Spurs draw perfect first-round victim for the playoff experience they need

Shout out to the Trail Blazers for fighting so hard to get demolished by the Alien in the first round. Portland may be better than Phoenix, but they're nowhere close to being ready for the Spurs in a seven-game series for two reasons. For one, they lack the talent across the board. Second, they won't even know what to do with Victor Wembanyama because they didn't play him all season.

The Spurs won the season series without Wembanyama

These clubs played three times this season. The Spurs won the series 2-1. The two games won were by double digits (11 and 13 points), and the loss was by five points. We all know that the regular season results don't automatically guarantee playoff success. However, the caveat here actually comes when you realize that San Antonio's best player didn't play in any of the contests.

Stephon Castle missed both games the Silver and Black won. Devin Vassell was also out when Portland pulled out the lone victory they'd see over Mitch Johnson's crew.

Was Portland full strength each time? Of course not. This is 2026. Only role players occasionally suit up for 82 games. But there's no equivalent to Wembanyama on the Trail Blazers roster, so what are we really talking about? Deni Advija had a spectacular season, but there's a huge problem with that team's offensive strategy, and the Spurs are suited to expose it.

Portland's hero-ball won't work against the Spurs

Phoenix should be ashamed of themselves. In the second half of that ballgame, the Trail Blazers' best offense seemed to be, "Let Deni create it." That's way too singular a game plan to work against San Antonio. There are too many perimeter defenders to make scoring difficult, and if he gets going, they can funnel him to Wembanyama—the best defensive player in the league.

It's actually kind of funny when you think about all of the different anecdotes and regularities in the game. MVPs are usually awarded based on offensive production, but everyone knows that defense wins championships. Titles are coveted more than anything else in the league, so you would think that people would respect defense more, but that's another argument for another article.

The Trail Blazers have some great defenders, too. Jrue Holiday, Matisse Thybulle, Scoot Henderson, etc. The list goes on. But some of their defenders are specialists. San Antonio's players are more well-rounded. You can't sleep on Stephon Castle or Devin Vassell's offense. They'll make you pay.

San Antonio should take care of business fairly easily in this matchup. I can say that because I'm not playing and I know they'll respect their opponent enough to apply full pressure. Portland can't handle full pressure from the Spurs. It's as simple as that.

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