Can anyone beat the San Antonio Spurs? Can Oklahoma City Thunder?

(From Guardian Unlimited)

For the record, the San Antonio Spurs haven't officially won the NBA Finals yet, but it's starting to seem like a formality. The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday for their 20th straight win, cementing their status as the best team standing. The Spurs had an easier time with their opponent than the Miami Heat, who needed overtime and some favorable calls to defeat the Boston Celtics, but, in the end, both teams retained home court advantage. It's up to Boston and Oklahoma City to do the same to prevent what seems like an almost inevitable Finals matchup between the Spurs and Heat. It could have been worse, at least they have a chance to control their own destiny, unlike those poor lottery teams whose futures depended on the bounces of ping-pong balls rather than basketballs.

1. The San Antonio Spurs are going to win this whole damn thing, aren't they?

The San Antonio Spurs have won 20 straight games, starting in the regular season, and there's no reason to believe that it's impossible for them to win 22 straight, or even 26 straight. Unfortunately for the other teams left in the playoffs, the Spurs are just that good. Tuesday night, the Spurs held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-111, taking a 2-0 series lead to maintain home field advantage. On paper, the Spurs just "did what they had to do", but in progress the game seemed more like a statement of intent from a potentially unbeatable team.

While Manu Ginobili was the key player in game one, point guard Tony Parker was the key to game two as he scored 34 points and 8 assists during the record-setting victory. By earning their 20th consecutive victory in a span that started in the regular season and continued into the playoffs, the Spurs beat the NBA record held …