I don't believe the Spurs will win a championship this year (though obviously I'd love to be wrong). But my skepticism about the team winning had more to do with my resistance to folks wanting to make a big trade to "win now". I believe the Spurs aren't a player away from winning. They are development away from winning. If that development comes mid-season and the Spurs win it all, that validates my stance that the Spurs should not have made a major trade for another piece. I was not (and am still not) against the team making a small move to add some front-court depth. I was cool with using seconds and Sochan/McLaughlin to bring a guy in. But I did NOT want them to make a move for a guy like Murphy because I didn't think he was going to make the difference this year. Either the Spurs figure it out and end up not needing him, or they show they're not ready. I didn't see a scenario where the guys were too young, BUT a role-player carries them.
I really enjoyed that the guys were able to handle the increased physicality and fight for the win. That shows growth. But the Pistons (whom I'm not convinced will come out of the East this year) were missing their other physical big, which could have been a swing factor in a game where Duren got early foul trouble. The Spurs spent most of the game at a sizable rebound deficit despite this, lost the turnover battle and missed too many free throws. In a single game, on the road against a very good team on a hot streak, you don't complain. Good teams find a way to win, and ugly wins count just as much. But I'm not sure I'd feel great about the team's chances in a hypothetical series against the Pistons. The hard-fought stat lines by Wemby, Castle and Fox feel closer to the norm for that series than Vassell and Champ getting 45 points off 12-19 from three. I wish their home match against Detroit were next game rather than next week.
