Given its franchise history of impeccability, San Antonio has provided fans with every reason to believe in its sudden invincibility, with performances of late elevating the Spurs' status from postseason hopefuls to a team so dangerous almost no opponent would welcome a first-round playoff matchup.

Even with its 110-105 home loss on Wednesday to the Miami Heat, a setback that snapped the Spurs' nine-game winning streak, San Antonio resembles an altogether different squad from earlier this season. Now, as they look ahead to a road clash on Friday with the Houston Rockets, the Spurs are climbing the Western Conference standings, and a home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs isn't inconceivable.

"I think our mindset and what we're trying to do is in the right place," Spurs guard Patty Mills said. "And then we've been focusing on ourselves no matter who we've played against. So, we feel the mindset is on us, and our development and how we're growing, and the things that we need to work on."