San Antonio Spurs: Could Pop provide playoff headaches once again?
It’s looking more and more like the red-hot San Antonio Spurs could provide playoff headaches for expected contenders in the Western Conference
Perhaps it’s time we start considering the San Antonio Spurs as a fringe contender in the Western Conference playoffs.
This is not to say that the Spurs will beat the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets or Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series, but maybe we shouldn’t be overlooking the red-hot Spurs, who are playing their basketball at the right time.
And even though they don’t have the talent to compete with the top tier of the West, there’s no question that this team still has enough elite coaching and team-oriented play to give the favorites a few headaches in the playoffs.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
Winners of their last nine games, the Spurs have been led by the excellent play of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Over the last night games, DeRozan is averaging 22 points, seven assist and six rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field, with Aldridge adding 24 points and 10 rebounds on 55 percent shooting.
The hot Spurs are 42-29, tied for 4th in the West. With 11 games remaining on their schedule, it’s probably not possible for them to climb much higher, but there’s a good chance that this team will face either the Nuggets, Houston Rockets or Portland Trail Blazers in the first round.
With how up-and-down they’ve been this season, would San Antonio be huge underdogs against the Rockets? Probably not. Similarly, I don’t think anyone would count them out against the Blazers, who are battling their own injuries of their own at the moment.
Where it gets interesting would be in a hypothetical matchup against the Nuggets, who have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season but lack the playoff experience that you’d expect to see in a contender. Could the Spurs, who are experienced behind DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, give the Nuggets all they could handle in a first-round matchup?
After their recent tear over the last two weeks, it’s pretty safe to say that the San Antonio Spurs will make the playoffs for their 22nd straight season as a franchise, but the real question is whether or not they could provide enough of a challenge in a potential first-round series?
Next. 2019 NBA Draft: 20 prospects to watch during the NCAA Tournament. dark
If they continue to play like they have to start the month of March, then perhaps it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see Gregg Popovich and the Spurs become factors in the Western Conference playoffs once again.