Spurs Back in a Familiar Place

Since 1999, the San Antonio Spurs have won four NBA titles and are playing again like the team to beat. After sweeping the Jazz and Clippers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Spurs are on an 18-game winning streak dating back to the regular season.

Sean Elliott played for San Antonio for 11 seasons. Today, he's an analyst for the Spurs' telecasts on Fox Sports Southwest.

"Their chemistry has been the best that I've seen in a long, long time," Elliott said. "To me, they're the deepest Spurs team I've ever seen. We've won 18 in a row, but over the last two months of the season, we've been even better than that record would indicate."

Elliott was on the title team in 1999, Tim Duncan's second season.

"I just think Timmy's one of the greatest players to ever play the game, period," Elliott said. "He just wants to win and that's what we all say we admire in athletes, but our actions are different in today's society. Our actions support style and guys that are flashy...yet a guy that the league should rightfully hold up, the guy flies under the radar year after year after year."

Despite the Spurs' steady success, whenever San Antonio makes a run in the playoffs, it seems as if they're treated like a dark horse. And people in San Antonio are very aware of that perception.

"I think the people are aggravated by it," Elliott said. "They want their due respect and due recognition. I think the players are accustomed to it. I saw this one reporter say the other day, 'Hey, the Spurs are flying under the radar once again!' I said back to the TV, 'You are the radar! If they're flying under the radar, it's your fault because you're not covering sports.'"