What team deserves the playoffs? The Spurs won 8-7 to show the Lakers the way basketball really is

The last time the Spurs attracted so much attention was when Popovich overtook Nelson Sr. to become the most winning coach in NBA regular season history. It was a foreseeable moment and considered one of the few "accomplishments" spurs could accomplish this season.

It is not that the world despises this old powerhouse in the West, but that the Spurs are now in the process of rebuilding after losing two stars, DeRozan and Aldridge, and it seems that it is their main task to cultivate young people and save energy for the future. Coupled with the previous two seasons, the Spurs have not won more than 33 games in the regular season, nor have they officially entered the playoffs, so naturally no one will have too high expectations for them.

Before the start of the season, among the predictions of many institutions, the Spurs had only 28.5 predicted wins in the regular season. Meanwhile, their odds for winning the title, which are staggering +25,000, are tied for second-to-last in the NBA along with the Kings. From such figures and forecast rankings, it can be seen that spurs' position in people's expectations should hover in the final segment of the West.

However, on April 5, local time, the Spurs used their own performance and "peer support" to smash the above. After a 116-97 away win over the home Nuggets, the Spurs took their 34th win of the season. At the same time, because the Lakers lost to the Suns in the subsequent game, the Spurs officially opened the gap with the Lakers to 3 wins. With only 3 games left in the regular season and the advantage of playing against their opponents, the Spurs locked in a playoff spot in advance, snuffing out the only remaining playoff hopes of their old rival Lakers. It is worth mentioning that the Lakers' predicted wins this season are 52.5, while the Lakers' odds of winning the championship are +425, ranking second in the league.

Not only is it better than the Lakers, the Spurs' performance in the second half of the season has always been described as stable and excellent. After the All-Star Weekend, after the Spurs suffered a four-game losing streak, many people felt that they were about to start a mess and pursue a higher draft pick. As a result, starting with the victory over the Lakers on March 8, the Spurs won 10 of the next 15 games. In particular, in the last 8 games, the Spurs have won 7 games, the only one they lost, or a game with the Grizzlies, Kelden Johnson missed a kill caused.

In the recent game against the Nuggets, the Spurs have taken their recent excellent form to the next level. The Nuggets, who have a strong contender for MVP, are now competing with the Jazz for the 5th place in the West, so they are also quite serious about the battle with the Spurs. The Spurs have not won a road win on the Denver Plateau since 2017. Coupled with the Spurs' backcourt core Dezhangtai Murray confirmed for the third consecutive game, the Nuggets seem to have a huge advantage from psychology to the lineup.

But spurs have never lost their good traditions. Tactically, team basketball and multi-person sharing have penetrated into the marrow of this team, and in a game with the Nuggets, the Spurs are the 9 major rotation players who have scored after playing, 6 of which have scored in double figures, and Kelden Johnson and Vassell are the highest scorers in a single game, and the two have 20 points each.

However, after all, the Spurs are facing the Nuggets, who owned last season's MVP winner Jokic, the Serbian big man, who handed over a terrifying 41 points and 17 rebounds in a single game, led the Nuggets to narrow the Spurs' lead to only 4 points at one point in the early fourth quarter. But the Spurs' gritty character traits are on display at this time. In a pinch, they immediately launched a 14-2 offensive wave, which firmly held the initiative of the game in their hands.

"Every team has a bad moment, and I think tonight is when the Nuggets have a moment like that," Popovich said after the game, "I think it was a bad time today, even from the beginning of the game, and we used that very well." So I really felt that the opponents didn't play well in this game, but I was also happy that we kept the whole toughness. ”

Such a statement is very characteristic of Popovich and the Spurs. Even if the strength is not the strongest, you must insist on playing in the right way and attitude, and then, patiently wait for the good results to come. In this way, the Spurs "waited" for this win with the Nuggets, and also "waited" for the result of the Lakers' loss.

For example, in this battle with the Nuggets, the Spurs' start was actually not smooth. In the process of playing against Jokic, the Spurs started inside Pelter played 90 seconds, suffered 2 personal fouls, and had to go off early. But the Spurs immediately used their offensive moves on the offensive end to put pressure on Jokic. Vassell scored 10 consecutive points at one point, and in addition to two three-pointers, there was a dunk on Jokic's head.

In addition, Trey Jones, who started in three consecutive games in place of Murray, also continued his performance beyond many people's imagination. In terms of personal offense and passing for his teammates, Jones, who is only 22 years old, plays very well. Throughout the game, he contributed 14 points and 10 assists without error. He steals Devon Reed's back pass and completes the goal of the layup, which became a watershed for the Cavaliers on the court. The Spurs, who found their defensive rhythm in the second quarter, only let the Nuggets score 14 points in a single quarter, which also allowed them to return to the dressing room with a lead of as many as 20 points.

The Spurs' performance, described simply as "nuggets in poor form," is obviously inaccurate. Although the Spurs are currently only 10th in the West, their offensive efficiency has always been good, ranking 8th in the league. What has dragged them down for a long time is the defense under the efficiency. Until now, the Spurs have conceded an average of 100 points per 100 rounds, and they are only in 24th place.

However, this battle with the Nuggets, or the Spurs in the recent 10-5 journey, has done a good job of balancing attack and defense. They will give their opponents more interference and pressure while trying to control fouls. Although Jokic scored 41 points in a single game, he had to deal with the defenders in front of him almost every time he made a sports game. So, seeing that Jokic took 35 shots to score 41 points and only contributed four assists, it was hard for Popovich not to be satisfied with the performance of his disciples.

After the game with the Nuggets, the Spurs had been getting the results from the Lakers side until they sent a social media message that they had been preparing for a long time, with pictures of many young people of the Spurs and a pun on the slogan: "We are in the game." ”

On the one hand, this sentence can be understood to mean that the Spurs have entered the playoff competition for the second consecutive year, because the in and play-in have the same ending words. On the other hand, this also seems to be the slogan that Spurs are shouting for the future. In the absence of the number one star, they can still use the performance of consecutive victories to firmly hold their fate in their own hands.

"We don't think about anything else at all," Popovich said, "and we don't want to be subversives of the world." Admittedly, the Spurs are still doing their own thing as always.