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Keys To San Antonio Spurs Title Defense

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  • Updated: March 15, 2015
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The San Antonio Spurs are finally rounding into their championship form of last year. From crisp passing to timely cuts, the Spurs we love are coming back. But it is one thing to be back in form and another to dominate. For the Spurs to successfully defend their championship, they need to come out of the West on top.

The West boasts 8 championship contenders. The 1st round of the Playoffs will be just as difficult as the Conference Finals. We can expect the current standings to change drastically as the 3rd and 7th seed are separated by just 3.5 games. The Spurs could end up anywhere between that owing to a great run. The Thunder could also rise behind the otherworldly exploits of Russell Westbrook shaking up the matchups.

Keys for the Spurs :

1. Consistency : The Spurs need to stay consistent with their rotations and minutes during the final stretch of the regular season. They’ve battled all kinds of injuries and roster shakeups which has forced Gregg Popovich to trot out different lineups. Finally healthy, Pop could figure out his championship rotation and distribute minutes to keep everyone fresh for the long haul too.

2. Defense : The Spurs have the 10th best defensive rating for the season but their defense has faltered after the All-star break. Their offense is second best in the league giving them a net-rating of 5.1 which is 5th best in the league. If the Spurs want to repeat as champions they need to ramp up their defensive intensity to go along with their already clicking offense.

3. Assists : Surprisingly the Spurs rank in bottom tenth of Assist% (percentage of shots assisted). They do produce assists at the 6th best rate in the league but a team that epitomized ball movement and passing throughout last year’s championship run should not be in the bottom tenth of assist%. Their offense is producing points and assists but it can still improve which is scary for the whole league.

4. Kawhi Leonard : This should come as no surprise. Last year’s Finals MVP is the centerpiece of the title defense. His play on both ends will dictate how the Spurs season ends. Between Tim Duncan anchoring the paint and Tony Parker coming back, Kawhi Leonard’s play will determine how far the Spurs actually go.

If the Spurs stay consistent, buckle down on defense a bit tighter and let Kawhi play out of his mind, they’re primed to repeat as champions finally!

Author: Jaudat Ali

Engineer-to-be. Passionate about basketball. Expert at procrastinating.

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