After six years of absence, the troika of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back in the NBA Finals. Yes, the ageless Spurs are playing for the title again in June, and apparently, only time can tell when they'll hoist their fifth championship trophy in 15 years.
Three years ago, many have taught the championship window for the Spurs had already closed right after their first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Facing a beefier and hungrier squad, the Spurs were badly outmuscled by the Grizzlies in a physically brutal series that saw Duncan and company limping their way to their third straight postseason futility.
The Spurs, coming off another disappointing season, were in a brink of breaking up with Parker voicing out his frustration about the team's direction.
But the Spurs steadily resolved their issues one-by-one, starting it by signing Parker to a four-year, $50 million contract extension in 2011.
However, the team's fate changed after pulling off perhaps the biggest move of them all in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Looking to regain their defensive identity, the Spurs traded budding point guard George Hill to Indiana Pacers in exchange for the 15th overall pick - San Diego State wingman Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard, who's listed at 6'7" and 225 pounds with a wingspan of 7'3", was seen as a perfect fit for the Spurs, who direly missed the defensive acumen Bruce Bowen brings on the floor.
Under the tutelage of Spurs head coach Greg Popovic, Leonard immediately made an impact with the team in his first season as he averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. More so, Leonard's versatility on the defensive end was on display right away, often getting the nod from Popovich to shut down the scorers of opposing teams.
Along the way, the Spurs made a number of great pick-ups by signing Danny Green and Boris Diaw while developing Gary McNeal and Tiago Splitter into solid role players.
Popovich's management of Duncan's and Ginobili's minutes on the floor has also been critical in the Spurs' resurgence, allowing the two veterans to have fresher legs in the playoffs.
Despite falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 in last year's Eastern Conference finals, the Spurs never missed a beat and continued to stick with the system.
The Spurs grinded out the 2012-2013 regular-season with the second-best record in the Western Conference, but their performance in the postseason is simply amazing.
San Antonio overwhelmed the injury-ravaged Los Angeles Lakers in four games and fended off a resilient effort by the Golden State Warriors in six games. In the conference finals, the Spurs simply brought back their defensive mentality and closed games strong.
Yet, the Spurs are nothing near from done. With the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers still battling it out for the other spot in the finals, expect the Spurs to even work harder at the gym for this team never settles with anything but a championship.
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