Spurs can’t escape criticism that will last until San Antonio proves it

Although the San Antonio Spurs have all the makings of a legit contender, they are still having to prove it. This young team simply hasn't earned that status, at least in the eyes of some analysts.

San Antonio, after all, hasn't made the playoffs with this current group. To their credit, they did make it to the NBA Cup Finals, giving them at least a taste of postseason basketball. Nevertheless, the NBA playoffs are a different beast altogether.

Getting their first playoffs under their belt is the last hurdle San Antonio needs to clear to earn credibility. Yes, by just about every metric, the Spurs are elite but won’t get the credit they deserve until they prove it in the playoffs.

Spurs can’t escape the "no playoff experience" criticism

In years past, young teams were safe bets to underperform in the playoffs, but the Oklahoma City Thunder threw that type of thinking out of the window last season. They had the best record in the NBA and won a championship while being the youngest team in the league.

Now, it seems like the Spurs have as good a chance as any to win a championship this season. Especially with their being a different NBA champion over each of the last seven seasons.

It's also worth noting that while this team is young, they aren't as inexperienced as they first appear. Harrison Barnes has appeared in 70 playoff games and has already won a championship, while Luke Kornet has appeared in 53 postseason games and also has a ring to show for it.

Lastly, De'Aaron Fox has dipped his big toe into the postseason pool, playing seven games, including a hard-fought Game 7, as a member of the Sacramento Kings. Having three rotation players out of 10 with moderate-to-significant playoff experience will hopefully come in handy.

The Spurs have more playoff experience than given credit for

Having home court advantage for all or most of the playoffs would also come in handy. The Spurs are just two games behind the Detroit Pistons and Thunder in the loss column.

In fact, they already own the season series against OKC and need one more win against the Pistons to sweep the season series. It's definitely doable. Having home court against OKC would be doubly important.

They are clearly the Silver and Black's biggest hurdle to making the NBA Finals. Depending on the seeding, San Antonio should have a reasonable chance of getting to the Western Conference Finals and going toe-to-toe with them.

Obviously, the ultimate goal is winning a championship this season. However, a deep playoff run would not only silence critics but also set this team up for later success, hopefully even a dynasty.