The San Antonio Spurs no longer have the dominant interior that defined the franchise in the early days of Tim Duncan's career.
Nor do they play the kind of lockdown defense that Gregg Popovich used to claim this team's first four titles.
That doesn't mean these Spurs have lost their edge, though. They may be more accustomed to scoring 103 points a night than to ruining opponents' field goal percentages, but we aren't looking at Mike D'Antoni's Suns or Don Nelson's Mavericks.
San Antonio has proven capable of handling teams with size, including two blowout victories over the Los Angeles Lakers in April. Their opening playoff contest against the Utah Jazz similarly demonstrated that Tony Parker can lead this teamâ€"no matter how many opposing bigs are patrolling the paint.
That's exactly what the All-Star point guard did in a decisive 15-point win against Utah on Sunday.
He scored 28 points and racked up eight assists in the victory, suggesting that his MVP-caliber season was no fluke.
Utah out-rebounded the Spurs by six and blocked eight of San Antonio's field goal attempts. Those kind of disparities would have spelled doom for Popovich's club once upon a time.
But instantiation of San Antonio's dynasty is different. It creates turnovers, pushes the tempo and makes more than its fair share of three-pointers.
While Parker's leadership has sparked much of the success, it's been the gritty effort of less-heralded role players that has made this squad so dominant.
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Rookie Kawhi Leonard has lived up to his highly-touted defensive potential, and third-year guard Danny Green has had a breakout season, doing his best impression of Bruce Bowen.
And of course, the trade-deadline acquisition of Stephen Jackson gave the Spurs an attitude that will pay dividends in any fiercely-contested playoff series. The "yin" to Tim Duncan's "yang" completes a well-balanced roster that seems to include a little bit of everything.
Determination alone won't carry these Spurs past the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers or Oklahoma City Thunder, but it could be the difference in a tight series.
You can count on Parker and Duncan to remain steadying presences, and you better believe Manu Ginobili will impact every game one way or another. But beyond the stars' talent, San Antonio may be just hard-headed enough to beat teams that will feel like favorites no matter what the Spurs accomplish.
Sometimes, the team with the best record is still an underdog at heart. It may be just such a heart that carries these guys to the top.Â
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