On the 18th June, 2013, with 6 seconds left in game 6 of the Finals, Ray Allen hit an incredible 3-point shot to deny the San Antonio Spurs of a fifth NBA title. Ten months later, the Spurs are heading into the playoffs with the number one seed overall, and a level of motivation and confidence that has rarely been so high.
Revenge would be sweet.
Not only a revenge on the Miami Heat, but a revenge against the millions of basketball fans and “experts” that claimed that 2013 was the last opportunity for the Big Three to win a title, that age was going to be too much of a burden for the Spurs to be contenders this year. Then again, Gregg Poppovich and his side are used to hearing that every single year, and they always find a way to be one the best teams in the League.
More than ever, the Spurs are the favorites for the postseason that is kicking off on Sunday. That statement is always harder to believe when you’re reminded that Tony Parker was the only Spurs player to feature in this year’s in the All Star Game, and even then he only played 11 minutes. But as we all know, not having a superstar that averages over 25 points a game does not mean a team can’t be the best.
In the regular season, no San Antonio player averaged over 17 points per game, however six players averaged over 10 points a game. Compare that to Miami for example, who only had three players averaging double digits in scoring. That portrays the ruthless teamwork and depth that this team contains. The Spurs have eight players who play more than 20 minutes a game, and none that play over 30. That kind of depth and consistent quality throughout the roster is what makes a contender. You could continue to list all sorts of stats, for example the staggering 43 rebounds they grab each game, and you would just keep noticing that although the Spurs may not be a highlight team, they have the most efficient brand of basketball in the world.
But apart from the well known and obvious quality that this team possesses, their position in the playoff bracket and their potential future opponents can only be encouraging; their two biggest threats, the Clippers and the Thunder, will most probably face off in the semi-finals, assuring that the Spurs would only need to beat one of the two during the playoffs to be crowned Western Conference champions a second time in a row. In addition to this, it’s hard to picture San Antonio falling into the trap of complacency (like they did a few years back when they lost to Memphis in the first round), because they are facing Texan rivals Dallas, meaning there is no chance that they will not play that series fully and completely. The semi-final could be the same story, with a potential match-up against Houston, another Texan side. Whoever they would (will) face in the Semis, Portland or Houston, although it will be a challenging series (like against Warriors last year, winning “only” in 6 games), the Spurs should comfortably reach the final. Needless to add that the fact that having home court advantage in every series they will play will be a big bonus, especially when you see they have only lost nine games at home this season.
None of us can predict the future (as far as I’m aware), but the San Antonio Spurs are the clear favorites for the Western Conference title, and very strong contenders for the NBA crown, which they came so close to last year. They’ve had their ups and downs this year, but the way they consistently kept their high standard of basketball up, and how nearer to the end of the season showed that they could beat the big sides, regardless how far they play into the summer, the Spurs have had a remarkable year.
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