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Paul Pierce is a believer in ‘championship-caliber’ Spurs
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- Paul Pierce is a believer in ‘championship-caliber’ Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs will enter Christmas Day with a 22-7 record, good for the second spot in the Western Conference. With a battle with the Thunder on tap, some have speculated about how good this team really is. Paul Pierce recently appeared on the No Fouls Given Podcast and stated that he believed that Victor Wembanyama , De'Aaron Fox, and the Spurs are a championship-caliber team
Pierce stated that his eyes tell him coach Mitch Johnson has learned everything from former coach Gregg Popovich and implemented it. Johnson took over as the Spurs' head coach after Popovich stepped down due to health concerns last season. At the time, the Spurs were still rebuilding and looked nowhere close to a championship team.
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When the Spurs traded for Fox, it got lost in the shuffle, as the team endured another bad season. But the narrative has changed this season. There was a bit of a prelude to what this season could become when the Spurs dominated the Mavericks on Opening Night. At the time, it was Victor Wembanyama leading the charge. While he has been great, others have stepped in.
Fox has been fantastic, averaging 21.6 points per game. On nights when he has not, others have stepped in, such as Stephon Castle , who had 24 points. Keldon Johnson , who was one of the starters during Wembanyama's rookie season, has been effective coming off the bench. Overall, every player has contributed to this team's success.
Coach Johnson has accomplished something many believed was unthinkable: he inherited a young team from arguably the greatest coach of all time and turned their fortunes around. While the Spurs will likely have to go through the Thunder, Pierce believes they are ready, and his assessment could prove accurate by season's end.
Related: Victor Wembanyama hopes Spurs-Thunder becomes true 'rivalry'
