The National Basketball Association playoffs will begin next week, and there are many great storylines to follow as the postseason approaches.
The Golden State Warriors have dominated the league with its entertaining brand of 3-point shooting, while the Atlanta Hawks have run away with the best record in the East with its team play and chemistry. Of course, everyone is watching to see if LeBron James can finally bring a championship to Cleveland after returning to his home state this season.
As we embark on another exciting postseason to see how these stories develop, it is time for me to write that one column that has appeared in this space for the past 18 years. This is your annual reminder about that team that seemingly operates under the radar year after year despite being one of the top franchises in professional sports.
Here I am once again, writing about that one team that everyone knows about but talks very little about during the regular season. Yes, basketball fans, here is your yearly reminder about the San Antonio Spurs. For those who may have forgotten, this is the team that won the NBA championship last season and the Western Conference title the past two years.
Now, I’m not here to tell you that the Spurs should be the favorites to win their sixth world championship this year. But, I am here to tell you that you can overlook them at your own risk. The Spurs entered the week with a 51-26 record, which is good for sixth-place in the ultra-loaded Western Conference.
The Spurs have not garnered many headlines during the season, but they are starting to gain some steam as the regular season comes to a close and the postseason nears. They were 12-3 in the month of March. They have won 17 of their last 20 games, including their last seven in succession.
In the past couple of weeks, they have registered big victories over the East-leading Atlanta Hawks and the Memphis Grizzlies, who are currently second in the West. Last Sunday, the Spurs dropped another statement when they defeated Golden State 107-92 in a game in which they led by as many as 28 points.
Old standbys such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are starting to get it going again at the right time. However, the new star on the team is third-year forward Kawhi Leonard, who was the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 NBA Finals. He is the guy. Since the All-Star break, Leonard is averaging nearly 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals while playing his usual stellar defense. He is healthy again after missing several games with a hand injury. Without Leonard, the Spurs are 9-9. With Leonard in the lineup, they are 42-17.
It is playoff time, and the San Antonio Spurs are starting to look like that team again. I thought I would just remind you one more time.
