Spurs Slam Door on Jazz, But Maybe Too Early

The old sports adage goes, close when you can and score when you can (or something like that).  The San Antonio Spurs did just that last night in Utah, despite a late game charge by the Jazz.  The Spurs held on and cruised into the second round of the NBA Playoffs.  

The Spurs haven't fooled us much, but they did so just last year.  The Spurs went 61-21 in 2010-2011 and obtained the top seed in the West.   Gregg Popovich rested his veterans all season long and a championship almost seemed inevitable.  That turned out not to be the case.  A young, hungry Grizzlies team took down the number one seed in the first round and became only the fourth team in playoff history to accomplish such an achievement.

Move forward to now and one can't help but wonder if the Spurs might fall victim to being over-rested, again.  Now, the Spurs are not that old, but older teams need to keep moving once in playoff mode.  Their leader and Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan is 36 and could be playing in his last post season.  Their other two leaders however, have racked up a lot of post season mileage.  Tony Parker has been around awhile and played on three out of four Spurs championship teams and the same can be said for Manu Ginobili.  Rest is needed for younger squads, a team like the Heat with James, Wade, and Bosh are still relatively young.  Younger teams can start back easier after prolonged periods of time off.  Older ones have a more difficult time doing so.  The Spurs need their leaders to be able to get going in good form when needed or this playoff run could be short lived. 

Rust might be the crucial factor for San Antonio in the second round.  They are more than likely going to face a super young, aggressive, and talented Clipper club, whose series is far from over with the Grizzlies.  The Clippers contain the same formula (young, aggressive, talented) that the Grizzlies used to topple the Spurs last year.  Just using recent history alone, you can't help but think that it could very well repeat itself; the Spurs getting bounced way too soon.

It is probably safe to say that Coach Popovich understands the situation, he does have four rings, but he has to be hoping the Clippers can close on Wednesday night.  If the Clippers can close it out, then the Spurs layoff from competitive play is minimal and everything should continue to go as planned, which is winning the West and playing for a fifth championship under Popovich.  Tim Duncan can retire in style and all is well in the world of pro basketball. 

The Grizzlies ironically could be the thorn in the Spurs' side yet again, if they can force a game six and extend the series with the Clippers, then the Spurs' time away from the court could be the elephant in the room come the second round.