In Kobe-Duncan era when Lakers and Spurs face in playoffs, one of them definitely goes to the Finals, and 4 out of 6 it results in championship. It can be interpreted in two ways. Since they were both damn powerful, the path is easy rest of the way after one of them gets KO'd. Another is that the competition is so great that they elevate each other's level of play and mental toughness so that when they face other teams in later rounds they are ready for the challenge. I think the 2nd one is especially true. How is it relevant to our case? We are now climbing up the ranks, showing the will not to back down. A Spurs matchup in first round or 2nd round would be amazing for us in that sense. It is like killing a 10 level higher character and gaining lots of Exp. not to mention the confidence boost. Kobe, Nash and D'Antoni are familiar with Spurs and their system and I think that experience alone can result in great things on and off the court. We actually have the individuals to face any team but they have been disconnected throughout the season. And it is really tough to bring them together. However, now with egos shed aside and deciding on a winning game plan they are coming on the same page. Even Pau. You will see the change in his attitude when he returns. He's an emotional person before a basketball player, and you can see he's moved by team's progress ever since he went down.
I want Spurs in first round and I'm hopeful that this team will turn lots of heads when they play in postseason.
