This team is healthy and peaking at the right time

[Uriel]

Earlier in the season, the Spurs were on top of the NBA standings, and many people here believed them to be even better than last year's team. Injuries however had derailed that, and left many Spurs fans resigned to another playoff collapse.

As of late, however, there have been signs that the team has regained the form that once made it a juggernaut:

1. Tony Parker is once again playing at an MVP level
2. Tim Duncan is finally healthy again after The Scare and continuing his renaissance season
3. Manu Ginobili is currently playing arguably the best basketball of his season
4. Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw will return for the 2nd round, ensuring the roster will be fully healthy for the first time in a long time
5. Gary Neal (who was heavily hampered by injuries and out of the rotation mid-season) has regained his late November / early December form and has emerged as a legitimate scoring option capable of creating his own shot
6. Matt Bonner is playing the best playoff basketball of his career
7. Cory Joseph, who many people in this board believed had the highest upside of all the options at backup PG, is playing with confidence and has entrenched hismself in the rotation
8. The motion offense which looked unsightly towards the end of the season is once again in rhythm
9. Even the defense, which is already significantly better than last year's and is ranked in the top-3 in the NBA, continues to improve with each game

Similarly, there are many other things to consider when assessing this team's championship aspirations:
1. Russel Westbrook is out for the playoffs, making the Spurs the clear-cut favorite in the West
2. Dwyane Wade continues to be derailed by injuries
3. The sweep means that team will have a week off to heal nagging bumps and bruises and continue to further refine itself on both ends of the floor

Now, I don't want to get ahead of myself and suggest that the Spurs will undoubtedly win the championship this year -- Miami remains the clear-cut favorite. But everything appears to be coming together at the right time; this is the best-case scenario. If this perfect storm continues, I don't think an NBA le is out of the question.

[Obstructed_View]

1. Russel Westbrook is out for the playoffs, making the Spurs the clear-cut favorite in the West

I'm not going to go overboard like some and suggest that the lack of Westbrook makes the Thunder a better team, but there have been times, especially this year, that Westbrook gets into a shooting contest with Parker and actually hurts his team by taking too many low-percentage shots. OKC could actually benefit from the different look against the Spurs. Durant's so impossible to stop that you don't really want him taking 30 shots a game and drawing fouls at the rate he does. They have to get past LA or Memphis first though.

[RD2191]

Bro. They swept a garbage laker team. They look good but lets not get too excited.

[spurs10]

Timing is huge!

[therealtruth]

The Spurs and the Heat are the only teams that sweep. It's looking like they're on a collision course. I believe the Spurs have everything they need to come out of the West. They definitely have the talent and they've done less with more like in '07. In '07 Finley was our starting SG and now we have McGrady at the end of our bench.

[Arcadian]

The big question for now is, how do we shorten the rotation for future rounds? We have a roster of 15 people who are all capable of being in a playoff rotation.

PG: Parker, Joseph, De Colo
SG: Green, Ginobili, Neal, Mills
SF: Leonard, McGrady
PF: Bonner, Blair, Diaw
C: Duncan, Splitter, Baynes

Who isn't going to contribute? I would guess De Colo and Mills. Everyone else, however, could contribute...

I would say Blair, but that teardrop shot is looking pretty polished.

[racm]

The big question for now is, how do we shorten the rotation for future rounds? We have a roster of 15 people who are all capable of being in a playoff rotation.

PG: Parker, Joseph, De Colo
SG: Green, Ginobili, Neal, Mills
SF: Leonard, McGrady
PF: Bonner, Blair, Diaw
C: Duncan, Splitter, Baynes

Who isn't going to contribute? I would guess De Colo and Mills. Everyone else, however, could contribute...

I would say Blair, but that teardrop shot is looking pretty polished.

We STAAAAAACKED, tbh

[Beaverfuzz]

I wouldn't say the team is healthy...Splitter could be out two weeks instead of 7-10 days. That's a minimum of three games next round.

[HarlemHeat37]

Spurs looked great in round 1 against a team that wouldn't have made the playoffs with the roster they were forced to utilize, tbh..

It's encouraging that Parker and Ginobili looked good, and Duncan played well against the most difficult compe ion he'll have in the playoffs..it was also a good warm-up, confidence and rhythm-builder..

The Spurs should be favorites in the West, and they drew the easy bracket, but there are still many question marks..I'd like to see how Joseph plays against NBA talent at the guard position, if Bonner can continue playing at the same level, etc..

[Namundy]

Way to jinx us er

[HI-FI]

still got some battles ahead of us. Health is paramount.

however, watching so many teams get hurt, I'm so grateful of Pop's minute management. I've never criticized him for it, because it gives everyone lots of experience and exposure to the bright lights, plus our guys get more time to heal up.

[racm]

who's worse? playoff bucks or playoff lakers?

Bucks kept it closer than the Lakers.

[MmP]

Bro. They swept a garbage laker team. They look good but lets not get too excited.

[sprrs]

Bro. They swept a garbage laker team. They look good but lets not get too excited.

Yeah, but the Spurs of even just two weeks ago were struggling with garbage teams.

[Sean Cagney]

Bro. They swept a garbage laker team. They look good but lets not get too excited.

.......................

Yeah, but the Spurs of even just two weeks ago were struggling with garbage teams.

................

The Spurs and the Heat are the only teams that sweep. It's looking like they're on a collision course. I believe the Spurs have everything they need to come out of the West. They definitely have the talent and they've done less with more like in '07. In '07 Finley was our starting SG and now we have McGrady at the end of our bench.

I know about that! Finley hit a ton of threes though in those playoffs! HE WENT APE on Denver! This year Danny Green is our starting SG and he can't hit sh*t. Good lord we have Mac on the end of our bench but my GOD we have Green starting!

[ElNono]

I know about that! Finley hit a ton of threes though in those playoffs! HE WENT APE on Denver! This year Danny Green is our starting SG and he can't hit sh*t. Good lord we have Mac on the end of our bench but my GOD we have Green starting!

I'm so glad the Spurs swept. I was thoroughly concerned about your health if the Spurs dropped a game

[Sean Cagney]

I'm so glad the Spurs swept. I was thoroughly concerned about your health if the Spurs dropped a game

LOL YEP! I am fine and happy as ! If they dropped a game I would be right when I said Spurs in 5 though Even though man when we won the last one by 31 were up 20 tonight! IF WE happened to pull a usual Spurs lapse and lose this one I would be drunk off my ass tonight in a corner cursing hahaha.

[Stabula]

The big question for now is, how do we shorten the rotation for future rounds? We have a roster of 15 people who are all capable of being in a playoff rotation. PG: Parker, Joseph, De Colo SG: Green, Ginobili, Neal, Mills SF: Leonard, McGrady PF: Bonner, Blair, Diaw C: Duncan, Splitter, Baynes Who isn't going to contribute? I would guess De Colo and Mills. Everyone else, however, could contribute... I would say Blair, but that teardrop shot is looking pretty polished.

I ed the out of your mom

[Budkin]

Yeah let's see how we do against a team that... well, a team.

[Kidd K]

I hope that's the case bro, but honestly, the Lakers just really sucked. I'm not 100% sure we're "peaking" right now or if an 80% Spurs is just that much better than a 60% Lakers.

I'm not saying I'd rather have played the Rockets since we probably would've had to go to 5 games, but it may have been nice to have some actual compe ion. Whoever we get in the next round is going to be vastly superior to the pile of , weak excuse for a team we just swept.

[Arcadian]

They still had Howard and Gasol. They alone could have made the matchup difficult. So I think we deserve some credit for the sweep.

[Stabula]

Howard is overrated and Gasol does poorly in the D'Antoni system. Spurs merely capitalized on one of the biggest playoff collapses of all time. Truth be told however that some unexpected role players really stepped up this series.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Wet towel - The Spurs beat the worst team in the playoffs (yes, including the Buck-nakeds).

Silver Line - Improving Health (despite Splitter's injury)

Caution alert - do not underestimate the Warriors.

[Uriel]

The fact that we beat an injury-depleted team is irrelevant. The bottom line is the state of the Spurs itself, and all the signs appear to be pointing in the right direction (health, rhythm, match ups, etc). It's the perfect storm.

[Obstructed_View]

I hope that's the case bro, but honestly, the Lakers just really sucked. I'm not 100% sure we're "peaking" right now or if an 80% Spurs is just that much better than a 60% Lakers.

I don't think the Spurs are close to playing their best basketball right now, but they're light years ahead of where they were two weeks ago. Give them another week to rest and this could be the healthiest playoff Spurs team since what, 2007?