Bill Simmons love for Spurs reaches new heights after Nikola Jokic injury

Nobody wants to see players get injured. In fact, I'd argue the vast majority of the public overwhelmingly wants the opposite, even if that means their favorite team loses a game. Basketball is just better when everyone is healthy. Unfortunately, that's not the reality, and Nikola Jokic's latest ailment will keep him sidelined for a month. Bill Simmons believes that's a huge benefit to the Spurs.

"It feels like the Spurs now could get a death grip on the two seed," Simmons told Rob Mahoney on the Bill Simmons Podcast. He continued to talk about how poorly the bottom teams in the Western Conference playoff picture have played this season and how landing that high of a seed could lead to an easy first-round matchup for the Silver and Black.

There aren't usually many, if any, easy opponents in the West, but this year is different. More teams are tanking to get a shot at a draft pick in the popular upcoming class. So, let's take a look at the possibilities because Bill could be right, but he could also be very wrong.

Things must fall into place perfectly for the Spurs

If we were to go team by team and look at seeds 7-10, we'd see the truth is much tougher than Simmons would lead us to believe. First up is Phoenix. They're sitting in the seventh spot, and they've already beaten the Spurs twice. They have a couple of guards in Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks (I know. I hate giving him credit) who are strong enough to negate the physicality from SA's perimeter guys.

That's not a cakewalk. The Silver and Black would be favored, but that wouldn't be a matchup that the guys would see and start licking their lips in anticipation. Golden State is next in the eighth seed. They beat the Spurs in back-to-back games. They have an unbelievable wealth of postseason experience, and that would be tough to overcome for a team entering their first playoff series.

Now, if we're talking Memphis (9) or Portland (10), I could see the matchup being closer to the "easier" side, but I don't expect those teams to get in. They're not very good, and it'll be difficult for them to overtake the Warriors and Grizzlies.

The elephant in the room is still what happens with the Nuggets. They could slide right out of the playoff picture until the Joker comes back and puts them back in it. They could end up in that seventh spot, and San Antonio would have to face a potentially healthy Denver team in the first round. That would be an absolute nightmare scenario.

So, I get the sentiment, and the potential for an "easy" opponent exists in theory, but there's a much higher chance that the Silver and Black's first playoff foe will be tough as nails and ready to go. So, let's just expect that.