San Antonio Spurs 2013 Playoff Preview
By Josh Sanchez
This post was written by Michael Rehome of AirAlamo.com. Check out Air Alamo for the latest Spurs news and coverage.
The San Antonio Spurs are finding themselves in familiar territory as they are headed back to the NBA Playoffs. Starting off the season with once having the best record in the league, this team has had its ups and downs through-out the grueling 82 game season.
What not only hit the Spurs all season long but many teams around the Association is injuries and player health. Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili (who saw some action on Wednesday after missing a two weeks), Tony Parker, and Boris Diaw have all missed games this season, crucial games due to injuries. The Spurs will be without Boris Diaw during the first round as he is recovering from back surgery.
With the shocking news of Stephen Jackson being waived by the team (disagreement with his role), to Tuesday’s signing of Tracy McGrady, to the Spurs core guys being healthy once again, everything seems to be in place for their run.
We all know the starters cannot play a full 48 minutes and that there needs to be help from the bench. Manu Ginobili was the key player when coming off of the bench for San Antonio and since his injury, the bench has not been producing at a high level, one that many are used to. Ginobili was not having the greatest time on the offensive side of the ball, scoring, but he is he a playmaker. He gets everyone involved. I look at the time when Tony Parker went down, Ginobili stepped his playmaking ability up, finding his teammates, setting them up for shots.
Gary Neal, Matt Bonner, Cory Joseph, Patty Mills, Nando De Colo and the others on the bench are going to have to be productive when they are in the game. Bonner, Ginobili and Neal are veterans when it comes to playoff experience. When Mills, Joseph and De Colo have their numbers called, they need to be effective, not try to force shots, or passes.
The playoffs are here! San Antonio’s ‘drive for five’ starts off with a first round meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers.