The big addition that makes the Spurs even more dangerous is, of course, the 6 foot 11 inch power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge is 30 years old, entering his 10th season in the NBA. He has averaged at least 20 points and 8 rebounds per game each of the last 5 seasons, and has only gotten better each season. Aldridge averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, playing much of the year through injury.
What has made the Spurs such a great team for so long is they have a system that doesn’t rely on superstars playing “hero-ball” i.e. LeBron in the 2015 Finals. They move the ball around and everyone seems to fit perfectly into their system.
Aldridge has the right attitude to fit with San Antonio, taking less money than he could have earned as a Hollywood star in Los Angeles with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
Aldridge turned down the Lakers because for him it’s all about winning a championship, not promoting his “brand”.
The Spurs have never been a team that cares about being in the spotlight, but they’re always a team to watch come postseason. They also have a unique rivalry with LeBron.
The Spurs swept the Cavaliers in 2007, lost to the Miami Heat in 2013, and defeated the Heat in 2014. LeBron’s record against San Antonio in the NBA Finals is 5-11 in 16 games. One could argue they’re his kryptonite.
As it stands, the Spurs and Warriors appear to be the top two favorites in the Western Conference.
The Warriors will have the weight of trying to defend a title and it may take a while for the Spurs to mesh and build the chemistry required to make a championship run, but neither team should be taken lightly.
Some teams to watch that get honorable mention when it comes to who stands in the way of the Cavaliers’ championship hopes are the Los Angeles Clippers, who seem to be victims to the injury-bug every year; the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC could be deadly with the combination of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant if Durant is back to MVP-level from two years ago; the Houston Rockets with MVP candidate James Harden; and even the Miami Heat, with LeBron’s old buddies Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh at full-strength.
Those teams all deserve to at least be mentioned in the conversation, but all signs indicate it will be a three-horse race with Cleveland, Golden State, and San Antonio fighting for the title.
Even if LeBron, Love, and Kyrie are healthy San Antonio and Golden State have one thing in common, they have beaten LeBron in the Finals.
There’s no argument that LeBron is going to go down in history as one of the top players to ever play the game, but losing the Finals four out of six times in his NBA career is a blemish on James’ resume.
LeBron did not receive much help in his first two trips to the Finals in Cleveland due to injuries and a lack of talent around him,but this season could be a true test of his greatness.
If Irving and Love are both on the floor with him in June, there will be no excuses this time around.
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