Two months ago, I took an early look at the reasons behind the San Antonio Spurs’ “regression” through the first few weeks of the season, ultimately deciding it was too soon to be worrying about the defending champs. Two months later, it’s officially time to start worrying about the San Antonio Spurs.
This feels like convenient timing with Gregg Popovich’s squad in the middle of a four-game losing streak, but the truth is the Spurs have not been playing good basketball for the majority of the season, even when they’ve had their full roster available.
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Even after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s loss to the Phoenix Suns last night, the Spurs sit a mere 2.5 games ahead of OKC in the Western Conference standings for the seventh seed. They’ve lost five of their nine games in February and need to close out with two wins to avoid their second losing month of the season — just the fourth time that will have happened in the Tim Duncan era.
To be clear, I don’t think the Spurs are in danger of missing the playoffs. The Thunder may pass them by if they continue their recent surge, but the Suns and New Orleans Pelicans haven’t shown much to be truly concerned about falling about yet.
But what happened to the team that seemed preordained for revenge and championship greatness last season? Where is the staggering ball movement and unstoppable three-point attack that helped San Antonio bury almost every opponent that stood in their path last year?
Here’s a look at why it’s time to start worrying about the Spurs, especially when it comes to their title defense.
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