NBA San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs Are Already in Championship Form

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By @The_Only_Grubes

San Antonio Spurs

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I don’t know what is better — the San Antonio Spurs offensive execution and ball movement, or Greg Popovich‘s new beard.

Either way, both Pop and the Spurs proved they are heading towards another deep postseason run Tuesday night in their 101-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli all made plays that have been signature to them from the start of their careers: from Duncan’s bunny hooks in the lane to Parker’s mid-range magic to Ginobli’s signature Euro-step.

It is safe to say Boris Diaw is ready to be a bigger factor this year as well, as he fought on the glass for nine rebounds and dished out six assists off the bench while chipping in five points. Danny Green and Marco Belinelli hit their threes, and Popovich once again had his way with the opposing defense, as he drew up quite a number of critical screens and offensive motions to draw the Mavericks off guard and create easy scoring opportunities for everyone on the team.

This is not to say that the Mavericks did not put up a fair fight, as Dallas proved it will be there in the postseason to fight anyone in the Western Conference. Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and the point guard platoon of Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris and Monta Ellis combined for 52 points altogether. The Mavericks are going to score points, and they certainly showed improvements on the defensive end from last season, as Tyson Chandler made a difference in the middle and Chandler Parsons helped the team pull together for a nice cooperative effort in creating turnovers and forcing the Spurs to hit tough shots.

Despite the Mavericks throwing the kitchen sink at them tonight, the Spurs came through and utilized their schemes and experience to overcome every obstacle that was in their way. The way they move the ball and stay steps ahead of everyone else is just remarkable, and should not be overlooked again this season even though the Spurs have gotten another year older. In terms of pure intellectual worth, there is no team in the NBA that can compete with San Antonio. This Spurs team will keep doing this all season long, no doubt about it.

Nathan Grubel is an NBA writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @The_Only_Grubes, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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