Who should the San Antonio Spurs want to meet in the play-in?
By Josh Paredes
The San Antonio Spurs have lost seven of nine games. Still, they can take it easy for the last two games of the season after having clinched a play-in tournament spot. Thank you, Adam Silver. Despite blowing a 17-point lead to the Knicks on Thursday, the basketball Gods shined on them once again as the Memphis Grizzlies put away the Kings' bid once and for all.
The Grizzlies' win was huge for a Spurs team that hasn't had a second to breathe since the All-Star break and was made possible by some clutch plays from a former Spurs standout. With the 10th seed now clinched and the play-in tournament not starting until May 18th, Gregg Popovich will likely rest some guys in desperate need of a recovery period in the final two consequence-free home games against Phoenix.
San Antonio should have one goal going into the weekend back-to-back: stay healthy. You'll soon be reading quotes from the team about wanting to build momentum going into the play-in and get into a rhythm. That's nonsense. This season, there's no such thing as a rhythm, and that doesn't only apply to the Spurs.
COVID-19 threw such a curveball at so many teams that entire rosters were unrecognizable at some points. The Spurs were one of the teams who were hit the hardest, and they haven't been the same since. The bottom line is this team is capable of blowing out a top three Eastern Conference team one night and getting blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers the next.
That said, I honestly have no idea what to expect from the Spurs when they hit the court for what could be their final game next week, and I'm pretty sure they feel the same way. Going into the weekend, we now know their first of two potential play-in games will be against the Golden State Warriors or Memphis Grizzlies.
Interestingly enough, those two teams will be meeting on Sunday afternoon, with that lone game deciding who will earn eighth and who will slip to the 9/10 game against the Spurs. So who should Spurs fans be rooting to face?