Spurs fans must prepare for heartbreak that will lead to greatness

Folks will have you believe that there is some mystical force that prevents young teams from winning a championship in their first playoff appearance. I may be overstating that a bit in my Silver and Black bias. There is a historical precedent that says teams experience a disappointing loss in the playoffs before they win a title, and that's what Bryce Simon was hinting at on the Game Theory Podcast.

"Am I buying into them as title contenders? There's not a whole lot of playoff experience. There's not a lot of 'been there, got our hearts broke; now we're going to bounce back, and we know it.'"

Fair enough. If you have a young core and it's their first time in the postseason, the experience can be a little jarring. The intensity ratchets up, the refs swallow their whistles more often, and schemes are more complex. Experience usually wins where youthful exuberance falls short in the end. But accepting the past as proof of the future doesn't sit right with me.

The Spurs can shock the world with a title run

Why do the terms "make history" or "set records" exist if we can't expand our minds beyond what has already happened? It's fine to weigh the odds, but sometimes, it's okay to lean into the fun of sports and have a little belief.

If you're not moved by belief, then maybe hope is the word for you. If you're not hoping to see something remarkable when you watch these elite athletes compete at the highest level, then I don't know why you're here. This used to be explained by a very simple phrase used to promote the game way back: "The NBA is where AMAZING happens."

It was a spectacular marketing campaign that featured commercials with some of the most jaw-dropping moments in league history. A reminder of the insane feats the most physically gifted of us achieve while often making it look mundane. We watch because we enjoy the spectacle of it all, and when we see something rare, we cherish it. But we can do more than react. We can hope.

Victor Wembanyama is the leader of this team. I'm sure his heart was broken plenty when Team France lost the Gold Medal Game to the United States in front of his home crowd. De'Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes also know the pain of losing in the postseason.

That's 3/5 of your starting lineup. Let's hope that's enough heartbreak to fuel the Spurs when they make it to the playoffs. I want to see something amazing happen.