Spurs must right ship against the team that's had their number for years

Last season, the Spurs snapped their longest-running losing streak to the Grizzlies. The number sat at 13 games, as Memphis seemed to have an answer for anything San Antonio threw at them. There have even been games that the Silver and Black were winning, only to give up the lead and lose in the most agonizing ways. But that's over now, and the focus shifts to the next team with the longest win streak against the Spurs: the Los Angeles Clippers.

San Antonio must return to being the bullies on the block

The Spurs were somewhat friendly bullies—as a team that didn't do any trash-talking—but they were bullies nonetheless, especially to the Clippers. In 2010, the Spurs reached an 18-game win streak, and in 2001, they reached 15 games won in a row against the Lakers' little brother. San Antonio used to hold significant win streaks versus several teams during the Tim Duncan era, but those days are long gone.

However, Victor Wembanyama is here now. As he continues to elevate his game, he can begin establishing his dominance in a similar fashion. Teams need to understand that there is a good chance that you lose a game when they see the Spurs on their schedule, and right now, the Clippers haven't lost to the Spurs in over two years—and Kawhi Leonard missed one of those games.

In four of those matchups, San Antonio lost by more than 20 points, and in two of them, the margin was over 35 points. Paul George is no longer a member of the Clippers, bringing their superteam back to Earth, and the Spurs will enter the season better than they have been. It's time to snap this streak and get back to showing every NBA team that San Antonio is a force to be reckoned with once again.

The San Antonio Spurs will play the LA Clippers on November 4 in the Clippers' new arena, the Intuit Dome.