The San Antonio Spurs got off to a very rough start this season but lately they've been playing much better, winning five of their last six games and routing the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 123-96 on Sunday night.
They have been playing so well, as a matter of fact, that forward Rudy Gay is making a pretty bold proclamation:
Let's be real here for a second: barring any injuries, drastic trades or something really, really weird happening, the Spurs aren't winning the title this year. They could have a healthy Kawhi Leonard on their roster, and they still probably wouldn't be a legitimate championship contender.
But, it's always great to see a player showing confidence in his ballclub.
Gay is having a terrific year, too. Criticized for his inefficiency earlier in his career, he has been a beacon of efficient offense in 2018-19, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, 45.8 percent from three-point range and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line.
He is averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 27.3 minutes per game.
The 32-year-old, who played his collegiate basketball at the University of Connecticut, was originally selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the eighth overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft.
Gay played six-and-a-half seasons in Memphis before being traded to the Toronto Raptors midway through the 2012-13 campaign. He was then dealt to the Sacramento Kings in the middle of the following season, spending three-and-a-half years there before signing with San Antonio during the summer of 2017.
The Spurs are currently 16-15 and sit in 11th place in the Western Conference standings.