An ode to the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs: The decade’s most underrated team

Of the many memorable squads of the 2010s, the one that fails to get its proper due is a San Antonio Spurs team that happened to conflict with history.

It was a non-traditional offseason for the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2015. One year removed from the franchise’s fifth title, they had suffered a crushing down-to-the-wire defeat in Game 7 of their first-round matchup with the then-Los Angeles Clippers several months prior.

Few believed this team was finished contending — plenty had fallen on that sword in previous years — but perhaps changes were necessary to compete with the growing list of roadblocks standing in the way of another championship.

While re-signing Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio went all-in during free agency and emerged unexpected winners. Signing on was the biggest name of the free-agent class, LaMarcus Aldridge, along with respected veteran David West at a steep discount from his previous deal in pursuit of contention.

A splashy signing wasn’t the Spurs way, but the clock was ticking on an aging Big Three headlined by a 39-year-old Duncan. So, as the greats tend to do, San Antonio adapted to better serve itself moving forward, and the results were far beyond what anyone could’ve expected.

The Spurs had just one player averaging over 20 during the 2015-16 season — Kawhi — and only two others in double figures — Aldridge and Tony Parker, the former two of whom represented the team in the All-Star Game.

Their lack of scoring at the top was the impetus for the third-highest scoring bench to foster the second-most efficient offense in the league. Their trademark unselfishness resulted in the third-highest assists per game average as well as the No. 2 mark in field goal percentage.

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At the other end, a second straight Defensive Player of the Year trophy for Leonard set the tone for the best defensive rating by more than two full points.

Duncan was as effective a rim protector as ever for a team with the second-lowest field goal percentage allowed within five feet of the bucket. Kawhi and Co. swarmed the perimeter to foster a stingy 3-point defense as well.

All in all, the Spurs were the only team to rank among the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They won 67 games and amassed a ridiculous 40-1 record on their home court, tying the best single-season home record in NBA history.

So, what kept this dominant two-way force from being recognized among the best of the decade? What restricts them from a group including the 2012-13 Miami Heat and even the 2013-14 version of themselves?

A second-round exit certainly doesn’t help. San Antonio was overwhelmed by an Oklahoma City Thunder team playing some of its best basketball at the right time, resulting in a six-game series defeat.

Quite possibly the biggest reason for the lack of attention, however, is the team that somehow managed to best them at nearly every turn.

The Golden State Warriors were defending champions heading into 2015-16 and yet they still entered the season with doubters. It’s what happens when your title run is littered with opposition injuries and accomplished via methods that had never before resulted in such success.

Even in the absence of head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors jumped out to a record 24-0 start and never looked back, finishing off the season with a 73-9 record, a once-impossible mark that became the reality.

Their year-long pursuit of NBA history was the headlining talking point on a nightly basis. The way they went about attempting to do so was even more of a draw.

Golden State had the league’s best offense on account of a nightly 3-point arsenal ranked No. 1 in makes, attempts and percentage. They dished the ball better than anyone else with a level of unselfishness rivaled only by — ironically — the Spurs, but with far more talent.

Stephen Curry rewrote the code to offensive brilliance by demolishing the individual 3-point record on his way to his second straight MVP and the first-ever by unanimous decision. Draymond Green made the “tweener” label a valuable asset instead of an unanswerable question.

There is no argument for those Spurs being better than a Golden State team that stands among the greatest of all time. The two met four times during the regular season with the Warriors claiming a 3-1 edge.

Consider this though: Of the 10 seasons played this decade, San Antonio’s 67 wins would’ve been a league-best seven times — including the lockout-shortened equivalent winning percentage in 2011-12 — and tied for the top mark on two other occasions.

Their 98.2 defensive rating has been bested only twice over these 10 years and tied one other time. Their net rating of plus-11.1 was actually better than Golden State’s in 2015-16 and was topped only by the 2016-17 Warriors that added Kevin Durant.

The Spurs have cultivated a low-maintenance reputation that’s kept them out of the spotlight across this elongated run of excellence spanning over two decades. It’s part of their charm, but flies them under the radar at times when credit is due — not that they give two cents.

That’s all good and well when their championships do the talking for them.

In the absence of the ultimate validation, a refresher is in order as a way to properly recognize the greatness of a specific team, even if it doesn’t have the title or headlines to back it up.

A slight nod doesn’t count for much in the history books that will extend much farther than this decade could ever fathom, but as this 10-year run comes to a close, a powerhouse team minimized by the historic chase of others is certainly worth mentioning.