San Antonio Spurs Aging?

Championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007. Some people consider 3 NBA Championships in 5 years a dynasty. But when it comes to the Spurs they often get overlooked. They aren't a flashy team with big highlight reels, its just not their type of game. They are a defensive minded team with a large cast of role players who care more about fulfilling their role on the team then receiving recognition for their stats or big dunks. They don't win games flashyly, but they do win games consistentlly. Since 1970, in ALL sports, the San Antonio Spurs have had the highest winning percentage. Their winning percentage is higher than the New York Yankees, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New England Patriots. And yet this team has yet to receive any recognition as a dynasty. Since 1991, they have not had a losing season, and have now made the playoffs 17 years straight, which is best of any professional sports team.

The concern now though isn't the recognition of their successes, but rather can they continue their successes. When the Spurs won so many games in the '70's and '80's it was largely due to their Hall of Fame forward George "the Iceman" Gervin. In the late '80's and through the '90's it was largely because of their future Hall of Famer David "the Admiral" Robinson. In the late '90's through today they have been so victorious because of the base of their team, Tim Duncan, who is also a future Hall of Famer. But the clock is ticking on Tim Duncan's playing career and no one knows quite how much fuel is left in his tank along with the Spurs tank. This year has been the Spurs worst first half of a season since the '88 season. The critics are starting to question this teams dynasty and their ability to keep being seen as the leagues winningest team. It is also causing devout fans to question this too. Have the Spurs aged too much to be a NBA Championship contender or have they just hit a rough patch?