Playoff Picture: San Antonio Spurs
By Luke Duffy
Why They’ll Win It All
We’ll begin with the pedigree of this team. They know what it takes to win, better than any other team in the playoffs. That experience is invaluable. Their core, and a large amount of their role players, have been through the wars together. Their brand of basketball never wavers whether they’re up or down by 20.
They have the strongest identity of who they are and what they do on the court in the league. Plus, they can do stuff like this, right before the playoffs begin.
They’re a top-five defense, sit seventh in offensive efficiency and fifth in effective field goal percentage. The numbers would be more favorable towards this team as well if they haven’t had such a slow start to the year. Remember, they were outside the playoff picture looking in and didn’t get it going until well after Christmas.
They sit fourth in total team assists per contest as well, a true sign the Spurs brand of basketball is in full flow.
Duncan will once again turn back the clock and put up silly numbers for a 38-year-old (He turns 39 on April 25th) as he does. His go to offensive moves are among the most refined in the league. Throw the ball into him and watch him go to work. You’re almost guaranteed to come out of it with two points. Manu Ginobili is the timeless sixth man for this team.
His mix of Eurosteps and shooting touch make him the ideal spark off the bench. He had some poor games last year in the playoffs, yet still had the belief in himself to come through in the big games. Danny Green and Marco Belinelli bring the three-point shooting, while Corey Joseph, Matt Bonner and Patrick Mills always turn it up in the postseason.
Tiago Splitter is important for this team, and it is important he comes back from injury before their first series starts.
Next: Glaring Issues There To Expose