After a somewhat slow start to the 2014-15 NBA season, the defending champions have caught fire.

The San Antonio Spurs have won their last seven consecutive games and are now 12-4 overall.

The Spurs play in the toughest division in the NBA, the Southwest. The Memphis Grizzlies lead the division at 15-2, and the Houston Rockets are in second place with a 13-4 record. Even the Dallas Mavericks are in fourth place with an impressive 13-5 record so far. The Spurs can't fall sleep at any point of the season playing in a tough division like this.

Luckily for the Spurs, they face the 0-16 Philadelphia 76ers in their next game.

Tim Duncan may be 38 years old, but don't let his age fool you. The former No. 1 overall draft pick is still getting the job done. Duncan leads the Spurs with a 9.9 rebound per game average and 31 blocks this season. Duncan's play has been extremely valuable without Brazilian center Tiago Splitter this season.

Without Patty Mills, the Spurs' perimeter shooting hasn't been the same as last season, but it's still effective. Last year, the Spurs had the highest three-point shooting percentage, but this season, San Antonio ranks 10th overall. Danny Green has been great this season from beyond the arc. Green has 20 more 3-point shots than any other Spurs player so far this season.

As usual, point guard Tony Parker is leading the charge offensively. Parker has a team-leading 91 assists so far, and he also leads the Spurs in scoring with 17.3 points per game. Kawhi Leonard continues to get better, especially in Gregg Popovich's system. Leonard is improving offensively and remains one of the best defenders in the league today.

Overall, the Spurs have the second-best defense in the NBA, allowing just 92.5 points per game. Only the Grizzlies are allowing fewer points.

It's a tough Western Conference, and the Spurs are presently ranked No. 5 in the conference. Much of the Spurs success has come because they have the best home record in the NBA, 6-1. Thanks to Manu Ginobili, the Spurs always have good bench production. Matt Bonner has also been providing great valuable bench minutes and is even capable of hitting mid-range shots when open. Bonner has been more useful than ever with Splitter injured.

The Spurs have a very difficult task ahead of them because they play in the toughest division in the Western Conference, but the defending champions are ready for any task ahead of them.

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