Spurs just got a glimpse of best-case championship scenario

Now that the San Antonio Spurs know who they will be facing in the West semi-finals, they have to like their chances at winning their sixth championship. Despite concerns about having to face the Denver Nuggets in the second round, the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves dispatched them surprisingly easily. 

That makes the Wolves a tough opponent, but they may be without several key players to start the second round. Star Anthony Edwards may miss Game 1 and Game 2 with a knee injury, while Donte DiVincenzo has already been ruled out for the season with an ACL tear.

Facing a short-handed Wolves team could give the Spurs a big advantage to start the second round. Edwards is expected to return at some point during the series, but if San Antonio is able to protect home court and rack up two wins at home, it would put more pressure on the short-handed Wolves. 

Spurs just got a glimpse of the best-case scenario for a championship. 

If Edwards were to miss more than two games, then Minnesota could be in major trouble and give the Spurs the easiest possible path to the Western Conference Finals. 

If that is the case, San Antonio would likely face the Oklahoma City Thunder. That would be far from a cakewalk, but they too may be short-handed with star Jaylen Williams possibly being out to start that series with a hamstring injury or at least not at full strength. 

Granted, he missed most of the regular season, and the Thunder still had the best record in the NBA, but they will need him back if they want to return to the NBA Finals. 

Spurs' path to NBA Finals goes through the Wolves and Thunder

The Spurs won four of five games against OKC during the regular season. Better yet, they could have around 10 games of playoff experience under their belt ahead of a Western Conference Finals showdown with OKC. 

If the regular season is any indication of how things could go against OKC, if Wembanyama is healthy, the Thunder could struggle mightily to score against the Spurs, cutting their offense down to size while San Antonio scores effectively against OKC. 

San Antonio also has a few cards left to play against the Thunder. That could include playing De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle together—which they successfully did against the Portland Trail Blazers. They could also play Wemby big minutes. 

The Thunder could be the Spurs' biggest test

He was on a minutes restriction for most of the games they played against OKC. Having him play around 35 minutes per game in the conference finals would effectively close whatever gap there might be between the two teams. It may even give the Spurs an edge in a tight series. 

If San Antonio makes the NBA Finals, they will have likely already beaten the best team in the league. Remember, they've swept both the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics in the regular season. 

The only East team that gave them trouble was the New York Knicks. San Antonio would have all the motivation in the world to beat them and avenge their NBA Cup Finals loss. 

Facing the Wolves, Thunder, and Knicks might not be a cakewalk, but the Spurs at least have a much better idea of who they will be facing. With San Antonio set to face a short-handed Wolves team, the Spurs will hopefully be well on their way to another championship.

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