Riverwalk Champs

Ehsan Azad

River walk Champs

          Being a die-hard mavs fan, seeing black and silver just sends chills down my spine. Nothing makes my blood boil then seeing the San Antonio Spurs have any sort of success, especially against my Dallas Mavericks. Yet, I can do nothing but have upmost respect for the most successful organization in basketball in the last decade.

As the Spurs currently have a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals, I think back and ponder how in the world did they get here?  This was an old team last year that got upset in the first round and was thought to have less talent going into this year. The so called analysts and radio hosts thought the Thunder and the Heat were going to be the class of the NBA.  For most of the season the Thunder ran through the condensed season and held on to the top spot.  Then as the season winded down, the Spurs came out of nowhere and stole the top spot in the west for the second straight year. Unnoticed for the majority of the year, the Spurs quietly had one of their best seasons in franchise history.  So how do they consistently win, reload, and win some more?   Here are just a few reasons to respect our Black and silver cousins to the south.

                One of the reasons that age doesn’t ever seem to cause concern for the franchise is that they have an excellent record of drafting quality players. The duo of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford has built some great teams and they rarely miss during the draft.  Coach Pop built the foundation when he drafted young Tim Duncan to play with Hall of Fame center David Robinson.  He wasn’t done yet, he then added young talent like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to an already talented roster. Those additions helped them dominate the NBA early in the decade. But, as age began to set in with the Big Three and Robinson’s retirement in 2003, some began to question if the Spurs can keep going.  They responded to their credits by drafting young talent to mix in with their superstars, some unknown at the time. It seems like every year they find the diamond in the rough in every draft. Guys like Matt Bonner, Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, and George Hill. Unknown talent at the time, but the Spurs scouting has uncovered draft steals every year and it helps them stay competitive every year, no matter the age of the team.

                Another reason is that they simply have some of the best players in the NBA who have bought into the concept of teamwork. The big three of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili are individually some of the best players in the game today. They each could go into a franchise on their own and lead them on deep playoff runs. But, they have a unique quality you don’t see much in today’s NBA, and that’s humility. They rather sacrifice a highlight reel play in order for their team to succeed. They are the ultimate team players. They simply just play the game in front of them and leave the glitzy lifestyle off the court.

But, of all the reasons the Spurs are so damn good, there is simply one that defines why this team is the team of the decade. Gregg Popovich.  Some may call Phil Jackson the greatest coach, but an argument should be made for Pop. Right now the best coach in basketball; he simply knows this game better than anyone and has the stats to back it up. Since 1999, the Spurs have been the most efficient team in basketball in due part to his coaching. He preaches sound, fundamental basketball. Pass the ball, find the open man and shoot. It’s boring and won’t get them on the TOP TEN, but it will get them multiple chances to get a ring. His coaching is some of the best in the game and turns new prospects into great role players.  Game in and out, no coach can seem to outsmart POP and he can get out of jams better than anyone.  He realizes the importance of resting players and will sacrifice a game if they are down big, just to ensure they are ready to fight another day.  He mixed in some great young talent with his aging roster to keep his title window open.  He is simply the best in basketball.

The Spurs make it work year in and out. They outwit the draft, they outwit other coaches, and they continue to outwit father time.  One day they will start to slow down and become a weaker team.  One day Coach Pop and the big three will retire and leave the franchise to an uncertain future. But, today they are up 2-0 in the West finals and it seems that the River walk is going to have another parade.