West’s Second Best: Don’t Forget The Spurs

SAN ANTONIO, TX –Watch your back, Warriors. The San Antonio Spurs sit as the No. 2 seed in the West with a 27-6 record, only 3.5 games behind the Golden State, despite the Warriors’ historic start to the season. Yet the Spurs seem to be almost taken for granted by most, an omnipresent entity in postseason contention, but somehow never the “trendy” pick to win it all. Here’s a quick rundown on how the Spurs have done so well to start the season.

Star Power

Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge are two bonafide, in-their-prime stars. Admittedly, Aldridge’s averages are down across the board, that’s to be expected when sharing the ball with talented teammates as well as adjusting to a new team for the first time in his NBA career. His field goal percentage is in line with his career averages, pointing to fewer touches and not a drop-off in play as the culprit behind his diminished scoring. All in all, he provides a consistent scoring threat and a post-presence, and will probably improve the more he gets used to the Spurs system. He’s proven he can carry a team should the Spurs’ other players falter, get injured, or need rest.

Kawhi Leonard never seems to be tired, however. He has established himself as one of the best two-way players in the NBA, but it is his emerging offensive prowess that has vaulted the Spurs to their torrid start, averaging a career high 20 ppg in addition to career highs in assists and blocks. He can drive, he can dunk over you, and he has an consistent mid-range jump shot along with legitimate three point range that opposing defenses have to respect. He’s reaching the point where his athleticism is still at its peak while his skills are becoming more polished, and that’s bad news for the rest of the NBA.

Championship Trio

We’ve seen Big Threes come and go, in Boston, in Miami, and now (maybe) in Cleveland. But the trio of Ginobili, Parker, and Duncan have won four championships together, have endured for more than a decade, and are still putting up solid numbers on a nightly basis. It’s not their team any more, but their leadership, savvy, and consistency are an equal factor in San Antonio’s hot start.

Plus, come playoff time, these guys know how to play. More importantly, they know how to win, and they’ll probably be as or more rested than any other players in the league headed into the post season.

Depth

So who rounds out this star-studded team? Boris Diaw, David West, Danny Green, Patty Mills, and Matt Bonner, all names that have starred in post-season play at one point or another, and all offer shooting and flexibility. Danny Green can rain threes when the mood strikes him, Boris Diaw is the original version of Draymond Green, and Patty Mills is lightning in a bottle. On top of that all these players play regular minutes, as coach Gregg Popovich is diligent about getting rest for his Big Three (Popovich probably deserves his own category as well).

Their latest gem? Boban Marjavonic, a 7-3 center out of Serbia picked up this summer. Quite a luxury to take out a hall of fame player like Duncan and put in a seven footer, who scored 17 points on 7 of 7 shooting in the Spurs’ win over the Timberwolves.

 

Can They Catch Golden State?

Starting in the middle of January, Golden State faces a tough mid-west road swing against Eastern Conference contenders that includes games @Cleveland, @ Chicago, and @ Indiana, followed by the first of four remaining tilts with the Spurs. Look for the Spurs to gain ground on the Warriors during that stretch, and make the race for the top seed extremely interesting heading towards the tail end of the NBA season.