Since joining the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs have played in the Conference Finals fourteen times. For six of those, they advanced to the NBA Finals and have won five NBA championships.
Only four Conference Finals appearances took place before Gregg Popovich became head coach. Ten trips with Pop occurred between 1999 and 2017.
2017 was the last time the Spurs made the Western Conference Finals, and it was a pivotal turning point for the organization. In Game 1, Zaza Pachulia slid his foot under Kawhi Leonard, injuring him in a way that altered his career and sent the Spurs into a tailspin for a few years.
This year, the Spurs have been considered “ahead of schedule” by pundits, but as Stephon Castle pointed out last night after the Spurs dominant Game 6 close out in Minnesota, they knew they were ready.
If 2017 was the beginning of the pendulum swing for the storied franchise, this Western Conference Finals represents the Spurs on their upswing, considered to be a contender for years to come.
Their next challenge facing the Spurs is one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. Oklahoma City are the reigning NBA champs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and Finals MVP and was recently named this year’s Clutch Player of the Year. They just went through the Phoenix Suns in round one and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals without a loss.
As Udonis Haslem stated in the postgame show, what happened in the regular season doesn’t matter now, the teams are 0-0, starting from scratch.
The Spurs will have to make adjustments. After being pushed around by the Timberwolves, Victor Wembanyama will face Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren in the paint, forcing him to alter his shot selection.
SGA is NBA royalty and gets to the line quite often. By comparison, Stephon Castle’s aggressive defense has gotten him into foul trouble throughout the playoffs.
When asked about the Spurs inexperience with postseason, Victor Wembanyama simply stated “heart matters more than anything.”
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals takes place in Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
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