There was a time not that long ago, when NBA fans and analysts everywhere agreed that one team had won free agency, making them the favorite to hoist the O’Brien Trophy in June. Already a perennial contender, the San Antonio Spurs went out and signed the biggest free agent on the market whose name is not LeBron, and then filled their roster with quality role players—a common ingredient of championship teams.
Landing the big man, LaMarcus Aldridge, and the feisty and powerful veteran in David West, who only signed for about $10 million less per year than he had on the table in Indiana, were both important pieces. They still boast one of the top young players in the game in Kawhai Leonard, the living legend in Tim Duncan, the veteran PG in Tony Parker, sharpshooter Danny Green, a backup PG capable of igniting the offense in Patty Mills. Couple that with an already impressive stable of reliable bench players that includes the aging Manu Ginobili, and few could argue their legitimacy.
And to cap it off, they have the man who many consider to be the best coach on the planet, and one of the top coaches of all-time in Gregg Popovich.
The Spurs were the talk of the NBA. But then the season started and that team from Golden State, the one that just happened to win last year’s championship, enjoyed a historically good start. And just like that, nobody was talking about the Spurs.
Though they aren’t the face of the NBA—that distinction goes to the Warriors—all the Spurs have done is roar out of the gate with a tremendous start of their own. At nearly the halfway point of the season, the Spurs sit at 35-6, which is good for second place in the Western Conference behind Golden State. The Spurs are also the proud owners of a 32-game home winning streak and a 10-game winning streak overall.
Not only do they have some great numbers in the win/loss columns, the Spurs are actually beating teams more convincingly than the mighty Warriors. Golden State currently holds a point differential of +11.9—an impressive stat to say the least. The Spurs are quietly carrying on about their business, building an impressive point differential of their own at +13.9. For all of the talk about the Warriors and their streak, and the run at the untouchable record set by the ’95-’96 Chicago Bulls, San Antonio only has 3 more L’s on their record than the Warriors, and that record has been compiled with Popovich continuing his tradition of resting the veterans in order to preserve their bodies for the post-season. Pop knows that titles aren’t won in January, but in the event that they were, San Antonio would be neck and neck with the defending champs.
An NBA Finals Preview Without The Golden State Warriors?
Earlier this week with the Cavaliers in town, the Spurs won, again. With LeBron and company being the prohibitive favorites to come out of the East, this could end up being the title game preview that nobody outside of South Texas seems to be talking about. Cleveland, with a healthy roster, seems to have a clear-cut path to the Finals. I think it’s safe to say that there are teams that can challenge them—Chicago, maybe Atlanta or Indiana—but none of them should be able to beat them in a playoff series.
The Cavs have the benefit of playing in the East, while the Spurs will be tested in every round of the playoffs in the Western bracket. But that’s nothing new to San Antonio. They are the old warhorse that continually rides into battle and takes a few beatings on occasion, but also wins the whole enchilada on occasion. The Spurs have the unenviable task of navigating the playoffs through potential competition that includes Oklahoma City, the LA Clippers, the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks and of course the Golden State Warriors. Granted, some of those teams are not what we thought they would be heading into the season, but never underestimate the power of an in-state playoff series. After all, it was only in 2014 that the eventual champion Spurs found themselves in a seven-game first-round fight against the eighth seeded Dallas Mavericks.
Here we are, nearing the half-way point and with three teams that are head and shoulders above the competition, and two of them reside in the Western Conference. To this point, this season has been all about the Golden State Warriors, and rightfully so. They are the defending champions and are on pace to challenge, if not break, the historic mark of 72-10 set by Michael Jordan’s Bulls back in ’95-’96. To this point, we haven’t gotten the head to head matchup between the Warriors and the Spurs, but that will change as San Antonio travels to Oracle Arena to face off against Steph Curry and the Warriors on January 25th. The Cavs, meanwhile, will continue to be a loaded superteam, likely steamrolling their way to the NBA Finals through an Eastern Conference that doesn’t have the firepower to compete with LeBron and his superfriends. I’m just not sure who will be challenging them from the West.
