The San Antonio Spurs seemed in the eyes of many fans to have lost their best chance at winning another title a year ago. Yet, a year later, they’re the reigning champions. Can they now repeat?
What Went Wrong Last Season?
It’s hard to find many blemishes in the Spurs championship run last year, but there were some crticial moments that put them in jeopardy of earning the 2014 NBA title. Tony Parker got injured midway through Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Dallas Mavericks frustrated the Spurs and stole Game 3 of that first-round series when veteran Vince Carter hit a well-guarded three-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer. Dallas pushed San Antonio into a tough and season-defining situation in Game 4 of that series with a 2-1 lead. The Spurs’ push toward an NBA championship was never a sure thing even in conference postseason play.
Yet, San Antonio always answered a crisis with the perfect response. This team did what it had to do in any circumstance. When Parker got injured in Game 6, Cory Joseph, Manu Ginobili, Boris Diaw, and old man Tim Duncan all improved the way they played to lift the Spurs to a surprising victory. After Dallas won Game 3 and created a tie game late in Game 4, Diaw hit a gigantic three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Spurs the win that saved that series and the season as well. After San Antonio was beaten down the stretch by the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Spurs bounced back in Game 3 and then stayed in control in Game 4, playing their two best games of the season against the defending champions on their own home floor in Miami.
This team was such a perfect example of perseverance and teamwork, using a selfless style of play to enable a lot of older athletes to still function well on the court. That’s why the Spurs won their fifth title and the fourth since 2003.
Offseason Changes
The Spurs got two really promising players in the draft. Ryan Anderson and Bryce Cotton are seen as prototypical Spurs players, a versatile wing and a slick ballhandling point guard. These players could be the future of the franchise once Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker retire, but that’s something the franchise will wait a long time to find out about. For now, they’re good complements to the older stars on the roster. A number of no-name players have filled out parts of the roster, with head coach Gregg Popovich hoping that he’ll find something he can work with for the latter part of the season, when Duncan, Ginobili and Parker need rest.
The other big change is that new assistant coach Becky Hammon is the first female assistant coach in the NBA. This is going to be a story for the Spurs and the league throughout the season. It will be interesting to see how this move works.
Projected Finish
The Spurs had the best team in the NBA last season. People thought they’d get tired and wear down, but the Spurs develop players so well that the bench guys give the starters a lot of rest. The Spurs are deep enough that they can share and evenly distribute minutes. As long as this model remains in place, the Spurs have another championship run in them.
Pick: 1st In The Western Conference, Will Win NBA Championship
