AP Photo/ Bahram Mark SobhaniWinning isn't everything. No really, it isn't. When you're the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs it's obviously not enough to garner headlines and respect in your league.
Each day periodicals scream about Crygate in the Miami locker room or a surging New York Knicks squad under the bright lights at Madison Square Garden. Even the Minnesota Timberwolves, who've been eliminated from playoff contention, are garnering attention thanks to rebounding phenom Kevin Love. Meanwhile, in the Lone Star State, the Spurs are silently crushing opponents.
The Spurs are the league's most slept-on team. Domination was the Spurs' name as they went on a three-month home winning streak before dropping a game to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
With a 51-12 record, the Spurs are in a league of their own atop the Western Conference standings. San Antonio has been a steady presence in the playoffs for the past 11 seasons, and each time the Spurs made it to the Finals it culminated with them lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
The Spurs may be the next NBA champions, yet they garner less attention than less-successful organizations because they do it as a team. There's no flashy team nickname like The Heatles, no bravado and no tacky preseason championship-type celebrations. Just teamwork and wins.
Teamwork -- a foreign word in this era of squads led by superstar egos and talent. No one player on the Spurs is in the top five for individual statistics in the league. Yet, in the final seconds of a close game, the options are plentiful because the talent is there.
Boring, uninteresting and too fundamental are the adjectives thrown around about the Spurs. As they march into a No. 1 playoff spot, they will probably be singing, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but winning, that never hurt me."
