The San Antonio Spurs roster, as humble as it may seem, continues to be among the best teams in the NBA, and that's in spite the number of changes during this off-season which have re-builded the Cavs and Bulls' title contention. 

Here are some reasons why the Spurs are still the team to beat in the NBA:

Team Defense

Even after LeBron decides to come back home to Cleveland and lure in veterans and other superstars to join him compete for a title, the Cavs are still lacking in one particular aspect - team defense. While James can be considered an elite defender, and soon to be signed veteran Shawn Marion is also known as a good defender in his career, Cleveland lacks the players who can engage in team defense and make life difficult for the opposing squad. San Antonio has this type of defense, and it helps that almost everyone on the roster has the ability to defend well. 

Team Offense

Last NBA Finals, the Miami Heat learned it the hard way when the Spurs obliterated them with a silky smooth team offense that involved everyone on the floor. It's not that everyone is a legitimate scorer, the main point is that the offense runs almost automatically that it leaves at least one player open, resulting in an easy shot inside or outside. The Bulls are an elite offensive team, but we haven't seen yet whether they can be an offensive juggernaut like the one they had before Rose had his couple of injuries.

Ball Movement

Ball movement will be a crucial factor in the upcoming NBA season as defense is becoming a focal point in a team's winning strategy. While both the Cavs and Bulls can go against the Spurs in this category, they are both inexperienced coming into the NBA season with most of their current players playing for the first time with their respective teams. On the other hand, the Spurs have been doing this for years now and they have the ability to run alternative plays when the defense reacts. 

Can the Spurs be champions once more?

The answer is certainly yes, but actually getting it may be more difficult as it looks especially with its aging lineup.