Spurs are erasing their biggest playoff weakness the smartest way possible

We can all acknowledge that if there was one thing you could point to as a potential pitfall for the Spurs entering the playoffs, it was their experience. It didn't take them long to dispel that concern, though. They dominated the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. The unspoken benefit to that is avoiding a dragged-out series where the inexperience can truly bite.

San Antonio had the talent to put away their first-round opponent quickly, but doing so wasn't a guarantee. Fans were confident, but you never truly know how it's going to go until the games are played. The Silver and Black are proving they aren't scared of the moment. They've told us they don't care about how young they are, but more importantly, they're showing us.

However, we can't allow confidence to cloud our experience as observers. Young teams with so many playoff first-timers don't win championships for a reason. The true tests come when they're taken into deep waters against a formidable team, and most can't handle it. Avoiding that scenario entirely is a fantastic way to avoid early postseason exits.

The Spurs are building their callouses gradually

Imagine if San Antonio's first playoff matchup were against a healthy Nuggets or Timberwolves team. I know those versions don't exist right now—both rotations are dealing with injuries to key players. Humor me, though.

In one alternate reality, the Spurs faced Denver in the first round, and they faced Minnesota in another. In either scenario, Mitch Johnson is forced to lead his team through a hellacious series against some of the most dangerous players in the league. Remember, this is his first experience as a head coach in the playoffs, just as much as it's the first time for a bunch of players.

Now, we're looking at a six or seven-game battle with intense physicality against hardened veterans. The Spurs could still win in the end, but that's not how you want them to enter their first-ever postseason as a unit. Playing the Trail Blazers to kick things off was like getting a training camp for the real playoffs. Portland fans won't love to hear that, but it's the truth. They never stood a chance.

However, they did give San Antonio a healthy dose of physicality, game-planning, and in-game adjustments. There's value to that. The Spurs can now take what they've learned in their dress rehearsal and fine-tune it for the next round, and based on how Denver and Minny look right now, the Conference Semifinals could also end early.

This team can realistically make it to the Western Conference Finals before having to play Game 6. At that point, their disdain for OKC will fuel them no matter whether they need to play 7 times or 77 times. All of a sudden, the Spurs are experienced, battle-tested, and ready to make join the history books. Sounds like a perfect ending to me.

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