This may seem ironic, considering the Spurs’ tough loss at Atlanta, but I feel more optimistic about them than I have all season. About ten different things had to happen for them to lose to the Hawks on New Year’s Day. They ran into a superhuman performance by Paul Millsap, and a career night from Tim Hardaway Jr. Kawhi Leonard was a shell of himself, still weak from a bout with a stomach bug. They got virtually nothing from Jonathon Simmons, Kyle Anderson and Dewayne Dedmon. An Atlanta squad who usually shoots threes very poorly (33.1 percent) just happened to make 14-of-28 of them against the Spurs.
Why the Spurs are so good this season
