espn countdown of le contenders

[td4mvp3]

i didn't know it meant that much to pop to repeat.

2. San Antonio Spurs


Tony Parker tells the story of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, back in training camp, reminding his team that they've never followed up a championship with another championship.

"He just told us right at the beginning, 'We need to repeat,'" Parker recalls. "[He said] we're the only team that won a championship [that] didn't repeat, basically."

So that's the goal and the only outcome that would make this an acceptable season in San Antonio. The Spurs won a franchise-record 63 games in spite of the ailments that have kept Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in the 80-percent range all season, but winning a second straight le -- and third in four years -- is why they loaded up with new reserves Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel.

With home-court advantage in the West and the only le-tested team in the tournament besides Detroit, San Antonio has too many advantages not to get back to the Finals ... provided that Duncan and Ginobili's fitness levels dip no lower than 80 percent. The Spurs, though, are hopeful that the absence of back-to-back games in the playoffs helps usher those two closer to the 90-percent range, knowing that their two best players have to be close to their peak if the Spurs want to beat the Pistons again in their expected Finals rematch.

[travis2]

You didn't know that?

Winning the championship is the ONLY important thing for them. Everything else is important only insofar as it gets them to that final goal.

[td4mvp3]

that was assumed, but the idea of back-to-back champs holding an equally important place was something i thought was just important to fans.