Last night, the San Antonio Spurs pulled off an impressive win. They defeated the Detroit Pistons 114-103 in Motown. Knocking off the top team in the Eastern Conference is an impressive feat; doing it on the road is something else entirely. After last night’s win, it makes you wonder, can the Spurs win the Larry O’Brien Trophy?
Spurs Complete Roster
The talent this team has assembled in a short span of time is perfect for defending and contending with some of the best teams in the league. With the core of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper, they are set up to not just be dominant this season, but for the years to come.
Some say youth can be detrimental in the playoffs, but I think it can be beneficial. Look at the Thunder last season, they were one of the youngest teams to win the NBA Finals ever. Did their youth cost them some games? Maybe, but not the entire postseason.
They have key veterans such as Harrison Barnes, who won the Finals with the Golden State Warriors back in 2015, and Fox, who’s in his 8th NBA season. What makes this team, at times, unstoppable is Wemby. Just look at last night. He shot 6/16 from the floor and was still the most dominant player, with 17 rebounds and 6 blocks. I wish there were a metric for how many shots he forces players not to take just by being in the lane. This team also shows up against the best teams in the league.
Dominance Over the NBA’s Best
Just look at their record against the top five teams in the NBA. The Spurs have a record of 8-1 against the other top teams in the league and 9-3 against the top three teams in each conference. With a 4-1 record against the Thunder, they have the guard depth and offensive skill to dominate the league’s best defensive team with their blue-chip talent. San Antonio’s backcourt has given many teams in the league problems and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Here’s a note that not many people are considering: Stephon Castle has become one of the best defenders in the league. As the primary defender, he has held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, and Devin Booker to a combined 18-for-59 shooting (31%) and seven turnovers. When you have a player willing to take on the team’s best offensive player every night, it leads to buy-in from the top to the bottom of the roster.
Will They Win the Title?
If I were to give my NBA Finals prediction right now, I would say the Spurs are coming out of the Western Conference. I thought last night was a great check point to how the team will handle a physical team. Detroit is one of the most physical teams in the NBA. The game got chippy, and San Antonio didn’t seem to care. I am prepared to say that where we stand today, we were looking at an NBA Finals preview last night, and the Spurs came out on top.
Final Thoughts
This team is built to contend in the now and in the future. We always think whoever wins the Finals goes on a run of championships. We haven’t had a team win consecutive titles in quite sometime and I think the Spurs will hoist the Larry O this season. What do you make of the Spurs’ 9-game winning streak? Do you think they will be the last team standing come the postseason?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts on the San Antonio Spurs’ chances of winning the NBA Finals this season! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day and look forward to seeing you again soon.
