BJ Wonders: The Record.

The Spurs have historically been one of the most underrated teams in the league. They have always been content with living under the radar waiting to pull the chair out from under the rest of the league when the time comes. This season, however, has been quite different. The Spurs have gotten off to one of the best starts in NBA history and, with that start, have put themselves into the spotlight of the league. Given this spectacular record and newfound media attention, BJ 1ders if the Spurs could actually be one of the most overrated teams in the league. Let's discuss after the jump.

For anyone who has been living under a rock hasn't heard, the Spurs have the best record in the NBA. Anyone who says they expected this, especially after last season's blunder, is either lying or an extreme optimist. Regardless of expectations, the team has bolted out to it's best start in franchise history. As crazy as 40-7 sounds, the question remains: is it all legit?

Even with the great success the Spurs have had, many, including Coach Pop and some other guy, are convinced that they are not the NBA's best. To their credit, the team has been blessed with a lot of good fortune over the course of the season. For starters, the Spurs have gotten 10 of their 40 wins against teams on the second game of a back to back. The only team that managed to beat the Spurs in this situation has been the Hornets (both times). Furthermore, the Spurs have won 19 games against teams who were without one of their key guys. And when I say key I'm not talking about guys like Chris Andersen or Brandon Rush. I mean guys like Melo, Dirk, and Jennings. So almost 50% of their wins were against teams not at full strength. 

All that being said, there should be no shame in winning games under these conditions. These are games that good teams should win. Any time there is an advantage going into a game, the team with that advantage should take full effect of it. This is what the Spurs have done. In fact, 4 out of the Spurs' 7 losses have come on SAGABABAS; when other teams had an advantage going in. Regardless of the circumstances the team continues to find ways to win games. 

So the Spurs have won a lot of games. We know. But a lot of people are skeptical because of how they won those game. The Spurs are currently ranked 12th in opponent FG%, second worse at defending the 3 and 11th in points allowed. While these numbers are not all that horrible, they are far from the defensive numbers that were put up in championship years past. This has been the prevailing argument by those who discount the Spurs as legitimate. However, as strong as it it, it has it's counters. 

Even though the Spurs may have slipped in terms of defensive performance, they have made up for it by having one of the most efficient offenses in the league. The Spurs are a top 5 team in FG%, 3pt% as well as points per game. This Spurs team has been the most efficient since Tim Duncan came on board. For this reason, the team can save energy on defense and rely on their potent offense to win games. Even with they shift in strategy (from defense-first to mire offensive minded), the team still maintains a +7.5 point differential which, as of today, is the best in the NBA. That has to count for something. 

40-7. Believe me I know how tough hard that is to believe but that's what it is right now. In my opinion, the team has earned every one of those wins and they deserve the record that they have. But that's just me. Maybe I'm a little biased. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Who knows? All I know is I like when the team wins and I'll keep cheering them on until the finish.

Are we the best team in the league? Only time will tell. So until we find out the answer I'll continue to 1der.