The San Antonio Spurs are battling injuries and age. However, it would not be wise to write them off as the playoffs are clearly their territory.

Nobody knows the NBA Playoffs more than the San Antonio Spurs. They have never missed the playoffs since 1997. At that time, Kobe Bryant was just a sophomore. They have had countless classic playoff battles since. But even when the Lakers were relegated on the outside looking in, the Spurs remained a dominant force in the West.

Tim Duncan is probably on the twilight of his career. He has never missed the playoffs in his life, and this year will be no different. The Spurs clinched win no. 43 this year-which means they will have another winning record. The Spurs have a streak of 17 years with a winning record (since Duncan came in) second only to the Utah Jazz with 19 years (when John Stockton/Karl Malone came in).

Tony Parker's return marked the first time the Spurs had a full roster. Spurs Nation narrates the injuries of the past two months: "Parker's return brought an end to a two-month crisis, started by Tiago Splitter's sprained shoulder against the Clippers on Jan. 4, during which the Spurs missed at least one and as many as four key players for 24 straight games. They went 16-8 during that span, dropping just one game further behind first-place Oklahoma City to sit 1 1/2 off the pace in the Western Conference standings."

The main secret of the Spurs is their coach, Gregg Popovich. His ability to manage the roster despite these circumstances has brought them to perennial contention. Manu Ginobili shares: "Sometimes you do have a lot of injuries during a season, but not five core players together. Pop and the team really had to figure it out. Grab players and change positions. We had Nando (De Colo) and Cory (Joseph) playing (shooting guard) a lot, even (small forward). So it's remarkable we managed to stay in the second spot with a good record. I'm proud of this team."

Tony Parker also adds that the team knows when the games matter most: "It feels great to have everybody back. Hopefully, everybody can stay healthy and try to make a run at it. Everybody recharged their batteries. Everybody should be fresh. Every year I like our chances so as long as we stay healthy and play our best basketball when the playoffs come. That's the main thing."

The Heat and the Spurs are both playing their cards right and peaking at the right time. Can you say "rematch?"