So I assume PtR has heard about the "trade heard round the world" Superman aka Dwight Howard has been traded to "one of the teams Spurs fans love to hate" in the Lakers, and it seems that the Spurs are relegated to "good regular season team". But there's still a small chance of winning it all and I'll tell you how!

"I want some nasty!" rang Coach Pop's words in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs would fight back from a fourth quarter deficit to win that game, and Manu Ginobili (for scoring lots), Stephen Jackson (for containing Kevin Durant) and Tiago Splitter (for managing to spark the comeback) were the heroes of that game. But somehow, the nasty fizzled out somewhere between Games 3 and 4 (I blame Loud City). If the Spurs were to win it all, they need not to be soft.

Sometimes motivation is key. The Spurs could not defend their title due to Tim Duncan's injury in 2000, but they could have had a proper shot at a title in 2001 and 2002. It took the Admiral, David Robinson, announcing his impending retirement for the team to refocus. They won 60 games in 2003, good for leading the league overall, and a prime Tim Duncan carried the team on his back, posting a stat line of 24/17/5/5 in the Finals to send out the Admiral in 2003. In 2005, Duncan used the USA's embarrassing bronze finish (alongside Manu's gold medal high) to lead the Spurs to another title. The fate of the 2007 title turned on Robert Horry hip-checking Steve Nash.

Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. And defense isn't just about holding the opponent to less points than yours, but it's also about heart, about grabbing that loose ball, about boxing out for a rebound, or even playing physical. And so, if the Spurs DO make another move, they better target a bigman who gives six fouls a game at worst.