The San Antonio Spurs should be extremely pleased with how this season has gone, and they might just be getting started. They won their final home game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-98, and Tim Duncan‘s squad became only the second team in NBA history to go 40-1 at home. The 1985-86 Boston Celtics were the last group to do it.
“That is great, tying the Boston Celtics,” point guard Tony Parker said to ESPN. “That’s one of the legendary teams with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. So it’s pretty good. It’s not easy to only lose one game [at home] the whole season.”
The Spurs needed overtime to beat the Thunder, and they are somehow still flying under the radar thanks to the Golden State Warriors. Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 26 points against the Thunder, and he was especially clutch in the overtime period. Parker finished with 20 points and three assists, and the point guard is probably pleased that the Warriors are getting so much attention. This will allow San Antonio to sneak up on casual fans of basketball during the playoffs, and the Western Conference Finals should be a thrilling series to watch if it involves the Spurs and Golden State.
LaMarcus Aldridge had to leave the Oklahoma City game in the second half due to a sore right pinkie finger, and hopefully that isn’t an issue during the playoffs. The Spurs will need his production to achieve their goals, especially since his game has blended so nicely with Leonard in the home stretch of this season.
Head coach Gregg Popovich will have a few tricks up his sleeve that he’s been saving for the playoffs, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Boris Diaw get a lot more playing time against teams, like the Warriors, who play small.
Duncan’s role in all of this is interesting. He isn’t playing more than 30 minutes on most nights, but it is his unselfishness that sets the tone for every piece of the Spurs. David West wouldn’t have left millions of dollars last summer and signed with them if he didn’t know how egoless this group was. They should be happy the Warriors are taking all the focus, because it could let them stealthily snag another NBA title.
