The San Antonio Spurs boast the second-best record in the Western Conference and are the main threat to the OKC Thunder, but can they keep the good times rolling in the playoffs?
As the All-Star Break ends, the San Antonio Spurs sit at a cozy 38-16, well above where they were expected to be. They have the third-best record in the entire NBA, and boast a dominant 4-1 record this season against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Plus, they have two All-Stars in Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox. On paper, the Spurs are expected to make the Western Conference Finals, and maybe even beat OKC en route to their first Finals appearance since 2014.
However, that could be wishful thinking. No one on the roster has made the playoffs with the Silver and Black, and inexperience often catches up to teams. With the All-Star Break behind them and the playoffs looming, the Spurs have one major question to answer.
Are the Spurs Legit?
If the postseason were to start today, the Spurs would play the best of the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, or Los Angeles Clippers, whoever gets out of the play-in tournament first. All of those teams, minus Portland, have multiple veteran stars who have shouldered a postseason run before.
In recent seasons, we saw the second-seeded Houston Rockets, top-seeded Thunder, and fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers all fall before they were expected to. In all cases, those teams were making their first postseason appearance with their core.
The Spurs are in the same spot...sort of. Victor Wembanyama has never played playoff NBA basketball, but he did take his Mets92 team to the French League Finals and led the French National Team to the gold medal game at the 2024 Olympics.
On top of that, Harrison Barnes is a champion, De'Aaron Fox is a steady veteran (although his playoff experience is limited), and Stephon Castle won a title in college.
Of course, the NBA postseason is a different beat entirely. Is there anything the Spurs can do between now and the first round to prove that they are to be taken seriously? Aside from winning pretty much every one of the next 28 games, not really.
Fans will just have to hope for an easy matchup in the first round before the Spurs meet a more experienced Nuggets/Wolves/Rockets/Lakers team in the second round, and pray they can ride their new momentum past some veterans.