San Antonio Spurs clinch playoff spot for 21st consecutive season

The San Antonio Spurs officially reached the postseason for the 21st consecutive season.
For most of the 2017-18 season’s first half, the San Antonio Spurs were in control of the No. 3 or 4 seed, holding tight with the Minnesota Timberwolves. A downfall before the All-Star break turned the situation upside down, however, and allowed other teams to surge, including the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans; the Blazers went to No. 3 after an extensive winning streak.
A six-game winning streak pushed the Silver and Black in the right direction, shortly after falling into the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference. This effectively saved their playoff hopes but did not resolve their position. Losing back-to-back games in Los Angeles only hurt this, too.
The conclusion was satisfying, though, for the Spurs and their fans. They pulled off a come-from-behind win, on Monday night, against the Sacramento Kings, to get the illustrious final victory to secure a spot in the 2018 NBA Playoffs. The Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves could have solved this by losing, and even though the latter team fell, San Antonio did not need help. Attribute this to their dominant run at home to close the season, and something that played into the 2017-18 campaign.
The Spurs will be in the NBA Playoffs for the 21st consecutive season. pic.twitter.com/pYbtHWqVFz
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 10, 2018
What’s next? Well, the Spurs have one more game on Wednesday, April 11, against the New Orleans Pelicans. It will determine both teams’ spot in the playoffs, which can be as high as No. 4 and as low as No. 8. So a matchup can be against the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers or Timberwolves (if they make it). There are multiple variables to sort out before the season ends, and it should be a wild ride to get there.
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