Every year, the San Antonio Spurs are written off for the same reason.

They’re too old.

As a result, they’re success from the previous year is always expected to come to an end.

This year was no different.

Despite coming seconds away from dethroning the Miami Heat last season, the Spurs weren’t picked to take the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Now, San Antonio is proving everyone wrong. Again.

The Spurs have won 17 straight games and show no signs of slowing down. Despite the attention Durant is receiving in OKC due to a spectacular season offensively, it is the Spurs that own the West, and the NBA, with a league-leading record of 57-16.

The longest regular season winning streak of the Tim Duncan-Gregg Popovich era, San Antonio has beat the good teams, including Golden State, Miami and Chicago. It’s done its job and beaten the bad teams. The Spurs have beaten them all, with their last loss coming Feb. 21 in Phoenix.

That doesn’t take away from the fact that the Spurs are old. Their average age is 28.4 years, the fourth oldest in the NBA. Their big three (Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker) combined are an average age of 34.7 years.

Clearly, this is a veteran team. However, they also have a few young players that give San Antonio a burst of energy in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.

Overall, it seems San Antonio knows the perfect mix. Not only do they have a mix of youth and veteran players, but they have an inside-outside game. They have Parker that can drive into the lane, shooters like Marco Belinelli and an inside post presence in Duncan.

At the helm, of course, is Popovich. One of the premier coaches in the NBA, he requires the best. The Spurs are a smart team; they don’t give the ball away often. They move the ball, leading the league in assists at 25.5 per game. They take good shots, ranking second in the NBA in field goal percentage and first in three point percentage.

Yet, the Spurs aren’t the best offensive team in the league. They have all-stars, but not players that are considered to be the best in the league. They hit you on the offensive end and then they pound you on the defensive end.

San Antonio takes away your first option, and then your second. They make teams play a game they don’t want to play. And then they make you pay on the other end.

The Spurs are solid and consistent. It’s turned the Spurs into a dynasty, and it doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon.

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