It's the team of record for the third-largest city — in its state.
Its current roster features zero players who have filed an official name change. The zenith of the franchise's celebrity-related drama was a marriage and divorce co-starring the point guard and a TV actress. One of its many dead-eye shooters grew up in New Hampshire. Its rookie small forward did not grow up being referred to as The Chosen One, so he chose to take his talents to San Diego State.
The team's star players aren't hoping to expand their worldwide brand by moving to another city. Its on-court fulcrum is one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Its longtime sideline leader — who was voted NBA Coach of the Year this season — often seems as friendly to reporters as an early deadline. We're pretty sure his players aren't trying to get him fired.
Yeah, they might not be as compelling as other teams, but the San Antonio Spurs remain alive and well, which — unless you live in Phoenix — is worth a nod to the basketball gods.
The basketball gods, it should be noted, are not David Stern and/or Billy Hunter.
Whoever the basketball gods are, they've provided an NBA Western Conference finals showdown between the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. This seems to be a matchup for everyone.
In the Spurs, we have a team offering crusty veterans and mature-beyond-their-years whippersnappers doing work for a franchise that has made its bones on the virtue of old-school basketball. But we also need to remind you that the Spurs have become a bit more casual-fan friendly by playing defense with slightly less ferocity while reaching a level of offensive enlightenment that ranks them as the league's most efficient scoring machine.
In the Thunder, we have a crew boasting enough offensively skilled marvels to check in at No. 2 for offensive efficiency —and last in assists.
Combining their postseason efforts for 2012, we have a 16-1 record, with OKC having absorbed the lone defeat in a temporary uprising by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Something has to give.
And while the top-seeded Spurs loom as obvious underdogs in style points, they're registered as favorites by all five NBA assistant coaches interviewed by FOX Sports Arizona.
"Earlier this season, I would have gone with Oklahoma City," said one longtime assistant employed by a Western Conference team. "But at this point, based on how they're playing, I would go with San Antonio."
All five respondents give the Spurs an edge based on experience and the X-and-O machinations of the aforementioned coach, Gregg Popovich. For the record, all five assistants have high praise for Thunder coach Scott Brooks and his staff, too, but for cutting-edge intangibles, it's difficult for anyone in the league to go against San Antonio.
"One thing they're really good at is locking into a team for a seven-game series and figuring out what needs to be done to be successful," another Western Conference assistant said. "They're an intelligent team . . . an experienced team. They do a good job of not beating themselves. You have to play really well to beat them."
The Thunder, who usually serve up victory through substantially talented players named Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, appear capable of knocking off any team in basketball. But while the Thunder will grapple with the Spurs for control of in-game tempo, San Antonio will continue to inspire confidence in its peers.
"Pop has been the mastermind behind it all," our first assistant said of Popovich. "And he gets after them, which is good for us coaches to see."
This commitment to making his players responsible — and its importance to the team's success — is defined by the Hall of Fame-bound Duncan.
"The amazing thing is how Tim Duncan is playing right now," the first assistant said of the 36-year-old, who's giving the Spurs 17 points and nine rebounds per playoff game. "That's a total shock to me. Based on what I saw from him early in the season, I'm totally surprised by the way he's played."
While Duncan has surrendered much of his lead-dog status to point guard Tony Parker, his presence as thick-skinned superstar enables Popovich's system of accountability to flourish. When younger teammates witness Duncan absorbing criticism without sulking, the system is enforced.
"That's the whole key," our first expert said. "Then they're able to police themselves. In our league, that very rarely happens."
Beyond this unique example of professional discipline, the Spurs — with R.C. Buford as the personnel boss — go to great lengths to find players whose talents and personalities fit the system.
"And that comes from the top," our second source points out. "It's very much about the type of people they look for."
It certainly doesn't hurt to have Duncan as the hub, Parker as the jet-quick floor leader and the fearless Manu Ginobili doing whatever is required to score. Around them, Buford and Popovich have placed role players who can shoot, defend and move the ball.
"The way they move the ball is, I think, what sets them apart from other teams in the league this year," the second assistant said. "I don't know if their ball movement is necessarily better than in years past, but it's no worse. It's always been a staple of their organization."
So when the expected war with the gifted, hard-working and well-coached Thunder begins this weekend, coaches employed by NBA teams that fell by the wayside will be paying attention to how the Spurs attempt to prevail.
"Pick-and-roll is a big part of their offense," the second expert said, "but they'll really go to it even more, I think, against the Thunder. Oklahoma City's bigs haven't really faced that much high-quality pick-and-roll yet in these playoffs."
Take a bow, LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
"They will against Parker," the assistant continued. "The Thunder's bigs (Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins) are really good at protecting the basket, but they're not that good at cutting off angles off the high screen. They can protect the rim, to a degree, when Parker gets in the lane, but that just opens up opportunities for 3-point shots."
By the way, this year's Spurs led the league in 3-point percentage.
"Some of the guys they have making 3s weren't that great when they hit the league," a third coaching source said. "I mean, some were, but the Spurs put a lot of emphasis on player development. They find guys whose temperaments fit their system and use their talents accordingly.
"The things they may not be good at when they get there are what they'll spend a great deal of time working on. That's why (rookie small forward) Kawhi Leonard has become deadly on the corner 3 and Danny Green went from nowhere in the league to starter on a team that might win a championship.
"What makes them good seems easy to pinpoint, but it's a lot harder to accomplish than it is to just talk about."
While this doesn't qualify San Antonio as an easy pick to knock off Oklahoma City or the team that survives the Eastern Conference scrum, nobody with a coaching history is eager to pick against the Spurs.
"They're not playing any slouches in OKC," the first assistant said. "And there'll be some times in this series when OKC looks too talented to handle. But, in the end, I'll go with the Spurs in this series.
"They could get the (Miami) Heat in the Finals, and the Heat is capable of beating them. But based on all the things I mentioned earlier, I'll go with San Antonio there, too."
