NBA: The Quiet Return of the Spurs

In a season where the big market teams have dominated the headlines, San Antonio’s powerful resurgence deserves more attention according to Al Dannity.

The silent stars
There’s no Kobe Bryant on this team, no LeBron James, and not even a Kevin Garnett. It’s not that the Spurs lack big name talent, anything but, it’s just that there’s no-one on their roster who combines big name talent with the kind of outsized personality the media loves. San Antonio’s biggest name is Tim Duncan, a surefire hall-of-famer but not a man who has gone out his way to draw attention to himself. Tony Parker has never been the most talkative of stars, even more so given his recent personal problems. After that there is a deep roster, one to be feared in the NBA. Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, Manu Ginobili, Antonio McDyess, Matt Bonner, and Tiago Splitter are all capable of contributing. None of these players has the combination of charisma and superstar status to get the media talking.

They’re not the Lakers
It’s a sad reality that San Antonio, for all the success brought to the city by the Spurs, is not a big media market. The four NBA Championships have helped build the Spurs as a brand but they still pale in comparison to big market teams when it comes to casual fan interest. Most NBA betting fans know the Spurs are a good team, they can tell that just by looking at their 38-7 record, but they still aren’t the same draw as the Knicks, Lakers, Heat, or Celtics. A LeBron-esque figure could make San Antonio into a transcendent franchise but that’s a once in a generation phenomenon.

You really should be watching
The Spurs are on course for a 69-13 season, that would tie them for the second best single-season record in NBA history. In a year that started out with talk of the Heat challenging the 1995/96 Bulls’ 72-10 record, a team on course for a feat just shy of that level deserves more love. There’s also the small matter of how entertaining the Spurs are to watch. Currently ranked #5 in scoring, this is a team that is more than willing to push the tempo on any given night. After phoning it in for much of the regular season last year, due largely to injuries, San Antonio has played with youthful energy in 2010/11. With a possible labor dispute next season, it could be a while before we get to watch another team this good.