Spurs win 3 out of 4, maintain playoff position

The San Antonio Spurs won 2 of their last 3 games this week in pretty convincing fashion, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat while losing to the Orlando Magic.

The 3 wins came against some of the bottom feeders of the NBA and were blowouts.  In these games, the starters didn’t play a lot of minutes, which will help when the playoffs come.

In the fourth game though, the Spurs were dominated by Vince Carter and the Orlando Magic.  A blowout loss is also an opportunity to play guys that normally don’t get to play much.  During this stretch, Ian Mahinmi and Malik Hairston for instance, got valuable minutes.  While these guys may not play much, they could be called upon in a crucial situation.

Blowouts also allow your star players to have an easier night, which should save them for the postseason.  With the Spurs being a veteran team, these nights get even more important as it allows players to rest injuries.

As a result of the victories, San Antonio maintained the 7th spot in the Western Conference.  Just 1 half game ahead of the Portland Trailblazers and 1 game behind both the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  It is important that the Spurs finish the season as strong as they can, as a higher seed would yield a more favorable first round match up.

San Antonio returns to the court tomorrow against the Golden State Warriors.  I’ll have a game preview up tomorrow afternoon.