rival Dallas Mavericks are half a game back in the standings following their 105-103 road win over Tyreke Evans’ Sacramento Kings.
It is no surprise that the superstar filled, similarly defensive-minded Boston Celtics reign over the Eastern Conference.
It is the San Antonio Spurs slipping through the cracks once again. Just as they like it, nobody is talking about them. Still, they’re the team looking down on the rest of the Association from their humble perch.
Their recent win over the improving Minnesota Timberwolves was just another prime example of how gritty, resilient and well-coached this mixture of veterans and rising stars are.
Popovich, arguably the league’s best coach, always seems to have something up his sleeve. With his Spurs down late in the third quarter to a then-four-win Timberwolves team, Popovich was ejected for aggressively arguing with the referees because he believed Kevin Love traveled on the possession. Maybe he did or did not believe it was truly a travel, but he certainly lit a fire under his team.
The Spurs proceeded to rally from 15 points down entering the fourth quarter. They played excellent defense down the stretch and made fantastic passes to open men cutting to the hoop to seal the 107-101 comeback win on their home court.
On a loose ball late in the fourth quarter, George Hill fought for the loose ball and immediately called for a timeout to guarantee his team possession of the rock. Although one would think this intelligent move would be second hand nature, it is surprising how many players are not aware to call for the timeout.
This is a perfect example of how well-coached the San Antonio Spurs are.
It is rare that this Popovich coached team is out of position or makes silly, unintelligent plays. It all starts from the top with the head coach, but as important is that his humble Hall of Fame superstar Tim Duncan sets the tone for the team. Duncan is one of the most fundamental ball players in the game, always displaying excellent X’s and O’s.
George Hill’s heads-up steal and fast break layup wasn’t the case of being in the right place at the right time. Hill was working his way back to defend his man as the ball was hurled to the top of the key. This one man highlight pulled the Spurs within two because Hill is coached on the fine, overlooked art of defense and positioning.
Up two points with under a minute to go, Duncan helped close out the win with a picture perfect pass to a cutting Richard Jefferson in between and over three ‘Wolves defenders. It is this impeccable court vision that makes Tim Duncan one of the game’s best big men of all time. Although Duncan’s numbers are down this year, his high basketball IQ will keep his team fighting for the best record all season.
This remarkably coached team has all of the pieces to make another Championship run. As they sit atop the entire NBA, the Spurs are the team setting the tone for the rest of the league. Everyone else is playing catch-up.
