What I tend to admire, however, are questions that tell more than any answer ever could. That the question above is even being asked is more revealing than any answer. When people in the city of San Antonio, or anywhere else for that matter, begin to question the Spurs, it speaksvolumes about the state of the franchise that many consider the mostconsistent in all of pro sports.
When people start asking the question posed at the top of thisarticle, a question so unfamiliar and so seldom asked in jest or inoverreaction, it has to be taken seriously. An answer has to besearched for and must be found. But before this writer or anyone elseshould start on the excavation, we should take a moment to acknowledge that this question has even arisen.
For nearly two decades the San Antonio Spurs have been perennially good. It’s not accurate to say they’ve been perennially great,although they have had their moments. But simply being able to scatheoff season long slumps and mediocrity for as long as they have, whilemanaging a few championships seasons more recently, is impressive. You can track this down for days, since David Robinson put on a Spursuniform back in 1989, playoffs and playoffs runs have not only beenexpected, they’ve become routine, as automatic a function aseverything else the Spurs do.
The only time the Spurs faulted is when Robinson went down in the 96-97 season, which kept him out for the year and effectively alteredthe course of his career and the franchise. If only then all knew thatchange of course would be for the better.
Enter number one pick in the 1997 draft, Tim Duncan. The rest, while not quite history, should be fresh enough in your collective memorythat I don’t have to recap it to you. Duncan changed the face of thefranchise and in only his second year, the lock out shorten 98-99campaign, he led the Spurs to their first title in franchise history.
You have to understand why it’s important that I’m feeding youhistory. You have to understand why after three championships in sevenseasons the Spurs aren’t a real dynasty per se, but are held to theexpectations of one anyway. It’s important because through theRobinson-era and so far through the Duncan-era, no one has asked thatquestion. For the first time since David Robinson saved the franchiseall those years ago, people are questioning this team’s ability toreally contend for a title. Further still, there are those who haveall but concluded that this team in its current form can’t beat thelikes of Dallas and Phoenix. And you know what, those people areright.
Stupid Question?
The reaction to the reaction to the Spurs’ struggles of late,particularly from those outside of the San Antonio area, has beenanything but sympathetic, bordering on irritated skepticism. More thanan eyebrow is raised when a team that’s 32-14 starts bitching aboutunder performing, no matter how high the expectations. I wouldn’tblame Memphis or Atlanta if their respective populations held up acollective middle finger in the direction of south Texas. Needless tosay, there are teams and cities that have it a lot worse than the SanAntonio Spurs.
The question to the question has to be asked: are people in SanAntonio just overreacting? The short answer is yes; the more thoughtout response, however, is a bit more complicated. In general, yes, theSpurs, local media, and general Spurs fan have all taken to thetequila bottle a little too soon. No grave is being dug and nobuzzards are circling just yet; the Spurs aren’t dead, they aren’teven sick. It’s more like they’re been evicted out of the NBA’sversion of the penthouse suite. And when you’ve been spoiled rotten,which is what Spurs fans are, that’s going to piss you off some.
The not so daunting fact is that the Spurs are the third best team in the league. Unfortunately, as one local media member put it, they may be the worst third best team in league history. Granted, that’s an over statement, but the idea is actually right on. The Spurs have thethird best record in the league, yes, but as far as bottom lines go,they might as well be in the last place. Division standings, andplayoff births don’t mean shit, the only thing the local fans andmedia measure in is championships.
The indeed daunting fact is that the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are, right now, both better basketball teams than the Spurs, without question. Arguments last season could have been, and were being made for Dallas as a better team, but that’s not the same. The Mavericks are a better team right now, period. And that unrelentingtruth is a tough pill to swallow for the Spurs and their fans.
Even during the days of the Lakers dynasty, there was always afeeling that the Spurs at least had a chance at knocking them off,there is no such feeling in regards to Dallas or even Phoenix. That’snot to say anyone is drowning themselves along the River Walk,hopeless with despair, but there is certain sense of definitenessabout where the Spurs stand among the league’s best teams, and it’snot where they would like it to be.
Make no mistake about it, everything about that question is anoverreaction on the part of the Spurs faithful, but it comes in anatmosphere where only excellence is acceptable. Translation: it’s anoverreaction to everyone else, but in Spurs land, when the silver andblack are not in a position to win a championship, it’s the onlyreaction there can be.
What’s wrong with the Spurs?
The question still remains and an answer has to come. Whether or not a 32-14 team looking around like something is terribly wrong is your definition of an overreaction or not, there’s no question the Spursand their fans take these recent struggles seriously.
Answers away.
The quick response by many is to say that Spurs aren’t playingdefense at the level they have been in seasons past. While that istechnically true, the Spurs are still second in the league in pointsallowed and fifth in opponent’s field goal percentage. The Spursdefense is fine, it’s better than fine, it is still very much one ofthe elite team defenses in the league.
The problem may be closer to the offensive side. The Spurs have only allowed over 100 points six times this season, but they’re 1-5 inthose games, making it apparent that if the defense falters, or a highpowered offensive like Phoenix rolls into town, the Spurs offense maynot be able to keep up. But yet, the Spurs are still 14th in theleague in points per game, not astonishing, but still in the upperhalf of the league. And they have the second highest averaged pointdifferential, just above Dallas and just below Phoenix. The Spursoffense isn’t exactly as potent as some run and gun shows, but itnever has been and never needed to be when winning championships inthe past.
Some people have attempted to attribute the Spurs’ woes to the supporting cast around Duncan, namely Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Duncan obviously looks rejuvenated after being injured most of last season, but questions have come up about how Parker and Ginobili are dealing his resurgence.
But is that really true? No, it’s not. Manu Ginobili is averagingmore points, rebounds, and steals than he was last season, and lookinga lot closer to his All-Star form of a couple seasons ago when theSpurs won the championship. Tony Parker? He’s averaging a whole .1points less per game than he did last season coming into tonight’sgame against Utah. Furthermore his turnovers are down and his jumpshot is finally looking respectable as his free-throw and three-pointpercentages look like they should for a point guard. Duncan is greatas always, and the supporting cast, contrary to popular belief, isjust fine also.
That then leaves us with the question standing ever still. What is wrong with the Spurs? I can only think of two things.
The only thing wrong with the Spurs is that they are not as good as the Dallas Mavericks. The only wrong with the Spurs is that they are not as good as the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs are better then 27 teams in the league, and that leaves them with two, and only two, very big problems.
The question I’ve been asking, the one many people have been asking, isn’t echoing around everywhere because of some huge flaw in what the Spurs do, it’s because in spite of the Spurs few flaws, they still may not be good enough. This is a problem of inadequacy in its worst form, when one isn’t to blame for not being good enough, when one has done almost all that can be done and is still projected to come up short.
The silver lining in January and February is the word ’projected’. No matter how well Dallas and Phoenix are playing, no matter how farenough off the Spurs may seem, we’ve yet to even hit the All-Starbreak, and that leaves a lot of time for things to change. But thatstill leaves the original question. Time for change, with nothing tochange doesn’t fix anything. And the Spurs don’t have much to fix.Outside of a super natural burst come playoff time or some injury tothe Mavs or Suns, the Spurs are stuck in their third slot.
Not only are the Spurs not the homecoming king anymore, they don’t even have a date - they are essentially a third wheel.
Is all this meant to spell doom and gloom? No, not at all. I learned real fast I’m not smart enough to accurately predict the future,especially when it comes to how NBA teams shift and grow during thecourse of a season. That the Spurs aren’t doing anything wrong doesn’tstop of them from doing things better, and really, that’s always beentheir key to success.
The Spurs aren’t sneaky, they aren’t tricky, they win throughstifling defense and precise execution, both of which can only getbetter as the season goes on. The Spurs aren’t going to stumble uponsome magic potion or secret plan that catapults them to the top of theleague standings. What they will do, however, is sharpen theirexecution on offense, tighten up more on defense, and continue to getbetter in the same old boring, and effective, way they always have.
Whether or not come playoff time the Spurs are ready to beat Dallas or Phoenix, I don’t know. But the expectations are there, and I’mreminded of a sentiment David Robinson used to echo often, "To whommuch is given, much is expected."
More is expected from the Spurs, and something tells me it won’t be long before they start meeting those expectations again.
