The San Antonio Spurs are going to Orlando to try and keep their playoff streak alive. Alternatively, perhaps simultaneously even, they want to see the youth go out and play. What kind of chances do they have, really? And what can we expect to see from the Silver and Black? As the NBA season approaches its return, Belly Up will be previewing every bubble team. Let’s talk Spurs baby!
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Can the Streak Survive?
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I have an unreasonable love for the San Antonio Spurs. Unreasonable, in that no matter what happens, I have hope we will prevail. That hope was punched in the nose, kicked to the ground, and spit on when news broke of LaMarcus Aldridge having surgery, which ended his season. So our best player is out. We were already behind in the standings. sitting in 12th place in the West when the season was paused. So the battle for a playoff spot is uphill, to put it mildly. Five games behind the current 8th seed Grizzlies, to be specific. Even saying that makes me cringe.
However, I am also a glass-half-full kind of Spurs fan. I know some people think the Spurs should just let the young guys play, and get them more game experience before coming back in 2021 with a young group. Essentially, a dreaded rebuild. But to them, I say, hold your proverbial horses. I am much more a fan of having your cake and eating it too. Also, Tim Duncan could unretire, which would fix everything, and make my life complete once again. Alas, that pipe dream needs to get off the pipe. Alternatively, my fairy-godmother could make a surprise appearance 32 years into my life.
What Wan We Do?
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Gregg Popovich is regarded among most NBA players, fans, and aficionados, as one of the best to ever coach. I say it is time he reminds us why. For lack of a real concrete reason, he has refused to play Derrick White and Dejounte Murray together. Only 83 total minutes, before the season pause, to be specific. Unsurprisingly, they had a defensive rating of 99.5 during those minutes. These guys are the future. What are we waiting for? Tim Duncan to take over as Head Coach?
Maybe Pop tells Lonnie “Sky”Walker he is his father, and he channels a mystical power, let’s call it a “force”, and wreaks havoc on the dark side. The dark side could be all the other NBA teams. Someone write that down, I feel like we could make a movie out of it. Either Pop goes through a Carl Fredrickson like transformation when he began trusting Russell the young boy, or that bird thing(our streak) is toast.
The San Antonio Spurs should trot a lineup out full of youth, but make no mistake, the game-plan must be to win. Spurs fans everywhere want that consecutive playoff record we currently share with the 1950-1971 Syracuse Nationals-Philadelphia 76ers to ourselves. We also want to see what the future looks like, and maybe have a bit of Orlando “magic” in the process. See what I did there? I said process, so you can trust me.
Bubble Boys
Let’s move on to Orlando, where the Spurs have an absolutely brutal schedule. First up are the Kings, followed by Memphis, Philly, Denver, Utah, New Orleans, Houston, and then Utah once again. That hill looks more and more like a mountain every day. However, it should be noted that the San Antonio Spurs were 6-6 against these teams in the regular season, including 2-0 against the Jazz. But .500 basketball won’t be good enough for the Spurs to advance.
We will need all-world performances from multiple guys. Coach Pop will have to get creative. Jakob Poeltl, Trey Lyles, and newly acquired big man Tyler Zeller will have to somehow replicate Aldridge’s impact. Look for Chimezie Metu and even Luka Samanic to see some run in Orlando. The young guns are gonna have to fly. Murray and White must play together, and DeMar DeRozan is going to have to play out of his mind. Be ready to see Rudy Gay at the 4, with perhaps even smaller guys filling in.
Lonnie Walker has shown some flashes, time for some consistency. However, there is one reason why my hope lives on like a birthday candle surviving a three-year-old’s incessant attempts at blowing out their birthday cake. No other team has played in a while either. The young legs of the San Antonio Spurs could make this interesting if they show up in better shape than the other teams. Look for Pop to use this deep bench to run teams up and down the court, and we could even see extended runs for Keldon Johnson, Quinndary Weatherspoon, and yes, Drew Eubanks.
Coach Pop has shown a hesitance to rely on his younger players in huge situations in the past. He will have no choice this time around. And as a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, I could not be more excited. The streak means so much to me, but more than the streak, I want to see what the future is going to look like. So win or lose, if I get to watch the baby boys ball, I will consider this bubble scenario a massive success. And don’t rule out those young guns just yet. They have everything to prove, to Coach Pop, the NBA at large, and themselves.
Spurs hopeful record prediction: 8-0, before being bounced by the Lakers in Round 1.
Spurs probable record prediction: 4-4, going fishing, and looking forward to a 2021 season where the young guys benefited from these bubble minutes.
