Ageless Spurs make another title push
The popular narrative throughout the season was that any one of six teams could represent the deep Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
But with the playoffs set to begin Saturday, oddsmakers are focusing on two teams in the West: Golden State, with the best record (67-15) in the league, is the betting choice to reach the Finals.
And the second pick? The ageless wonders and defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs rediscovered their magic in the last two months and seem ready to defend their crown after winning 21 of their last 25 games. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan won the first of their five NBA championships in 1999 and their challenge is to win back-to-back titles for the first time.
San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak ended in the regular-season finale at New Orleans, and that left the Spurs as the sixth seed, so they face the No. 3-seeded Clippers in the first round.
Meanwhile, the Warriors emerged as the most exciting and entertaining team in the NBA, thanks to the talented “Splash Brothers,” guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Golden State lost only two games at raucous Oracle Arena during a franchise-best season, going 39-2. Guess who pinned one of those losses on the Warriors at home? Yes, the Spurs. The Clippers are a capable team with their core group of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford.
They have one of the league’s best in-game coaches in Doc Rivers, and the Clippers head into the playoffs just as hot as the Spurs, owning an sevengame win streak and having won 14 out of their last 15 games.
Houston, the No. 2 seed, faces the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round.
Memphis can grind any team down with its bigman tandem of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Portland is the fourth seed because it won the Northwest Division, but will open at Memphis because the Grizzlies have a better record.
New Orleans reached the playoffs on the back of young superstar Anthony Davis and will face the topseeded Warriors.
But the Spurs continue to be driven this season, after being obsessed with beating Miami in the 2014 NBA Finals.
“The Spurs are the best team in the NBA, as far as I’m concerned,” Rivers said. “They are the last team to win the title. And until someone beats them, no matter what all our records are, they’re the best. They’ve been the benchmark and I think all of us know that.”