Ma
29, 2001 NBA
BASKETBALL | SPURS
ON TOP By
MICHAEL LEWIS
Alonzo
Mourning’s return to the Miami Heat is, without a doubt, the NBA’s biggest
story this week. Had Michael Jordan confirmed the buzz about
his rumored return to the NBA, the month of March would have been as monumental
for the pros as it has been mad for the 64 (ok, 65) teams that have participated
in this year’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Regardless, this is certainly
an exciting time for basketball fans everywhere.
And
yet, amidst all this commotion, the team that seems to be emerging from
the pack of great western powerhouses, as we near playoff time, is one
of the league’s least glitzy contenders. Boasting the best record
in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs have positioned themselves to win back
the crown they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
The
Spurs position as the best team in the west will definitely be tested as
they enter the season’s final stretch. In their final 11 games, San
Antonio will face six playoff bound teams: Utah, Milwaukee, Seattle, Dallas,
Sacramento and Portland, all with title dreams of their own. Each
matchup is sure to provide fans with a preview of upcoming playoff battles,
and the Spurs with a taste of what it will take to go all the way this
year.
To
survive this stretch, the Spurs will have to lean heavily on their superstar,
Tim Duncan, whose performance in recent weeks has made the MVP picture
even less clear than it was when the contest was swaying back and forth
between Iverson, O’Neil, Bryant and Webber. Duncan, who has had a
whopping 5 20/20 games this season, and is the NBA’s runaway leader in
double-doubles (56), can all but carry his team through this stretch if
he is in a groove.
Steve
Kerr, a member of the storied Chicago Bulls championship teams, said of
his teammate, "When Tim turn[s] it on, we become a different team."
And
don’t forget David Robinson, a past MVP himself, and a necessary ingredient
for the Spurs’ success. If he remains healthy, Western Conference
rivals like the Kings and the Jazz will have a difficult time matching
up.
The
performance of star-in-the-making Derek Anderson plus role players like
Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry will also determine how bloodied the Spurs will
be at playoff time. If these men are on, the Spurs' classic
inside-out game that so frustrated the NBA two years ago will succeed.
If not, the Spurs could relinquish home court advantage to teams who will
be all too happy to have any and every advantage working for them come
postseason.
One
thing is for sure. Win or lose, the Spurs will continue to be the
league’s most understated team, and that fact alone will make them the
sentimental favorite for many.
