NBA Power Rankings: Listing the 10-Best Defensive Teams
By John Kim
3. San Antonio Spurs
May 10, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) blocks the shot by Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) during the first quarter of game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Duncan is aging like the rest of us, right? Duncan was selected to another NBA All-Defensive Second Team and we would not have it any other way. Despite being one of the oldest players in the league, Duncan continues to defy Father Time.
The Spurs had a defensive rating of 101.6 (3rd). The most amazing part is the Spurs had five players with a defensive rating of 100 or below (Duncan, DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter). Duncan is headed for the hall-of-fame but it is many of his teammates that are doing the heavy lifting.
Kawhi Leonard defended LeBron James in the NBA Finals as well as anybody in the league. Considering he’s only in his sophomore year, Leonard looks like he will continue to be a scary defensive player.
The Spurs are building a young team around the Big-Three. As the Big-Three era comes to a close, there looks to be little regress. The new pieces, Leonard and Splitter, are proving to be products of the Spurs through and through.