As San Antonio prepares for its first playoff run in years, it’s worth remembering the team didn’t get here by accident.
SAN ANTONIO — Are you ready?
Or maybe the better question is: Can you believe it?
Well… believe it. The Spurs‘ playoff draught is over!
And it’s about to be over for a very long time. I don’t mean just the next two-plus months starting the weekend of April 18, when San Antonio’s first playoff series of the Victor Wembanyama era gets underway.
I mean for, like, the next 12 years. At the very least. Fifteen years might even be in play.
Over the course of this season’s postgame press conferences, I’ve heard Wembanyama, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and others mention something key as the playoffs approach next week. And that something is this: This group of Spurs has been “practicing good habits,” to put it in their words. What’s worth noting about that phrase is that they’ve not just been putting in the reps this season; they were doing it last season, and the season before that—those handful of seasons where they were doing lots of losing.
You remember.
Or, maybe you’ve tried to forget. Couldn’t blame you for that.
Regardless, while it sounds simple, it’s huge. It can’t be measured. And 60-plus wins this regular season has been the payoff. It’s so true, as it is with anything difficult that one wants to improve at. Practice good habits. You’ll see the returns.
That’s what we’re seeing right now from the Spurs.
Now, the bigger question is the lack of playoff experience. That, too, is huge.
The Thunder, the defending NBA champions, have it.
The Nuggets, who won the title in 2023, have it.
The Celtics, who were crowned champions in 2024, have it.
Do the Spurs have it? Not yet they don’t, at least not their young core. And we all know the reason for that. This current Spurs roster has never played one minute together beyond the regular season.
That’s gonna matter, but I do think they’ll be up for it. Remember, they’ve put the habits in place, and that sets some apart from others. Especially in April, May and June.
Now also comes the time where benches get shorter, timely 3-point shooting matters and half-court execution becomes the name of the game. That highly entertaining full-court, streetball-type chaos that marks most regular-season games essentially hits the shelf during the postseason.
NBA playoff basketball is all about matchups, coaching and half-court execution. It’s not near as wide open as you’ll see on random Tuesdays and Thursdays in December. It’s an entirely different basketball animal, but worth the price of admission for the best teams. And our Spurs are one of ’em this year.
So what’s the good news? Well, how about this: The Spurs are legit good. Their regular-season numbers easily suggest that.
And it’s just not San Antonio that knows this—the entire league knows this. The top contenders know this. SGA in OKC knows this. The Joker in Denver knows this. Jason Tatum and the Celtics know this.
My guess is the Spurs will transition to the playoffs quite well. Are they gonna sweep everybody? Of course not. It’s like the great Kobe Bryant once saying there’s a reason it’s called a “series.” They’re scheduled to go as long as seven games for a reason. And there’s only a handful of teams each and every year that are serious contenders.
The Spurs haven’t been on that tier since, arguably, the 2016-17 season, but as Vassell said during preseason Media Day two years ago: “The Spurs are back.”
I don’t disagree. I doubt Wemby and the fellas would either, two years later.
Get excited, Spurs Nation! It’s gonna be a fun ride this spring.
#GoSpursGo