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The Spurs dropped one in Toronto, in a game I think they win more often than not if they were to run it back (especially if Kawhi Leonard is 100%). Aside from that record scratch, the Spurs' tune remains the same as they look to begin the week (and continue their 12-game home streak) with a win against the visiting Utah Jazz.
Golden State's loss to Milwaukee has caused the spotlight to shine a bit more on what San Antonio's accomplishing this year, as they maintain a 65-plus-win pace in dominating fashion.
Last 15 games, No.1 in net differential. https://t.co/NlEhXiij34
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 14, 2015
One loss isn't enough for the Warriors to get knocked off their well-deserved perch in the hypothetical rankings, but it does nudge the Spurs into the top spot in Dan Devine's weekly Most Interesting Power Rankings and, while a solid four-game stretch isn't enough for me to get my dumb brain to spell Jonathon Simmons' first name correctly, it is enough for the Summer League revelation to begin earning some acclaim from writers like Tom Osborn.
This week's consensus track is a tip of the cap to the Red Mamba who, in this CBS Sports article by James Herbert (worth a read), referenced the song in his describing of the Spurs' peerless consistency.
Marc Stein, from ESPN (Spurs rank: 2 Last week's rank: 2)
Team Happily Under The Radar has, at 20-5, matched the second-best start through 25 games in franchise history. The Spurs are also unbeaten at home (12-0), No. 4 in offensive efficiency at 104.7 and a runaway No. 1 in defensive efficiency at 91.9, which is on course to be their lowest reading since the 2003-04 season (91.6)
USA Today (Spurs rank: 2, Last week's rank: 2)
Breathing down the necks of the Warriors
David Aldridge, NBA.com (Spurs rank: 2, Last week's rank: 2)
Parity/parody: Three of the Spurs' five losses this season have come to Eastern Conference teams, including last week's in Toronto.
John Schuhmann, NBA.com (Spurs rank: 2, Last week's rank: 2)
The Spurs' starting lineup has had its ups and downs offensively; it's scored less than a point per possession over the last five games. But this team continues to win with its bench, which has been similarly dominant as that of the Warriors. Gregg Popovich is now 12-0 against former assistants Brett Brown and Mike Budenholzer, having beat them by a combined 76 points last week.
Matt Moore, CBS Sports (Spurs rank: 2, Last week's rank: 2)
The Spurs are four games back of the Warriors. The Warriors won 24 straight games, and the Spurs are only four games back. The Warriors having the longest streak to start a season and the second-longest streak (across seasons because apparently we care about that) in NBA history, and the Spurs could still very realistically get the No. 1 seed. That's just disgusting. Gregg Popovich is the GOAT.
Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated (Spurs rank: 2, Last week's rank: 2)
If not for the Warriors, we'd be talking even more about just how much these guys have been cruising. Over the past 15 games, the Spurs are 12-3, lead the league in net rating, and 15 of their 20 wins have come by double digits. Their stability is downright staggering after an off-season that brought more change than usual.