The San Antonio Spurs can probably still get a lot better on the offensive end as the season goes on, but they’re already in playoff form defensively. They showed this against the Phoenix Suns in a 98-84 victory, and that is the type of effort we should expect from Gregg Popovich‘s team moving forward. The Suns were averaging 106.5 points per game before visiting the Spurs, and Kawhi Leonard was particularly impressive with 24 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals. San Antonio is off to a quicker than expected 11-3 start, and they are doing it while resting their star players.
LaMarcus Aldridge actually missed the game against Phoenix with an ankle sprain, but this didn’t matter on a night when Leonard put the clamps down defensively. Tim Duncan had a pedestrian stat line, but he is the glue that makes all of this happen. He was impressed by what his team is bringing to the table in the early season.
“We are coming around,” Duncan said after the win. “I think defensively, we are a lot further along than offensively.”
The Spurs will make it to the Western Conference Finals, and it is just a question of who they meet there. My money right now would be on the Golden State Warriors, but the Los Angeles Clippers could work out their issues by that point too. The main thing is that the Spurs weren’t supposed to be here. They were supposed to squeak into the playoffs as they rounded into form, but instead they have put it together sooner than anyone thought. The Spurs will be a contender, as a result, and the only way they’ll be held back from a long postseason run is if one of their key players goes down.
Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.