Can we really be surprised that the San Antonio Spurs swept the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round?
Sure, the Spurs are old and some might even say well out of their prime, but they are still rolling along in the playoffs just fine. They sure don’t seem to be playing like they are out of their prime.
There is no questioning the fact that they are a much older team now, sure, but they actually have a great mixture of young players to complement their older veterans.
Let’s keep in mind that the Spurs aren’t just a bunch of old washed up hags running up and down the court — their talent line doesn’t stop at Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.
With players like Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw alongside San Antonio’s “big three,” if you will, the Spurs have a good shot at winning another title.
How interesting would it be to see the old “washed up” Spurs, a team way past their prime, win the title rather than Miami or Oklahoma City, the young talented favorites to meet in the Finals?
I realize I am getting a little ahead of myself here, but right now the Spurs are looking fantastic, no one can argue that.
As of right now San Antonio has yet to lose a playoff game, sweeping the Utah Jazz in the first round and now the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round. 8-0 so far in the playoffs, spotless, no other team can say that.
And don’t forget they won their last 10 games of the regular season (18 straight wins).
And it’s not like the Spurs have surprised anyone, they have been this good all year long and have rightfully earned the first place spot in the West and home court advantage through the playoffs, but I still feel like a lot of people wrote the Spurs off just because they were “too old.”
And sure, over the last couple of years they have had disappointing early exits out of the playoffs, but can we really be surprised to see that they are back?
Let’s not forget who plays on this team. Tony Parker is still one of the most underrated point guards in the league. And Duncan and Ginobili are still getting it done.
Plus, don’t forget about Gregg Popovich, who a lot say is the best current coach in the NBA. He hasn’t won a title since 2007 (which still isn’t even that long of a time in the big scheme of things) but he always seems to have his team near the top of the ladder going into the postseason.
And it seems like this year he may have found the key to having his team ready and healthy for the playoffs.
They are firing on all cylinders and are showing virtually no signs of slowing down.
It comes down to this; don’t be surprised if the Spurs do in fact win the NBA title this year. They still have a ways to go, but it is very possible, more than possible.
Now, Oklahoma City seems to have the Lakers on the ropes, they will be a much tougher test then Utah or the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Spurs have proven that they can beat the Thunder by winning the season series 2-1.
And if they get by the Thunder chances are they will face Miami in the Finals; that is, of course, assuming the Heat don’t lay an egg against the Pacers or in the Eastern Conference Finals.
So, it’s still a tough road ahead for the Spurs and they won’t finish the playoffs undefeated, but if they continue to play like they are right now, they will be a tough team to put out.
Tyler Rollason is a Winder-Barrow High School graduate and mass communications major at the University of West Georgia. You can e-mail comments about this column to
tyrollason@yahoo.com.
