- Record: 32-18 (8-2)
- Western (7)
- Southwest (4)
Ranks
- 106.4 ORTG (13)
- 102.3 DRTG (4)
- 93.3 Pace (19)
- 77.5 DRB% (4)
- 0.546 TS% (8)
Latest Results
Leaders
- Kawhi Leonard 15.9 ppg
- Tim Duncan 10.1 rpg
- Manu Ginobili 4.9 apg
- Tim Duncan 1.9 bpg
- Kawhi Leonard 2.1 spg
- Record: 34-17 (7-3)
- Eastern (2)
- Atlantic (1)
Ranks
- 112.7 ORTG (2)
- 107.5 DRTG (22)
- 93.1 Pace (21)
- 73.5 DRB% (23)
- 0.556 TS% (5)
Latest Results
Leaders
- Kyle Lowry 18.9 ppg
- Jonas Valanciunas 8.5 rpg
- Kyle Lowry 7.2 apg
- Jonas Valanciunas 1.2 bpg
- Kyle Lowry 1.6 spg
Last June, the Spurs put on one of the most incredible displays of basketball the NBA has ever seen when they thoroughly beat the reigning two-time NBA champions, the Miami Heat. A team previously derided as boring suddenly made passing and teamwork exciting and trendy. The pounding the Heat received was so thorough that it may have been one of the main reasons LeBron decided to leave Miami to return to Cleveland.
The Spurs domination goes well beyond last season. In the 38 years the Spurs have been in the NBA, they have missed the playoffs just four times, and three of those times were in the 80s. They’ve been past the first round of the playoffs 26 times and have won five titles. Since the Raptors came into the league, the Spurs have missed the playoffs just once.
They’ve also been one of the most stable franchises, in large part due to it’s success on the court. Gregg Popovich has been the head coach of the Spurs for 18 years. In that same time, the Raptors have gone through 7 coaches.
To put it mildly, the Raptors and Spurs are two teams with two VERY different histories.
While the Spurs had a playoffs to remember, I’m sure most Spurs fans would like to forget most of the season so far. Just their starters have missed a total of 62 games, and that doesn’t include guys like playoff hero, Patty Mills, who missed the first 31 games of the season, due to shoulder surgery. Ironically, the team’s two oldest and usually more injury prone players have been relatively healthy. 38 year old Tim Duncan and 37 year old Manu Ginobili are both playing the most minutes they played in years, mostly due to the injuries of their teammates, but they’re also not nearly as productive as they usually are.
Despite all this, the Spurs somehow are in the thick of the playoff race in the tough Western Conference, sitting in the 7th seed with a record just slightly worse than the Raptors. They’ve been able to do it by getting back to their roots and playing some of the best defense in the league. And with a healthy roster, they’ve been able to win 9 of their last 11 games, but have only scored 100 points or more in 4 of those games.
What may be most surprising about the Spurs, this year, is that they only have one player scoring more than 14.6 ppg and that’s last year’s Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, who’s only averaging 15.9 ppg.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
Will The Raptors End Their Streak?
Ironically, the last time the Raptors beat the Spurs, Marco Belinelli was playing for the Raptors. They haven’t beat them in more than five years, and in that game, the Spurs trotted out a starting lineup of Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, Keith Bogans, Antonio McDyess and Tony Ratliff (although both Duncan and Ginobili did come off the bench).
How Good Is Kawhi Leonard?
After winning the Finals MVP and outplaying the best player on the planet, in the final three games of the playoffs, many predicted Leonard would take his place among the best players in the league, this season. While he’s definitely played well, and missed 18 games due to injury, his play has not been as dominant as many hoped or expected. In truth, Leonard is actually playing at a level better than he did in the playoffs, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever become a top 10 scorer in the league, as he simply doesn’t have a scorers mentality.
While he wasn’t in the All Star conversation, Leonard is a devastatingly dangerous 2-way player who has the potential to be a huge thorn in the Raptors’ side.
Is James Johnson Back?
After being one of the most important Raptors during the first two and a half months of the season, Johnson fell off the map after a big loss to Atlanta on January 16th. In the last ten games before the Clippers game, Friday night, James Johnson had 6 DNPs and in the four games he did get on the floor, he played less than 10 minutes.
And then he came into the game against the Clippers and proceeded to hit 7 of 7 shots, grab 5 rebounds, dish out 3 assists and rack up 2 steals on the way to a resounding 123-107 win.
Is the 18 minutes Johnson played simply a blip, or is he out of Casey’s doghouse?
BREAKDOWN
Starters
The Spurs won the title last year, in large part, due to their starters. They have a former multiple MVP and 15 time All Star, a 6 time All Star and Finals MVP and another Finals MVP who hasn’t yet hit his prime.
Edge: Spurs
Bench
While the Raptors have one of the better benches in the league, the Spurs were able to withstand the previously mentioned 62 games missed by starters because of the strength of their bench. And they have future Hall of Famer, Ginobili.
Edge: Spurs
Coaching
Gregg Popovich has won five titles, three Coach of the Year Awards, the Spurs are consistently one of the best coached teams in the league. Casey has been to the playoffs once and hasn’t been through an entire season where his coaching skills haven’t been questioned.
Edge: Spurs
PREDICTION
While the Spurs have a record that is slightly worse than the Raptors do, they are a better team that is healthy for the first time this season and have had the Raptors’ number for most of their existence. To make matters worse, the Raptors have struggled against the better defensive teams. In games where they have scored fewer than 100 points, the Raptors are 5-7, and the Spurs have held their opponents to fewer than 100 points in 8 of their last 11 games.
Score: Spurs 101 – Raptors 92
