It doesn’t take a basketball aficionado to assume the Spurs will breeze past whoever their first round opponent is, but it’d be wise to pump the brakes a bit and take potential opponents like the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trailblazers seriously; if not for the slim chance of an upset, but the impact that the grind of a prolonged series could have on the Spurs during their quest for ring # 6.
Which of these opponents gives the Spurs the easiest path to the semi-finals? In the first of a series of matchup studies, this article examines the challenge the Houston Rockets would bring to a Spurs series.