Beware the 007 Seeds: Spurs v Sun NBA Preview

Frank Doyle previews the Western Conference semi-final series between the 3 seed Phoenix Suns and the 007 seed San Antonio Spurs.

Some teams are greater than the sum of their parts. Some teams are less. The Western Conference semi-finals give us a classic encounter between such teams when serial over-achievers San Antonio take on serial under-achievers Phoenix for a place in the Conference Finals.

Phoenix is a slight favorite in the matchup because the Suns are a 3 seed in the playoffs and the Spurs are a lowly 7, which means the Suns will enjoy home court advantage. But other than that, the Suns will be very wary indeed of the Spurs. A level of caution that is reflected in the NBA betting odds, because bookies know that the Spurs are no ordinary seven seeds.

The Spurs correct seeding is more like 007, because when it comes to playoff basketball in the NBA San Antonio is licensed to kill. The Spurs have never been a marquee team, and neither have Duncan and Parker been marquee players. But the Spurs are three time NBA Champions and, even though the marks of time are visible on Tim Duncan, the Spurs’ leader and inspiration, they are the 007 seeds nobody wants to face.

Least of all the Suns. Phoenix is the opposite of the Spurs, with star names like Nash and Stoudemire, and a run and gun offense that has a reputation for lighting ‘em up. But the biggest dissimilarity is that while the Suns are all-action, they don’t deliver when it comes to the crunch. The Spurs do.

Even more worrying for the Suns, they could be the latest in a line of great teams who never quite got it done in the playoffs. Chris Webber’s Kings spring to mind, but even more worryingly for the Suns, the other obvious comparison is the Mavericks, the very team that the Spurs just dumped out of playoffs. All the talent but can’t pull the trigger.

The Suns say that this a new team, not the one that lost four playoff series against the Spurs. This is a team with character.
Maybe so, but when it comes to character, who’s shown more character in the 21st Century than the San Antonio Spurs? And as they themselves see The End is Near, how sweet would it be to have one more Championship before its over?