The San Antonio Spurs have been the best team in the league thus far. They sit atop the Western Conference with a league-best record of 50-11. They were the first team to reach 50 wins this season, and have been in 1st place for almost the entire year. The Spurs’ success in the regular season, so far, has been due to the excellent play of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, as a cohesive unit. Also, much praise must be given to Richard Jefferson, Gary Neal and George Hill, who have all had a fantastic season thus far. Along with Matt Bonner and Antonio McDyess, the Spurs have had a solid rotation of players throughout the season.
All was going well until Tony Parker had injured his calf, just a few nights ago. The injury should keep Parker out for 4 weeks. The Spurs have 21 games left on their schedule, 7 of them against top 3 seeds from each conference: not good news for the Spurs. Aside from those 7 games, the Spurs are playing another 9 teams that are .500 or better. Even more bad news.
With a hard upcoming schedule, the Spurs can expect to fall from 1st place, although not far. With the Mavericks and Lakers, both boasting high win streaks, the top three will change and San Antonio will fall. Come playoff time, it may be too late for Tony Parker and the Spurs. It is the wrong time for a team like the Spurs to lose focus. The Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season, the Mavericks are back to their winning ways with a great roster (Nowitzki, Kidd, Marion, Stojakovic, all playing major roles), and the Thunder are becoming a major threat.
With so much going on around the league, the Spurs last chance of a run to the Finals may fall short. The Spurs need to keep focus and work their best in attempt to make up for the absence of Tony Parker. They are still title contenders, but are no longer favorites. The next four weeks will show where the Spurs stand.
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