Surging Spurs

Prior to the beginning of the NBA season, many basketball analysts and experts wrote off and paid little attention to the Spurs because of their old age.  Would they be able to keep up with younger, athletic teams in their conference, such as Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Memphis Grizzlies? The veteran leadership of 4-time NBA Champion Tim Duncan and 3-time NBA Champions Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, led the San Antonio Spurs to surprise the critics by finishing the regular season in first place in the Western Conference and tied with Chicago Bulls for the best record in the NBA (50-16). The Spurs have been the most dominating team thus far in the NBA Playoffs. They've gone on a nine game winning streak in the playoffs, as a result of handling every opponent that has come in their path of making it to the NBA Finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were predicted to have another outstanding season and be a strong contender for the NBA title. With the reigning 3-time NBA Scoring Title Champion, Kevin Durant, leading the team, along with one of the top five point guards in the league, Russell Westbrook, and 2012 Sixth Man of the Year winner, James Harden, the Thunder have a young, talented, athletic, and explosive team. Entering the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the West and only losing twice, they rolled through the first round of the playoffs by sweeping Dallas Mavericks. In the Conference Semifinals, they faced the Los Angeles Lakes and defeated them in five games. The Thunder are currently trailing by one game in the Conference Finals matchup against the Spurs.

Will the youth defeat the elders or will the elders teach the youngsters a lesson? Will the winner of the Western Conference Finals be the favorite to win the NBA Title? Will the athleticism of the Thunder's big 3 tire the veteran Spurs or will the veteran leadership of the Spurs' big 3 prevail?

These questions will soon be answered and by the looks of it, the Coach of the Year is pushing all the right buttons all the way to the title. After nine postseason games, its a shame that the Spurs front office isn't getting more credit for the best midseason acquisitions of the entire season. For all those who thought that Stephen Jackson was washed up, had too much attitude and was a downgrade to Richard Hamilton, bite your tongues. Boris Diaw? From Charlotte Bobcat to starting power forward on the best team in the NBA, why weren't more contenders vying for his services?