Spurs just officially obliterated preseason prediction always doomed to fail

Before the campaign began, preseason win totals were set by the oddsmakers at DraftKings, and the Spurs' number was set at 43.5. Hopefully, those who bet on San Antonio took the over because they just won their 44th game and they still have 1/4 of the year to go. Philadelphia was just a sacrificial lamb for a much larger statement because the analysts should have seen this coming.

Spurs' meteoric rise has warning signs

When you pair a generational talent with a competent franchise, it doesn't take long for success to follow. I was going to go abstract with this argument. I even wrote a few paragraphs about Tim Duncan, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes, but we can follow the breadcrumbs just as easily here without the magnifying glass.

Victor Wembanyama is obviously a one-of-one superstar. His ability is transcendent. Damn all of the fancy words. Let's call it like it is. Guys try to push him around because they can't contend with an unparalleled skill set for a man that size. It's quite literally their only hope to stop him, and he's still learning and getting stronger.

His nickname is the Alien, and he blocks shots above the square on the backboard. He also shoots one-legged three-pointers, and Shammgods former Defensive Players of the Year. He-is-not-normal. But he's not alone in San Antonio. Look at the rest of this roster.

Spurs have special talent on their roster

Four of the Spurs' five starters were lottery picks in their respective drafts, and three of them were picked in the top five. Dylan Harper is also a top-five selection, and Carter Bryant was a steal at 14, so much so that Brian Wright admitted they tried to move up for the right to bring him to SA. They couldn't, and it worked out anyway. There are probably a few teams who would like to go back and change that.

Keldon Johnson has led a team in scoring for an entire season, and Devin Vassell has been a 20-point-per-game guy in this league. They know how to get buckets, and they've graciously taken to their supporting roles, but that threat is still in there. The 76ers just learned that hard lesson after Dev gave them 22.

Stephon Castle just won Rookie of the Year, and they added a star guard from Rutgers who everyone knew was pro-ready with the talent to be the best in his class. Their biggest flaw last season was their defense when Wemby went to the bench, so the front office added Luke Kornet. Problem solved.

If your hang-up was Mitch Johnson, you're telling me that you're questioning the greatest head coach in NBA history despite likely knowing that he already has the most successful coaching tree ever. Several of them have won championships and/or Coach of the Year awards. Of course he was going to make sure the person who took over his beloved Spurs was ready for the job.

You can say that they're ahead of schedule, but that's only if you haven't been paying attention. San Antonio was above .500 more than 30 games into the season last year before the adversity became too much. The things they went through were always likely to bring them closer, setting them up for a strong showing when the whole team sport thing started up again.

Yeah. The signs were there. Too many people just weren't paying attention.