Who would have thought that the San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the NBA two months into the season?

I most certainly did not and you can see the evidence by clicking here.

The San Antonio Spurs finished seventh in the Western Conference last year. Yes, only a handful of games separated the third to seventh ranks and, yes, they did have to overcome a bunch of injuries to most of their players but seventh place is seventh place. Six teams had better records and that’s just in the West.

They essentially kept the same line up and their only big addition was Thiago Splitter but the Brazilian center has not done anything much. San Antonio’s “big” addition was more literal, less figurative.

The biggest factor for them was when Manu Ginobili stopped trying to win the Sixth Man of the Year award and started contributing to his team from the opening buzzer. Greg Popovich is one of the best coaches in the NBA and he finally figured out that it would be best to start Manu instead of playing him off the bench.

The Spurs have the best record in the NBA right now at 21 wins and three losses (although the Boston Celtics can tie them up with a win over the Atlanta Hawks coupled with a loss by the Spurs to the Denver Nuggets) and they are also on a six-game winning streak, thanks to Manu’s game winner over the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday.

Their performance underlines the importance of having a system in place. Many of the younger teams are still searching for theirs. Will they be a run and gun team like the Phoenix Suns five years ago? Will they be a defensive-minded team like the Detroit Pistons in their championship year? Or will they be the half-court setup kind of team like the Utah Jazz.

The Spurs have found their identity since the arrival of Tim Duncan and they will ride with it until it stops working. Their brand of basketball isn’t the most fan-friendly but it is absolutely effective. Other than a couple of fancy layups by Manu here and there, San Antonio’s game is devoid of the excitement that teams like the Oklahoma Thunder and the Orlando Magic have. They also lack the pizzazz and the smooth style that the LA Lakers and the Miami Heat have. But the Spurs currently own the NBA because they are a well-oiled machine. They do all the things they need to do to win basketball games.

Tony Parker knows Pop’s system by heart and he is running his team like no one else can. His stats aren’t something to rave about. Other point guards such as CP3, Rajon Rondo, DRose, DWill, and even Raymond Felton have much better numbers but Parker has the best team right now because Parker knows what his team needs and he made sure he gave them just that. He shoots better than 50% from the field which is rare for a point guard. (Although he does own the bonehead decision of the year by cheating on his smoking hot wife; Eva Longoria is da bomb!)

The Big Fundamental is also having a good year averaging 13.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. His brand of basketball is a beauty to watch……for basketball purists but the regular basketball fans will likely enjoy Duncan’s game as much as they enjoy watching paint dry. But in all honesty, all individuals who want to play the 4 and 5 positions in basketball should emulate Duncan’s game. He positions himself for rebounds well, he plays smart defense as he gets 2 blocks per game, bothers much more, and he has a set of offensive skills that aren’t flashy but are definitely deadly, including that mid-range bank shot.

The Spurs have also received a ton of help from their role players. Richard Jefferson is playing much better basketball than last year. DeJuan Blair is still getting those all-important rebounds, George Hill is slowly making himself the best off-the bench PG in the NBA, and Matt Bonner is sinking threes like it’s going out of style.

Right now, they have five players averaging in double digits and they have four more scoring better than 6 points per game.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the key for these Spurs is to stay healthy. If one of their version of the big three goes down, the Spurs will be hard-pressed to stay at their lofty spot in the standings. But if their old bodies hold up, the Spurs can give the Lakers a run for their money.