The San Antonio Spurs are no strangers to hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, or more commonly known as the NBA Championship. Having won the title in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007, the Spurs came into the shortened 2012 season with little expectations.
A bevy of teams in the Western Conference seemed ready to emerge into the spotlight in 2012.
The Dallas Mavericks were coming off of their first NBA Title. The Los Angeles Lakers are always a threat and were joined by their roommates, the Clippers, as serious contenders out West.
And the Oklahoma City Thunder seemed like their trajectory was pointing to this season as being the one they finally got over the hump.
But as the regular season comes to a close, the Spurs are left standing atop the Western Conference mountain as champion. And after steering through the gauntlet practically unscathed, Gregg Popovich and Co. have a legitimate shot at bringing title No. 5 back to the Alamo.
Here are five reasons the Spurs can win the NBA Championship in 2012.
The Shortened Season
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The NBA lockout forced the league to shorten the season from 82 games down to 66 in order to fit everything in and end the season in a timely fashion.
With a veteran nucleusâ€"Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parkerâ€"head coach Gregg Popovich was forced to get creative with how to handle resting his players with the compressed schedule, which at times endured four to five games in a given week.
However, early injuries to Ginobili allowed much needed respite for the shooting guard, which gave younger role players the chance to step up.
This gave Popovich an opportunity to tinker with the lineup more than he would have originally and negated running into fatigue as the season progressed.
Now that the Spurs have locked up the No. 1 seed, look for the entire team to be rested and ready for the opening round of the playoffs and beyond.
Home-Court Advantage
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The San Antonio Spurs tied the Miami Heat for the best home record in the NBA at 28-5; needless to say, winning at home is important to the team and its fans.
Home-court advantage will be particularly vital this year to preserve the legs of the Spurs’ key players as the playoffs progress. It will help them take early control of any series and allow the team to not press so much on the road.
A team as calm and collected as the Spurs having the strong backing of its fans for an extra game each series makes them a very tough out.
Putting Last Year in the Rear-View Mirror
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Snagging the top seed in the Western Conference this season is a sudden reminder of last season for the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs finished 2011 with the best record in Western Conference, earning the No. 1 seed before being bounced out of the playoffs by the eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies (only the fourth time an eighth seed beat a one seed in the opening round).
However, this season the Spurs won’t have to face an upstart Grizzlies squad in the first round. They are currently matched up with a Utah Jazz team that is lucky to even be in the playoffs.
The Spurs should have no problem in helping everyone in and around the organization forget about what happened in 2011. An opening round cakewalk will go a long way towards keeping the momentum from the regular season rolling.
Players Know Their Role
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The San Antonio Spurs have obviously been successful over the years due to four peopleâ€"Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
However, it is impossible for only three players and a coach to win ball games, let alone four championships, no matter how good they are.
The 2012 season is no different as the Spurs feature nine players that average at least 8.9 points per game. That doesn’t include the intangibles that Matt Bonner offers with his three-point shooting, or DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter with their rebounding and toughness.
Even new additions Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson (Spurs 2003 title team) have been able to swallow their pride and play a lesser role.
Parker has emerged as an MVP candidate this year, while Duncan and Ginobili seem to be accepting of their roles of Robin to his Batman.
Knowing what to expect from each player up and down the roster is a huge advantage over the rest of the league that has become over-individualized through the years. Expect the Spurs to carry that exact mindset into the playoffs.
Been There, Done That
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The San Antonio Spurs are about as polished as it gets when it comes to championships over the years, having won four since 1999.
Other than the Spurs' Big Three (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker), there isn’t a lot of experience on the squad except for Stephen Jackson who was on the 2003 championship team and Matt Bonner who was on the 2007 team.
However, when you’ve had the likes of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker patrolling the court for as long as the Spurs have, everything just seems to fall into place.
The 2012 season has been no different than years past with the majority of the contribution coming from the Big Three. It is that experience that has created a winning culture in San Antonio and it has rubbed off on everyone within the organization.
As long as the Big Three and Pop are around, the Spurs will be a player in the NBA, and a 2012 championship would just be icing on the cake.
Contact Jeremy at jeremy@popflyboys.com, on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy and read more at popflyboys.com.
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