Spurs NBA Picks
The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a season that not only saw them prove doubters wrong, but win their fifth championship in NBA history — their fifth since 1999. The catch? This team has never won back-to-back titles, which is what it will try to do during the 2014-15 season.
2014-15 San Antonio Spurs
Western Conference
2013-14 Record: 62-20 (32-9 @ Home) .756
Odds to win Title: 7/2
Odds to win Conference: 2/1
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Spurs Key Losses
Patty Mills – As crazy as it sounds, the defending NBA champions didn’t lose a single significant piece from their roster this past offseason. That’s why Patty Mills is the only name worth mentioning.
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While Mills, a 26-year-old point guard, is still on the roster (thanks to the team re-signing him this summer), it was reported back in July that he’d be out about seven months with a shoulder injury. He’ll be back on the floor eventually, but chances are, it’ll be after the halfway point of the year.
Spurs Top Newcomers
Kyle Anderson – This roster is going to look largely the same as it did last season. No significant losses; no significant additions.
That said, the team did draft Kyle Anderson with the 30th pick in this year’s draft. The former UCLA product has a chance to earn minutes with lights-out shooting, but odds are, he’ll have to work his way up quite a bit before he even thinks about cracking the rotation on a regular basis.
Spurs Top Players
Tony Parker – Tony Parker is still a top-tier point guard. At 32 years old, he’s the youngest member of The Big Three. He’s never relied on his athleticism for success, which is why he’s been able to use his crafty (and sometimes sneaky) skill set to remain elite. Health is always a concern, but talent is not for this six-time All-Star.
Tim Duncan – The Ageless Wonder continues proving people wrong. At 38 years old, the future Hall of Famer has obviously lost a step, but his production is still All-Star worthy. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest last season, and he was a key cog in the team’s successful run at a championship.
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Manu Ginobili – Manu Ginobili has dealt with health issues and an athletic decline as of late, but he’s still a great playmaker in Gregg Popovich’s system. That shouldn’t change this season, but the hope is that health is a non-issue, as Pop will look to rest the veteran any chance he gets.
Kawhi Leonard – It used to be said that Kawhi Leonard is the future of this organization. As we learned this past NBA Finals, the future is now, as Leonard won Final MVP and set the tone for his own success moving forward.
Spurs Strengths
Chemistry/Depth – You can’t talk about this team’s strengths without starting with cohesion. Coach Popovich has done a miraculous job of getting players to work together and buy into his system, and as a result, the team is a perennial contender.
Along with chemistry is depth. Nobody is as good as Popovich when it comes to getting the most out of role players, and once again, that’s a key reason this team is near or at the top of the conference year after year.
Spurs Weaknesses
Age/Health – If the Spurs ever endure a major injury, it will be a true test as to how good the aforementioned depth actually is. We’re used to seeing the role players step in when Popovich rests his starters, but what would happen if Duncan or Parker went down for a significant amount of time?
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This is the question Spurs fans want to ignore, but it’s one worth asking. Here’s to hoping nothing like that happens this season.
Spurs 2014 Betting Prediction
Barring a major injury, there’s no reason to think San Antonio can’t make it back to the NBA Finals this season. Age and health are a concern, but the former has yet to impact success, while the latter has yet to come to fruition.
The other caveat is that the Western Conference has continued to get better. The Los Angeles Clippers should be better, the Dallas Mavericks should be better, and while it’s reasonable to assume the Houston Rockets take a step back, there’s still James Harden and Dwight Howard to deal with.
The there’s the Oklahoma City Thunder. Winning a championship is within reach, but it’s far from a guarantee. Look for the Spurs to win around 60 games this season (give or take a few), and look for a top-three finish out West heading into the playoffs.
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