One deafening Spurs stat proves this team is far from a fluke

This is not the first time you've heard that the Spurs have been dominant this season, as they're sitting in the second spot in the Western Conference. They've been elite on both ends of the basketball, sitting in the top ten in both offensive and defensive rating.

However, that hasn't even been the most impressive aspect of this campaign. The Spurs are racking up one of the most impressive regular-season resumes in the league, as they're 7-1 against the top three teams in the NBA.

Additionally, they're 12-8 overall against teams with a .600 or better record. This includes four victories against the defending champion Thunder and two against the East's top-seeded Pistons. A few of these wins came dominantly.

There have not been nearly as many teams this year that have a more impressive regular-season portfolio than this Spurs squad. It's one thing to have a great record, but it's another if you can consistently prove yourself against the league's best.

This is no regular season fluke for the Spurs

It's very easy to see a team flourishing throughout the regular season but still question their true upside in the playoffs. There are plenty of examples of great "regular season teams" throughout recent NBA history. These are groups that thrived in the 82-game stretch but could not put it all together through the postseason.

Understanding the history behind that could justify some level of skepticism about the Spurs. They're an up-and-coming team that's early in its process and have burst onto the scene with one of the best records in the league. It seems almost too good to be true.

But the quality of their wins this year makes them convincing. If this were an NCAA team seeking a high seed in the tournament, the committee would have to acknowledge the vast number of Quad 1 victories they've achieved.

To make things even more impressive, it's not like they're not pulling off these one-time upsets. Beating the defending champs three times in two weeks and the East's top seed twice in the span of a month is quite persuasive.

This is the time to believe in the Spurs' young cores

If your skepticism about San Antonio stems from its youthfulness, maybe you should reconsider. This is the best time for young cores to find their footing in the league and contend for titles. The OKC Thunder entered last season as the youngest team in the NBA on average and put together a dominant regular season, then won a title.

The Spurs are obviously not as young as the Thunder. Nevertheless, there are a large number of players in the rotation who are either under 25 or have yet to make a playoff appearance. Wembanyama, Castle, Harper, Vassell, and Keldon Johnson fit either one or both of those categories.

Despite that, their culture and maturity in playing style make them come off as a veteran group, akin to the Thunder. Mitch Johnson is pushing an identity onto this group that translates well to the court, and it's evident in the players' mindset. I mean, how many times do you see a guy cry tears of joy after a regular-season win?

San Antonio's consistency through the home stretch of the season will be huge. Still, they've already built up an impressive enough body of work to convince their biggest critics and skeptics that they can really make something happen in the postseason.