Healthy Roster Keeping Spurs on Top

SACRAMENTO - If anyone asked who would have the NBA's best record 50 games into the season, the San Antonio Spurs, who finished with the seventh seed in the Western Conference last season , wouldn't have been one of the top choices.

With a 42-8 record, the Spurs are that answer, better than the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

The Spurs are on their way to their 14^th consecutive playoff appearance and hold the longest active streak in the league. Their head coach, Gregg Popovich, he doesn't think he has the best team in the league despite San Antonio's early success.

"It's unclear in the best team in the NBA is," Popovich said. "I still think the Lakers are the best team in the west when it comes down to money time, right now. I think other teams in the East are playing very well.

"Dallas is remarkable," he continued. "The only reason they got the losses they have is because Dirk (Nowitzki) was gone. They'd probably have a record similar to ours."

The longtime trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker and have led the Spurs' charge, but young players like George Hill, DeJuan Blair and rookie Gary Neal have contributed consistently well. After a slow start with the team last season, Richard Jefferson is turning out to be a welcome addition as well, hitting three-pointers at a career-high 42.6 percent clip.

The team's overall play has been a surprise to Parker. "I didn't predict that we were going to play that well," he said. "I knew we were going to play better than last year because last year we had a lot of injuries and I was hurt, Manu was hurt.

"Basically, knowing that Manu took the summer off, I took the summer off and everybody being healthy, I knew we were going to be good."

Health has been a huge factor in the success of the Spurs early performance.

"I know at the end of the year we were healthy," Popovich said regarding his team in the playoffs last season. "We've always had some sort of injuries in the beginning for some reason and this year we haven't. Tony and Manu didn't play all summer so they were fresh and ready."

Parker missed 26 games last season mostly due to a hand injury sustained last March. Ginobili missed 38 games in the 2008-09 season because of an ankle injury from the conference finals the season before. He aggravated it while playing for the Argentine Olympic Team. He also missed the playoffs that season.

Traditionally, Ginobili has been the sixth man for the Spurs and won the 2007-08 Sixth Man of the Year Award. This season, he has started all 50 games and Popovich thinks he earned it.

"At this point in his career I thought that he deserved to be a starter for no other reason than to be a starter," Popovich said of Ginobili. "He's a great player, one of the best in the world and that's why I did it, to show him respect."

Even though the Spurs are nearly a lock for the playoffs, there are still 32 games left to play and the Spurs are still seeking improvement. "We have a ways to go before we're the last team standing," Popovich said. "That's basically on the defensive end we've got to get better. All the other very good teams in the league are playing more consistently good defense than we are."

Even though the playoffs are over two months away, there is still a prize to be won by the team with the most wins. "Hopefully, we can take advantage of that now," Parker said. "And keep our lead and try to secure home court advantage for the whole playoffs."

Player information from NBA.com.