NBA: Power ranking West playoff teams ahead of the post-season

7. San Antonio Spurs

All great dynasties must come to an end at some point. These San Antonio Spurs are not the same team we are used to watching around this time of year. One consistency remains, however, and that is Gregg Popovich.

The five-time champion coach is the backbone of everything this Spurs franchise stand upon. With a mind such as his behind any set of players gives any team a chance to succeed. And although the Spurs aren’t the same they still have some incredible talent amongst them. Seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge is having a tremendous season averaging 21.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game. Newly acquired All-Star DeMar DeRozan has also played at a level that rivals that of Aldridge (21 pts, 6 rbs, 6 asts).

These two have the ability to take the spurs far, and Popovich has the experience and knowledge to guide them there. But these Spurs are still relatively fresh working together as this is DeRozan’s first year on a new team. Their supporting cast isn’t that fantastic either but works under Pop’s coaching. It’ll be a hit or miss with this team once the first round goes underway, and we’ll see if Popovich is able to once again take the Spurs on a genuine playoff run.