It was not very hard for many basketball fans to write off the Spurs as being, “too old”, for this 2012 season.
After all, the average age of their four highest paid players is around 32 years old. When you mix in Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan’s injury woes, Richard Jefferson’s inefficiencies and Tony Parker’s penchant for turning the ball over, people tend to believe that the window for future championships has slammed shut on the Spurs.
Tim Duncan in a Nov. 30, 2006 game against Golden State (Photo: neth_ra via Flickr)
I personally did not believe that San Antonio would be able to concoct another title run in this lockout-shortened season. I felt that there are just too many teams whose youth and energy would run circles around an aging Spurs squad.
Have we been proven wrong thus far!
While Manu still battles his injuries, this team has played magnificently during the first half of this NBA season. San Antonio is currently leading the Southwest Division in the Western Conference; Their 23-10 mark ranks as the 2nd best record in the West and the 4th best in the entire league!
Thank Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal for helping the team to regain some of their youth. Both players have stepped up to the task and are putting forth some great efforts. Splitter and Neal average just about 9 points per ball game, helping this SA team become the 5th best scoring team in the league.
Even with the relative youth movement on the team (Splitter and Neal are both 27), it still surprises me that Parker and Duncan are playing as strongly as they have this year. Parker and Duncan lead the team in points and minutes, with Tony having the most assists and Tim leading the team in boards.
As the All-Star Break approaches, many in Texas hope that this team can continue their torrid pace. If anything, it would be amazing to see this club try one more time to attain another NBA championship.
stats for the post gathered from espn.com
