Team Previews: San Antonio Spurs 2012-13

STATE OF THE FRANCHISE
Despite a compressed schedule most thought would wreak havoc with older teams, the Spurs rolled to the best overall record in the West and swept their first two playoff opponents - the Jazz and Clippers - before falling to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. But that success masked the fact that this is a team in decline. Age is the biggest reason - Tim Duncan is 36 and was limited to just 28 minutes per game last season, and Manu Ginobili is 35 and missed 34 of 66 games with his annual spate of injuries. Tony Parker has really become the key to the Spurs' offense - and success. That signifies another major shift for this team. The championship-era Spurs won with stifling defense and efficient offense. But San Antonio's current roster, with past-their-prime Duncan, Ginobili and Stephen Jackson playing major roles, Parker at the point and Boris Diaw in the middle, really isn't able to play defense at that level. This season, we could start to

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