San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich definitely deserves mention in the Coach of the Year conversation, considering how he successfully navigated the Spurs’ drastic stylistic change, injuries, and a young roster, not to mention the challenges of drawing up competitive lineups in the face of players sidelined due to the pandemic. The team’s March 1 overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets marked just the second game back since the hiatus, and the Spurs played without White, Johnson, Rudy Gay, Devin Vassell and Quinndary Weatherspoon, as all were unavailable due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. San Antonio went 9-7 in January and finished February at 6-3 after a COVID-19 breakout sidelined the Spurs for nine days. But here we are at the start of March with San Antonio sitting just a half game behind the fifth-place Portland Trail Blazers, despite starting the season missing key players Derrick White and Keldon Johnson due to injuries. Nobody expected the Spurs to rebound so quickly.
But it appears the Spurs could be quickly reviving their tradition, thanks to a stylistic change that began during the team’s time in Orlando. The Spurs could be headed back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.įirst half summary: The world saw the end of an era when San Antonio’s record-tying run of 22 straight postseason berths ended after a spirited fight in the NBA bubble.
