The San Antonio Spurs have already established themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA, and they seem to be getting hot at just the right time.
The San Antonio Spurs are the hottest team in the NBA, having lost only two games since February 1. Victor Wembanyama looks the part of an MVP frontrunner, and the Spurs have defied the preseason expectations that saw them sneaking into the playoffs.
Instead, the Spurs are roaring as they prepare to play in the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Of course, hot streaks can start and end at any given moment, and there is growing fear that the Spurs may have found their stride a bit too early. However, with a combined 8-1 record against the OKC Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics, it's safe to say that the Spurs can hold their own, even against the best teams in the league.
With the playoffs looming and just under a month left in the regular season, the Spurs' main priority has been revealed.
Spurs Must Keep the Good Times Rolling
If the Spurs can play asd well as they have for the last month and a half, there's really no need to worry. While other teams are trying to get healthy and tinker with their lineups, the Spurs simply have to stay the course.
"The Spurs don’t have to worry about being playoff-ready," wrote The Athletic's Jared Weiss. "Their main task is to stay healthy and pace their energy properly ahead of the playoffs. This will be the first playoff run for most of the team, and they don’t want to be the team that burns itself out on a huge winning streak in March and gets outmuscled in the second round."
Victor Wembanyama has made it clear that he plans to play in at least 65 games this season, hitting the threshold for individual awards. However, the team as a whole is willing to exercise caution in an effort to preserve him for the postseason.
After all, there's a championship at stake. The Spurs are well ahead of schedule, and they want to stay that way.
"I really trust the Spurs staff," Wembanyama said in French on Saturday. "They have all the data. And it's true that it's important to be ready for the playoffs. Personally, I want to play every game. But there are games that have already been targeted to potentially rest."
Wembanyama can miss three more games this season before he flies under the 65-game limit, and the Spurs only have two back-to-backs left on their schedule, which means Wembanyama should be able to limit himself a little bit and still win his first DPOTY trophy.