I don’t have an extensive playoff preview. The team was embarrassed of sorts last year, and we’re seeking redemption. No other team is playing better in the league right now, and legacies are at stake.
It can be easy to look at this year and see the comparisons to last year, rolling into the playoffs as a surprise #1 seed. But this year couldn’t be any more different. Last year we started off scorching, one of the 10 best starts of all time. But we really stumbled heading into the playoffs, ending the season 4-8, and really backing into the #1 seed. Coupled with the Ginobili injury, the writing was really on the wall.
This year is kind of the opposite. We started off slowly, and really stormed to the end of the season. Honestly, the way we ended the season should be talked about more. The Spurs were the most dominant team in the league for 2 months, and it wasn’t even close. The manner in which we ended the season (a 10-game winning streak, our 3rd double-digit winning streak of the season) was marvelous.
If anything, this year is a lot more like 2007. The Dallas Mavericks ripped off a 60-win season and got the #1 seed, but were vulnerable against a hot, upstart #1. The Spurs quietly got better all year, and rolled into the playoffs as the hottest, best team. I’ll always remember on the last day of the regular season in 2007 the Spurs–not the Mavericks–were the #1 team in his power rankings. We all know what happened in June that year.
So there’s reason to be hopeful for these playoffs. There’s a fantastic chance that Chip #5 could be ours in June.
First up: the Utah Jazz.
Go Spurs Go.
