NBA Teams with Most to Prove: San Antonio Spurs

By: Faisal Quyyumi, contributing intern (@_faisalquyyumi)

The San Antonio Spurs season couldn’t have ended on a sourer note. The Spurs were the unusual underdog as sixth seed and were defeated by the relentless Los Angeles Clippers in the famous Staples Center. It was a fairy-tale ending for the Clippers who defeated the Spurs in Game 7 when point guard Chris Paul hit a contested shot at the buzzer. After a tough loss, Tim Duncan paid homage to Paul along with several other Clipper players.

The Spurs have been down this road several times and quickly bounced back during the offseason. After acquiring the most valuable free agent on the market, LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs didn’t stop there. They also re-signed former NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard (5-year, $90 million), former 6th Man of the Year Manu Ginobili (2-year, $5.7 million), three-point specialist Danny Green (4-year, $45 million), along with adding one of the most aggressive power-forwards in the league, David West (1-year, $1.4 million). Oh, just in case you didn’t believe in their offensive talent yet, they also signed sharp-shooter Jimmer Fredette. Also, the Spurs are the first team in the NBA too add a full-time female assistant coach, Becky Hammon, who helped them win the Summer League Championship.

With so much additional talent, coaching prowess, and momentum, the Spurs should be considered favorites to win the 2016 NBA Championship.