San Antonio Spurs Surge Towards the Playoffs
The San Antonio Spurs have won 9 of their last 11 games, currently rank 8.5 games back from the top playoff seed with only 2 games separating them from the 4th seed. The Spurs roster, crafty and veteran-saturated, is making its move in the final stretch as if it where a thoroughbred horse stealing a victory in the last quarter mile. Coming from seemingly out of nowhere, but believing it was the winner from the very beginning.
With Tony Parker out with a broken hand, Manu Ginobili and George Hill have assumed the starter roles in the backcourt. For the month of March Ginobili and Hill are combining to average 35.8 points and 9.9 assists with only 3.8 turnovers. Ginobili has never complained about coming off the bench but has been proving to us that he is healthy and ready to do damage in a starting role.
Ginobili has taken over as a starter for the Spurs.
Richard Jefferson appears to have finally found his way within the Spurs team dynamic and is peaking at the right time. Since being reinserted into the starting lineup, he has averaged 17.3 points and 8.6 rebounds.
If you’ve followed the NBA for even only a few years you know by now that this is the time of year where Tim Duncan starts to buckle down and begins imposing his will. Look for Duncan to have monstrous “statement” games leading the Spurs against playoff teams this month. Look for him to be rested more during games against the lesser competition.
This is standard Poppovich “pre-postseason-final-tune-up” protocol time.
The reality is that if San Antonio plays their way into a 4th seed, or possibly higher (it’s super tight in the West and if any team slips it can definitely happen), they will have home court advantage for the 1st round of the playoffs, creating an opportunity for a quick closeout meaning more rest before round 2 begins.
If San Antonio continues to gel and win on the path to the post season, all the critics and naysayers will have wasted their words and breath all year. San Antonio is an elite level team who knows how to win rings as well, if not better, than anyone in the business.
Do you think Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan or George Karl are not sitting up straight and taking notice to the Spurs recent surge?
San Antonio’s current level of performance closing out the season is making me believe my preseason prediction of the Spurs winning the title significantly less far-fetched than it was in February.
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Wed, Mar 17, 2010 by Adam Sedie
News, Opinions