For the first time since 2019, the San Antonio Spurs are heading to the postseason. With 12 games left in the season, Victor Wembanyama revealed a key fear as the Spurs look to keep finding success.
For the first time since 2019, the San Antonio Spurs are heading to the playoffs. At the start of the season, after the Spurs dismantled the Dallas Mavericks in their debut, fans quickly expected a postseason appearance, and with their 101-100 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, the Spurs have officially punched their ticket.
After Thursday's game, Keldon Johnson gushed about what winning means to him. Of course, Johnson has been in San Antonio longer than anyone and has seen his fair share of lows before finally finding a high, so his emotion and posiotivity makes sense..
With 12 games to go, the Spurs are only three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in the Western Conference, and getting the highest seed possible is the next priority for the team.
Victor Wembanyama Reveals Fear Before Final Stretch
Wembanyama is one of the most ruthlessly competitive players in the NBA. As the Spurs celebrate the long-overdue return to the postseason, Wembanyama doesn't want to rest on his laurels.
More than anything else, he fears pumping the brakes.
"The first instinct is to be proud of it and to love it because we're part of it," he said of clinching the playoffs. "But the key for me is to try not to care because we want to attack 82 games. I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared to become complacent. So I'll be on the other end of the spectrum and try not to care at all."
Keep in mind, those comments were made in the media scrum after he had time to cool off. On the court immediately after the final buzzer sounded, he was certainly swept up in the moment.
Let the kid have his fun!
Wembanyama isn't the only cooler head in the organization, and after the metaphorical confetti fell, the Spurs' leadership made it clear that the job is not finished.
"I'm happy for the city and the community and the organization," said Mitch Johnson. "And to be a part of that process is rewarding. And there's a lot in that, but that's also kind of outside of me. So I'll watch this game and then get ready for Saturday."
The Spurs still have to play the Denver Nuggets twice, and seven of their last 12 games are against teams who are in the playoff picture, even if some of them are just barley hanging on.