SAN ANTONIO — Listen, we get it.
Maybe you’re relatively new to San Antonio. Maybe you’re a relatively new basketball fan. Maybe all the talk about free coffee and complimentary tacos has you ready to go honking after Spurs playoffs victories.
And, uh, where exactly does that happen again?
Whether you haven’t watched much Spurs basketball or very many minutes of NBA basketball ever, you deserve to feel like a Silver & Black hoops diehard just as much as your car-flag-toting neighbors.
So, just for you, here’s a primer on the things you absolutely need to know heading into the start of San Antonio playoffs action.
The Spurs were pretty good this year, right?
They sure were: The rebuild that accelerated when the team drafted Victor Wembanyama in 2023 has yielded big dividends.
After winning just 34 games in the 2024-25, San Antonio shattered expectations and went 62-20 this year—that’s tied for the third-best mark they’ve ever had in a regular season, and the first time they’ve finished above .500 since 2019-19, also the last time they were in the playoffs.
Wow, it’s been that long? What happened that year?
They lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets. If they win a playoff series this year, it’ll be their first since the 2016-17 campaign.
Got it. But they’ve won it all a few times, right?
For sure. The Spurs have five NBA championships as part of a dynasty that began in 1999. They also won it all in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014—all under head coach Gregg Popovich and while franchise legends Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were leading the way.
Speaking of players. I know about Wemby… who are the other players I need to know?
Let’s go through some of the players bound to make an impact this playoffs, whether the Spurs win or lose.
Stephon Castle: The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year who is a crafty scorer as well as a fierce defender. You might’ve heard the nickname Area 51? That refers to Wembanyama, who wears 1, and Castle, who wears 5. If we see Wemby throwing down a lob this playoffs, it’s highly likely that Castle has thrown it up.
De’Aaron Fox: A relatively new Spur whom the team traded for in the spring of 2025. He’s a past Clutch Player of the Year winner and one of the team’s only members with prior playoff experience, so look for him to have the ball often in tight games.
Devin Vassell: One of the Spurs’ longest-tenured members is also one of its key offensive enablers. When Vassell has a hot hand, especially from beyond the 3-point line, it gives the Spurs another scorer the defense has to worry about beyond Wemby, Castle and Fox.
Julian Champagnie: One of the Spurs’ most reliable 3-point shooters and, like Vassell, a key cog that makes the team that much more dangerous when he’s making baskets.
Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant: The team’s two rookies, and players who fondly recall playing against each other while in high school. Harper was the team’s No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, and he’s shown himself to be a crafty scorer. The Spurs also picked Bryant in the first round of last summer’s draft; he finished the season with a strong stretch of performances and is one of the team’s most athletic young hoopers.
Keldon Johnson: The Spurs’ longest-tenured member, and not only one of the team’s most energetic players, but someone whom teammates have referred to as the heart and soul of the Silver & Black.
Noted! And who will they be playing first in the playoffs?
That would be the Portland Trail Blazers, who also haven’t been to the postseason in a few years. Like the Spurs, they overperformed this year with a 42-40 record.
The big player whose name you should know is Deni Avdija (pronounced AHV-dee-a). He averaged 24.2 points per game this year and went off in the Play-In Tournament, scoring 41 points against the Suns to secure the No. 7 seed and the right to play the Spurs.
The Spurs will have home court advantage and are favored in this matchup. It’s a best-of-seven series, and four of those games will be at the Frost Bank Center.
Nice. If they win, who’s next?
The second-round opponent would be whoever wins between the Timberwolves and Nuggets, the latter of whom have one of the players that has a legitimate argument at being the best basketballer in the world in Nikola Jokic.
The Timberwolves aren’t too shabby themselves, but the Nuggets would be a more formidable opponent: They’re the only team to beat San Antonio three times this season.
Well, we’ll get there when we get there. On to other important topics: What’s this I hear about free coffee?
Ahh, yes.
Back when the Spurs were consistently in the playoffs, Circle K corner stores would offer a free coffee after any and ever playoff win.
The bad news: That doesn’t happen anymore. But another business, Eightball Coffee in Southtown, will hand you a free eight-ounce drip coffee from 8-10 a.m. after a Spurs win. The cool part: It’s courtesy of Keldon Johnson.
And, because this is San Antonio, Taco Palenque is also serving up a free breakfast taco to customers after every playoff victory. Here are the details on that.
Another important note: It’s tradition to go honking downtown along Commerce, a bit of good-natured rowdiness, after major Spurs wins. Considering it’s their first playoff game in seven years, that could very well happen Sunday night, too, if they get off to a good start.
The first game is Sunday, right?
Yep! Tipoff is 8 p.m. Here’s the dates, times and details on how to watch every game in that first round against the Trail Blazers.
Awesome. One more thing: that one player… how do you pronounce his name?
Cham-PENNY. The G is silent.