Spurs' path to sixth title just took two massive jumps in less than 24 hours

Your San Antonio Spurs are just one win away from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2017 after outscoring the Trail Blazers, 73-35, in the second half of Game 4 on Sunday to take the 3-1 series lead. Their path to a title is even clearer after the win, and after what happened on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

San Antonio will face either Minnesota or Denver in the semifinals. The former took a 3-1 lead of its own over the Nuggets, but lost Anthony Edwards for a few weeks with a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee, and Donte DiVincenzo to a torn Achilles tendon.

Even if the Nuggets claw their way back as they have before with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray in the playoffs, they'll need seven games to advance. If the Spurs finish off the Trail Blazers in Game 5 (as they should), they'll get a few extra days of rest if Denver advances.

Spurs are closer to achieving what few thought was possible

Everyone should've been taking San Antonio seriously before the playoffs started, but the chatter about a lack of playoff experience was enough to convince some people to be skeptical. It's only the first round, but that narrative holds even less weight now than it did a week ago.

The Victor Wembanyama injury scare had everyone holding their breath, but that's in the rearview mirror. And they handled Portland without him.

It doesn't matter who the Spurs will play in the next round, as neither of those fanbases should feel all that confident about advancing to the conference finals. Things would've been different for the Timberwolves if they hadn't gotten hit with back-to-back brutal injuries, but you can argue that San Antonio still would've had the edge regardless. That's how special this team is.

We could all get the conference finals matchup that everyone wants — the Spurs and the Thunder. The regular season showed that San Antonio is Oklahoma City's kryptonite, so even that could work in SA's favor.

Look, the Spurs are still one win away from advancing, so it's not guaranteed that they'll take the next step. You can't put the cart before the horse, although this might be an exception.

Ending the series at home on Tuesday is ideal, but it might take six games. That would work, too, but the sooner, the better. San Antonio will hopefully be able to enjoy a little bit of relaxation before checking another task off its to-do list.

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