Digging for Nuggets: A Rocky Road to the Championship

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>A Rocky Road to the Championship</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
By David F. Leister<br>
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As the end of the grueling 82 game waiting period for a team and fan base with championship aspirations fast approaches, an extra day’s rest and a tanked finale against Minnesota is just what your San Antonio Spurs needed. Yes, the NBA playoffs are fast upon us and, perhaps, for the first time in the Tim Duncan era I am happy that the Spurs drew a Sunday draw instead of Saturday. <br>
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Normally I’m so excited when the playoff bracket is announced that I want to see the Spurs the following day. Usually the Spurs are healthy and rocking everybody’s world in late April and the main question is whether the Spurs would sweep their first round opponent and who would be their likely second round foe. In seasons past, the Spurs were so blazingly hot come playoff time you wanted them to play on little rest. During the Tim Duncan era, the first round of the playoffs has been little more than an extended practice session for Tim Duncan & Co. But this season is different. <br>
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This season, the Spurs have a much more daunting task. Not only must they rehabilitate a handful of key players in the first round, they must do so against the team with the best record since the All Star break and whose second half record is reminiscent of the 1999 Spurs’ furious finish. Most of us called for Popovich’s head in late January 1999 when the Spurs sunk to 7-9 only to end up hailing his genius after leading the Spurs to the franchise’s first championship. Could this be George Karl’s year to lead Denver to its first championship? Folks, I think its safe to say that this year’s Denver might be a little bit tougher than last year’s Memphis first round. <br>
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Funny thing is earlier (last week, actually) I was beckoning and calling for that 60th win. Now I want little part of it if it means playing the starting five more than 20 minutes apiece. But perspectives change and MVP’s ankles get twisted and a big center whom most of us have bashed as being soft eventually goes down, too (and rather oddly we all want to take back the laundry list of insults if the big Slovenian would just get healthy enough to help fend off what will prove to be a highly abnormal 7th seed). Something new to Spurs fans is that their beloved team is not entering this postseason on a blistering clip. Its more like balancing a championship ferrari on a tightrope. The Spurs sparkle, they shine and they clearly outclass the opposition in so many ways, but they are in somewhat of a pickle. <br>
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The Spurs can definitely run anyone off the track if they can just bridge that delicate injury gap and avoid falling into playoff oblivion. They may flip the switch on Sunday, but with the array of very late season injuries and a few strokes of hard luck, they’ll likely have to work hard to advance, which I have little doubt they will do. <br>
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But with the talent, chemistry and intelligence they have centered around one of the greatest basketball forces on the planet, the Spurs have as good a shot, if not better, as any team to win the 2005 NBA Finals. But before booking flights and purchasing tickets for games in early June, let’s take a look at some key variables which will likely affect the Spurs both positively and negatively in the playoffs. <br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>INJURIES AND COLD STREAKS</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
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During the first half of the almost meaningless marathon which is the NBA regular season, many were touting the Spurs’ uncanny ability to stay healthy and play within a rigidly defined and highly effective system. Then came the second half and a key trade, a few ankle sprains, a sore back, fatigue and a couple of tough losses. All of a sudden the Spurs can be viewed as utterly dominant entering this postseason on one end of the spectrum, or as a big fat question mark on the other. Do the Spurs romp to the title? Do they grind to the conference finals? Do they get “stunned” in the first round? You tell me. <br>
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On the one hand, Tim Duncan indeed will be ready for the playoffs and will even have gotten a handful of tuneup games under his belt. But luck comes in streaks, both the bad and the good. With the Spurs favoring the more negative side of luck lately, it would've been completely understandable for Spurs fans to worry about Tim Duncan turning that same right ankle again over Kevin Garnett’s foot during an utterly meaningless regular season finale. <br>
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So one question mark hovering over this team is health, and its not just about Tim and Rasho’s ankles. Its also the alleged fatigue which Pop is delicately trying to fend away from Manu and Tony. Its also about Devin Brown’s sore back and now weakened right leg. I’m confident that many Spurs fans will recall how well Devin played against the Lakers in last year’s playoffs. On the other hand, I’m sure quite a few other players on all the playoff qualifiers are feeling some cement in their legs and cricks in their joints as the 83rd game nears.<br>
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Aside from injuries, another factor in this playoffs will be streakiness, and what I’m talking about is Brent Barry. Bones has come on of late and seems to have regained his outside touch. But as Hedo Turkoglu discovered last year, for some odd reason shooting in the regular season just feels kinda different than in the playoffs. In other words, will Barry withstand the pressure and live up to the hype? He won’t be asked to do much, but hitting key free throws and a couple of pivotal late game treys will not be out of the question. <br>
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So what the Spurs have going against them are the injury bug and streaky shooting. Thankfully, there are far more positives that outweigh the negatives.<br>
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With regard to streaky shooting, if Tim Duncan is merely 80% himself, Rasho can come back and play some defense and Nazr Mohammed can continue to crash the boards and hit those putbacks, not to mention Robert Horry’s invaluable contributions, the Spurs’ strong inside game can mask some potentially cold shooting. I think that Manu and Tony’s ability to get to the rim is also a plus, something which the Spurs did not have when they got steamrolled by the Lakers in the 2001 playoffs. The Nuggets promise to clog the lane with shot blockers, so that will leave guys like Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry with plenty of opportunities to can some wide open perimeter shots. <br>
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But aside from the injury and shooting pitfalls, the Spurs are overflowing with championship attributes.<br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>EXPERIENCE, DEPTH, CHEMISTRY</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <br>
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No team in this year’s playoff field has even close to the amount of quality playoff experience as these San Antonio Spurs. Since Tim Duncan’s rookie season, the San Antonio Spurs have made regular, annual deep playoff drives and have won a couple of championships. Among key contributors like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry, there are 10 rings among them. This team is veteran, extremely intelligent, savvy and routinely takes care of business. But it goes beyond championship experience. Again, assuming that the team can not just become reasonably healthy again, but also maintain that health, then you dig into some quality depth. <br>
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Anytime you can bring an athletic sharpshooter like Brent Barry off the bench to compliment the slashing Devin Browns and feisty Robert Horrys, you’ve got depth. It remains to be seen how much of a contribution Beno Udrih will make, but the Spurs certainly have some big men on the bench now that Big Dawg Glenn Robinson and workman Nazr Mohammed are on call. Experience and depth are not issues with this team...as long as they get and stay healthy.<br>
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Another variable which is often mentioned yet highly intangible is team chemistry. Apparently the Spurs have plenty of it despite a trade which saw fan favorite Malik Rose shipped to New York. In all fairness and objectivity, if one looks at records and statistics, it is clear that on the floor the Spurs got the better end of this deal. Nazr Mohammed is also a pretty darn good guy in the locker room to boot. I think that team chemistry is not so much about group laughter in the locker room, a few hearty pranks and several team charity events. I see solid team chemistry as being maximized when every player on the roster buys into the system on both sides of the ball. Guys don’t have to become buddies at home, but when they come to work, they come to do a job as professionals. That is what the San Antonio Spurs have been doing since Tim Duncan has been here. <br>
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Also, with the Spurs’ tremendous quality experience, depth and chemistry, they can overcome the banked-in-overtime prayers by lower seeded teams. They are able to shake off tough home losses and come back stronger on the road. Great teams are great at adjusting to different foes and styles of play. I am just as confident that these San Antonio Spurs can play grind it out possession ball over a seven game serious and conquor the Houstons and Detroits as I am positive that they can run the Phoenixes and Dallases off the barn floor if need be.<br>
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All in all, and through the ups and downs and speculation, I pick the Spurs to win their third championship...<br>
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<!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START--><span style="text-decoration:underline"><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>...if they just stay healthy! </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></span><!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END--> <br>
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</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p204.ezboard.com/bsanantoniospurs62937.showUserPublicProfile?gid=grandedavid>GrandeDavid</A>  <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/flags/usa.gif" BORDER=0> at: 4/22/05 12:02 pm<br></i>

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