Every year there are speculations as to whether or not the Spurs’ big three are getting too old, and by Christmas the whole world knows the answer: No.
To erase all doubts in the fans’ minds, the Spurs made a statement with an 11 game win-streak early on. Since then they haven’t slowed down, excluding a few slips. San Antonio have the third best record in the NBA, and are only one win behind the top team in the Western Conference. Their standard of play is the same, if not better, as the one that led them to game 7 of the NBA Finals last year. The pain of the heart breaking end to that season has evidently disappeared, and the Spurs have come back strong, once again.
A bit like their basketball, really. Relentless efficiency, beautifully oiled teamwork (they lead the NBA in team assists per game) and a Tony Parker they can rely on to take over if things aren’t going well. A prime example of that was last night against Minnesota, where the Spurs couldn’t stop Kevin Love, with 42 points. Instead of insisting on containing him, Tony Parker just decided to do the same as the Timberwolves’ forward. The result? TP had a season high 29 points, and San Antonio won, yet again. The Spurs’ game is like clockwork, but this season there has been some sparks of creativity in their game; we still have the Ginobili nutmeg pass every now and then, but we also have a handful of alley-oops. It’s not quite Lob City yet, but Tim Duncan has been in the top 10 a few times for alley-oop slams.
Depth. Coach Pop can rely on his whole bench to always provide great basketball. Ideal for an aging team. It’s incredible to think that Parker is the only player averaging more than 30 minutes a game, and he has 30.4… The acquisition of Belinelli has been valuable; he has averaged 10 ppg, shooting a staggering 54% in both FG and 3PT FG. The team stats are breath-taking. Five players have over 10 points a game, and only 1 player is shooting less than 40% FG. Not naming any names, that’s Aron Baynes, who shoots 39%. You’re forgiven Aron.
There is plenty of hope for all San Antonio fans, who are determined to see their big three rack up yet another NBA title. Everyone who said that they were finished after last year’s game 7 failure are fools. The Spurs are, without a shadow of a shadow of a doubt, very serious contenders. Take my word for it.
Thanks for reading. You can follow me @fourpoint_play as well as the LWOS basketball department on twitter – @NBAAnalystFaro, @TrendingTristan, @aFishCalledMatt, @NBAFantasyInfo, @lwosjbjatty, @matttheballer23, @KaineElmy, @caulfieldhoops, and @hoops_scoop. While you’re at it, give the site a follow too – @lastwordonsport and like our Facebook Page.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
