San Antonio Spurs: 5 Keys To Contending
5. Staving Off Father Time (Again)
Every year the Spurs are supposed to fall off the map and every year, they shut everyone up with 50-60 wins and a top seed in the West. This has been happening for years now, but people have finally started to catch on that this team simply never dies. That trend needs to continue for the Spurs to make their way back to the Finals again.
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At age 39, Tim Duncan is still going strong, coming off a season in which he earned All-Defensive Second Team honors and averaged 2.0 blocks per game. Adding LaMarcus Aldridge gives the Spurs short-term and long-term security in the event of an injury, but the Spurs will want the greatest player in their franchise’s history healthy for the postseason, when he’ll be 40.
Manu Ginobili, 38, is no longer intrinsic to the team’s success, but as we all saw in the 2013 and 2014 NBA Finals, Ginobili’s production can either elevate San Antonio to unfathomable heights or it can really hurt them in a close series. Last year in the playoffs, Ginobili’s underwhelming output and disappointing shooting was one contributor to the Spurs’ first round exit.
We’ve gotten used to the idea that the Spurs never die and that Duncan and Ginobili will ride off into the sunset on their own terms. But Father Time is undefeated, so for San Antonio to earn that happy ending in 2015-16, they’ll have to stave him off for one more year.
Next: No. 4