Spurs' unlikeliest of heroes may have prevented a new dynasty

Everyone appreciates wins that lead to achieving the ultimate goal: winning a championship. But there are smaller victories to be had in professional sports—the game within the game. Only one team can win the title each season so there have to be other ways to appreciate the performances of your basketball team when you don't reach the mountaintop. The San Antonio Spurs had a few of those moments, despite a 22-60 record.

The 81st game of the season saw the Silver and Black matchup vs the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The result of that game was shocking to many considering the Spurs were down 17 points in the ball game, which many believe should be an insurmountable lead when considering the two teams involved.

That wasn't the case. San Antonio stormed back with a monstrous display from Victor Wembanyama and capped the victory with a go-ahead bucket in the waning moments from Devonte Graham.

The Nuggets needed to beat the Spurs to win the number one seed

Losing to San Antonio changed the playoff seeding, forcing Denver into Minnesota's bracket earlier than what the team would have preferred. They could have been playing Dallas in the second round, which may have been a better matchup for them but the Spurs had other plans in mind. Now the Nuggets have major roster decisions to make that could impact their success for the foreseeable future.

Alamo City may be able to benefit from this chain of events. Roster construction is the most imperative part of what San Antonio must focus on right now while trying to build around Victor Wembanyama. They have the type of contracts and picks that Denver may find enticing. If they can pull MPJ away from the Mile-High City, it would be icing on top of a delicious 'dynasty-preventing' cake.