Tunnel vision isn’t usually a positive. People should always be encouraged to think outside their inner orbit and experience as many sects of society as possible. This way they can empathize with all different sorts of people and experiences. But this flies in the face of the San Antonio Spurs, who focus almost exclusively on what they can control: themselves. And then they let the chips fall where they may. This franchise characteristic is best exemplified by David West, who turned down around $11 million in guaranteed money with the Pacers this summer to join the Spurs and play for a title.

“One of the biggest adjustments for me has been the lack of focus on other teams,” West told Yahoo Sports. “It’s all about this group, and what we’re doing every day. Maybe we spend three minutes on who we’re playing that night. … We watch a few clips. Here, you just realize that it’s not really about anybody but us.”

West’s surprise comes after Adrian Wojnarowski explained the paucity of paper in West’s scouting report:

David West pinches his index finger and thumb together, leaving the slightest sliver of space between them. Small, he’s telling you. The smallest he’s ever been handed in basketball. “The scouting reports are like this,” West told Yahoo Sports

West goes on to applaud all that the Spurs do to maintain their consistency through the years, but it’s the scouting report that’s interesting, since it seems almost cocky of San Antonio — the last attribute one would normally associate with the Silver and Black. Teams go out of their way to prepare for opponents these days. There’s also an increasing reliance on analytical tools tracking every bit of minutiae surrounding NBA teams. This leads to Ayn Rand-sized chapters on every opponent — a veritable treasure trove of insider information on how to attack any give team in the league. But not San Antonio.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this sort of seeming blasphemy, either.

Gregg Popovich has stated in the past that he doesn’t watch film on other teams.

“I don’t see any reason to watch film,” Popovich told reporters over two years ago. “When my team has a game and [they] have zero turnovers and shoot 60 percent, and the other team scores 40, then I’ll start worrying about the other teams. But until that happens, I’ve got enough to correct and teach on my team, and that’s how I spend my time.”