5 reasons the San Antonio Spurs can win the 2017 NBA Championship

By John Buhler | Apr 14, 2017

Mar 21, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dribbles in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-93. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 26, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with guard Tony Parker (9) in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

1. There’s no place like not home for the Spurs

While seeding doesn’t matter for the Spurs, neither does playing on the road. This has been an excellent year for the Spurs away from their beloved AT&T Center — San Antonio has the best road record of any team in basketball at 30-9.

Being able to steal a game or two on the road in the NBA Playoffs is crucial to advancing to the next round. San Antonio is strong at home with a 31-10 at the AT&T Center, but the Spurs don’t have to play there to feel comfortable about picking up a victory.

Only Golden State and Houston play well away from home among Western Conference playoff teams. Nobody in the East is particularly dominant away from home either. Cleveland is barely above .500 and the Boston Celtics might be the best road team in the East. Well, the Celtics have to win a playoff series before anybody cares about their home/road splits.

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To win the 2017 NBA Finals, San Antonio will have to be the first team to win 16 playoff games this spring. Expect most of them to come at home. However, it would not be all that shocking if the Spurs win close to half of their playoff games on the road this season. San Antonio’s playoff success hinges greatly on the Spurs’ ability to pick up the occasional road victory.