Spurs altering entire playoffs for the 2nd straight season is sly foreshadowing

Last season, Devonte Graham put the finishing touches on a stellar Spurs performance with a game-winning shot to defeat the Denver Nuggets late in the season. That was a crucial loss for the Nuggets. They were vying for a favorable playoff seed, but San Antonio stood in their way. The Silver and Black played that spoiler role again last night when they took down Golden State in San Francisco.

The Spurs and the Warriors were both on the second night of a back-to-back so neither team had a rest advantage, but there could only be one winner. The Dubs needed that game. They're in a fight with other Western Conference teams for better postseason positioning and time is running out. That loss likely forces them into the Play-In Tournament and the odds they'll have to go on the road are significant.

That's a major development in the Western Conference Playoffs as the Warriors have looked like one of the most dangerous teams in the league since Jimmy Butler's arrival (22-6). Unfortunately for them, the West is the conference of darkness and they're used to monsters. That's why Golden State finds themselves in this position despite their recent success.

If they get knocked out of the postseason early, they'll look back at that game-winning three Harrison Barnes drilled with disappointment and anger. The Spurs have potentially ruined Steph Curry's last shot at a ring, but the NBA better get used to that. San Antonio has significantly impacted the playoffs from the outside two years in a row in games those teams had to have to let everyone know one thing.

The NBA will have to deal with the Spurs wrecking postseason dreams

This is just the beginning. The Spurs were already knocking on the door of the playoffs this season. After a little over two months of basketball, this team was playing .500 basketball and hovering between the 8-10 seeds in a crowded conference. We can never forget that they were also doing this without their head coach and before they added De'Aaron Fox.

I have all the confidence in the world that Victor Wembanyama is exactly who we believe him to be. That means a generational prospect who will lead this franchise to multiple NBA Finals appearances and several championships. That also means getting in the way of other great players who think it's their turn to sit on the throne.

He has his running mates in De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. The Spurs are entering an important summer. They'll put a few more pieces in place to allow this team to truly compete next season, and with them stepping into the picture, someone else will have to take a seat on the sideline.

But this team went to the playoffs for 22 straight years before having that streak broken, and it's almost time to get back to that. San Antonio was a staple of the playoffs. 14 teams were fighting for seven spots because you could just pencil in the Silver and Black every year. It will be that way again soon enough and that's something the NBA is just going to have to deal with.