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Kirk Goldsberry appreciates the beautiful Spurs

Grantland's resident Geographer and master of shot-charts worked his magic with the Spurs. His article is great, but it's worth checking out just to see his gorgeous charts.

Here's an excerpt from the piece:

The Spurs run the prettiest offense in the world, and once again they've run it all the way to the top of the ferocious Western Conference. And once again, few people seem to care. They have won 11 games in a row and are playing their best basketball of the season. During the streak, they are outscoring opponents by more than 15 points per 100 possessions. During that same window the intentionally hapless Sixers are being outscored by nearly 16 per 100 possessions; in other words, the Spurs are almost as good as the Sixers are bad, and that's saying something.

In a league obsessed with superstars, dunks, and endorsement deals, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs still dominate. From an X's and O's standpoint, although the Spurs offense is certainly clever, none of its key components are particularly complex, but that's not the point; the system's key actions are designed to put their talent in advantageous situations. And as the NBA and its mighty Western Conference prepares for another postseason gauntlet, it's no surprise that Tony Parker and the Spurs are right there, ready to weave right through it again.

Please check out the whole article here. I really enjoyed it, and again, his shot-charts really are fantastic.