Spurs 22-year playoff streak is over

[infinite11285]

Twenty-two years across multiple eras and different styles of play. One hell of a run by one of the most exceptional organizations, led by a top-3 Coach in all of sports.

Hold your heads high, Spurs fans.

[lobosloboslobos]

nothing lasts forever. legendary run.

[ThaRegul8r]

R.I.P. to the streak, the last remnant of their past greatness.

Nothing in this life lasts forever. It was a great run.

[Hindenburg]

Time to rebuild and for Pop to hang them up.

[Optms]

Credit has to go almost entirely to Popovich here. Simply incredible what he was able to do across eras and vastly different rosters.

[JordansBulls]

Everything comes to an end eventually. Even Covid-19 some day will as well.

[ThaRegul8r]

Everything comes to an end eventually. Even Covid-19 some day will as well.

Of course it will.

Humanity has had pandemics before and gotten through it. It's just that since this is new to most people currently alive—as the last time something like this happened was over a century ago, and centenarians aren't common—you have people hyperbolically complaining about having to wear masks and social distance forever... when people didn't wear masks and social distance forever when the last pandemic happened.

It's just like NBA fans who think NBA history didn't begin until they started watching it. It's aggravating.

[maradro]

if murray didnt wave off derozan down the stretch of the philly game, spurs would have been in the play in.. he has flaws and is not as good as leonard, but he is still an elite scorer and good playmaker, if anyone should bear blame here its pop and the front office fumbling around to put a team together since leonard bailed. forbes and belinelli should never had minutes at the expense of white/murray/walker/johnson, lost bertans for nothing, the frontcourt is slow and the defense is terrible. if you have to blame a prominent player however, i saw more effort from derozan than i did from aldridge, who unfortunately i've come to believe becomes a diva without a leader to keep him in line. my only real problem with derozan is he lets the refs get into his head, and sometimes his decision making down the stretch could be better. aldridge is more prone to sulking and laziness.

[Plutonashfan]

It's insane to think about for me. I was going into 5th grade when the streak started. I have a house, kids, etc just wow when I think about it. Them and the
Pat's are best destinies in the modern era end of story. Been a nice run.

[bullsaficianado]

People are making to big of a deal with this streak like Spurs basketball is over or what not. That playoff streak was very impressive and it will be awhile before any team tops it but every NBA team has ups and downs before winning it all again. Spurs have a good team and young talent. They will get a draft pick, maybe make a trade and be better next season and Pop will still be the coach. It happens in the NBA, teams fall and get back up. Warriors didn't even make the playoffs, Spurs are just in a position of being normal again and now they have to get better like any NBA team. Spurs also are in a position to get better really fast and will have motivation now for next season. The streak is over but the team is well stacked and will be in contention next season.

[Kabookalu]

if murray didnt wave off derozan down the stretch of the philly game, spurs would have been in the play in.. he has flaws and is not as good as leonard, but he is still an elite scorer and good playmaker, if anyone should bear blame here its pop and the front office fumbling around to put a team together since leonard bailed. forbes and belinelli should never had minutes at the expense of white/murray/walker/johnson, lost bertans for nothing, the frontcourt is slow and the defense is terrible. if you have to blame a prominent player however, i saw more effort from derozan than i did from aldridge, who unfortunately i've come to believe becomes a diva without a leader to keep him in line. my only real problem with derozan is he lets the refs get into his head, and sometimes his decision making down the stretch could be better. aldridge is more prone to sulking and laziness.

I've been saying this all along, the problem with the Spurs is LaMarcus Aldridge. Even though I'm a Raptors fan, I tend to have a secondary team in the west just because it gives me more reason to pay attention to that side of the conference. Ever since Steve Nash retired that team became the Spurs after what they accomplished in 2014. Once Aldridge arrived in San Antonio the culture started changing. I thought he'd change his game to become more of a team player, but that's not what happened, and he's sort of forced the Spurs to conform around his demands. He wants his 10 post up touches a game, and he doesn't like playing center. When Poppovich said he needed to do more to incorporate Aldridge into the system, I was wondering, 'is this the real Gregg Poppovich?'

Also being a Raptors fan I'm quite familiar with DeRozan's game. I didn't think he'd have a chance in hell working under Poppovich and that they'd butt heads a lot, but I'm actually surprised at how well he's adapted. On top of that he's made a ton of great strides to his game (3 point shooting notwithstanding). To this day Aldridge hasn't improved in a single aspect of his game since arriving to the Spurs. Seeing them play without him during the bubble, it's reminded me why I loved watching this team so much. For my sanity I hope they get rid of Aldridge, I can't stand watching him drag the team down.

[KingFox]

Read on Twitter

Major major props to them

As a Kings fan, i really admire what they’ve been able to do and I’m sure they’ll be back to Playoff basketball very soon.

[KingFox]

For a while, the Spurs were winning no less than 50 games even in lockout seasons. Unbelievable

[jefe]

Incredible run. It'll be strange to see the Spurs at the draft lottery

[Lalouie]

longer than the lakers or celts as far as i could see

[kuclas]

All the credit of the run has to go to the nba for rigging the 1997 nba draft. It’s really Tim Duncan who was responsible for the streak. Sure pop is a great coach. But great players contribute to the most success. Pop just tied all the pieces together. But it shows coaches can only do so much in the nba.

They had the perfect bridge for the next 6-7 years of success in K Leonard though.

Look I’m a sixers fan. And still feel to this day the Celtics should have gotten Duncan. They got screwed in that draft lottery that year (also Vancouver obviously). The nba is the worst at rigging things. It’s not even transparent. The 1996-1997 Spurs were the poster child of tanking. (Along with the 1984-1985 New York knicks).

[Kabookalu]

All the credit of the run has to go to the nba for rigging the 1997 nba draft. It’s really Tim Duncan who was responsible for the streak. Sure pop is a great coach. But great players contribute to the most success. Pop just tied all the pieces together. But it shows coaches can only do so much in the nba.

They had the perfect bridge for the next 6-7 years of success in K Leonard though.

Look I’m a sixers fan. And still feel to this day the Celtics should have gotten Duncan. They got screwed in that draft lottery that year (also Vancouver obviously). The nba is the worst at rigging things. It’s not even transparent. The 1996-1997 Spurs were the poster child of tanking. (Along with the 1984-1985 New York knicks).

I have trouble accepting that David Stern would purposely gift a future all time great to a franchise that has never won anything up to that point, over the most historically decorated team in the entire NBA. Tim Duncan in Boston for the next 20 years sells itself.

[Plain Old Josh]

nothing lasts forever. legendary run.

Yep. Great run.

[DusterBuster]

Amazing run to be sure. They should really look at a full rebuild though at this point now that the streak is over. That team and ownership can rebuild fast.

[scrabbarista]

Well, they tried hard.