The San Antonio Spurs are Still NBA Contenders

The San Antonio Spurs began their 08-09 NBA season minus one All-Star two guard and amongst much speculation regarding their lack of youth, athleticism and newly acquired talent. A dismal 1-3 start highlighted issues beyond the absent Manu Ginobili - apparently the rest of this veteran squad had forgotten how to play defense, an area of specialty in recent seasons. By the fifth game (a home fixture and loss to the Miami Heat) the Spurs had considerably bigger problems; Tony Parker would fall awkwardly and roll his right ankle. The medical staff quickly announced the severity of the sprain and Parker, a former Finals MVP, would sit for a month.

The Spurs are a defensively orientated outfit and when healthy, they frequently struggle to hit triple figures. Without their All-Star tandem, the Spurs would be missing in the region of 40pts per game and outside of the ever reliable Tim Duncan, one had to wonder where the points would come from. Within five games a dynasty looked lottery bound and their reign of unprecedented consistency looked to be on life support.

Meanwhile the injury free Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers had ascertained the majority of headlines in the season's early stages, posting championship caliber winning percentages. The San Antonio Spurs' shorthanded response to adversity is a no less worthwhile story, it featured an aging MVP once again putting the team on his back (Tim Duncan), some lights out shooting by one of the most improved players in the league (Roger Mason) and a rookie who played beyond all expectations (George Hill). The subsequent 7-2 stretch was a feat that few predicted and kept the Spurs within the top eight in the ultra competitive Western Conference. The wins came after re-asserting their defense; in a remarkable win against division rivals the Houston Rockets, the Spurs kept their opposition scoreless for the game's final five minutes and scored 12 unanswered in a thrilling forth quarter. Rookie point guard Hill was instrumental, driving with reckless abandon over Yao Ming in a manner that recalled the player he was standing in for.

With Parker and Ginobili now back in the starting line-up, is it not time to ask how much noise this year's Spurs team can make? Their early injury woes highlighted a surprising backcourt depth and their tenacious winning stretch showed a veteran savvy few other teams can claim. Once the 'Big Three' gel in the manner that characterized their championship runs, the Spurs are surely capable of beating any team on any given night. Recent blow-out victories against Denver and Golden State have been uncharacteristically high scoring affairs suggesting that Head Coach Gregg Popovich has his healthy offensive well tuned already.

With the injuries and shifting rotations, the Spurs are still a distant threat to the currant top seeded clubs and that may prove advantageous. Of course there is still an awful lot of basketball to play before the playoffs and some issues remain (a more offensively minded backup for Duncan is sorely required) but the small market Spurs are familiar with the underdog tag and never has that label been so distinguished. Few have picked the Spurs as contenders but now with a fully functioning roster, would the Jazz, Nuggets, Hornets or Rockets really want to face this group in the first round? The Lakers may just yet have another Western Conference Final meeting with the Spurs, the crucial difference this time may be a certain healthy Argentinian.