Spurs the first team since ABA/NBA merger with no players averaging 30 minutes
The San Antonio Spurs will finish the season with the NBA's best record, ensuring they'll have home-court advantage through the entire playoffs.
To earn that record and that advantage, they have sacrificed nothing. Somehow, this team's superior depth and the magic of coach Gregg Popovich have landed the Spurs not just the best record in the league but also the largest margin of victory.
Tim Duncan has only played 74 games, Tony Parker just 67 and Manu Ginobili just 67. No player has topped Duncan's 2,158 minutes, a mark that ranks 94th in the NBA. Again: the Spurs do not have a single player the would, on average, rank in another team's top three for minutes played.
Just how rare is this ability to manage minutes while maintaining success? Well, it's literally never been done in the modern era of basketball...by any team, let alone the league's best team.
The Spurs will be the first team since the ABA-NBA merger not to have a single player average 30 minutes per game.
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) April 15, 2014
And all that resting of players down the stretch? Well, it hasn't hurt the Spurs at all, as they're a league-best 12-2 against other playoff teams since the All-Star Break.
Games played between playoff teams since the All-Star break: pic.twitter.com/TpfAPXZgwg
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) April 15, 2014
Good when resting, scary when rested.