Three of the first-round matchups in the Western Conference for the 2026 NBA playoffs is now set, with the Portland Trail Blazrs having booked their spot in the playoffs after taking a 114-110 win over the Phoenix Suns in the 7/8 matchup.
The San Antonio Spurs are back in the playoffs after a six-year drought, and they have a strong chance to make it all the way to the NBA Finals with Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox leading the way.
The regular season has come to a close, and for the first time since 2019 (well, technically 2022 if you want to count the play-in), this is not the end of the line for the Spurs!
The Spurs aren’t sneaking up on anyone anymore. They won 62 games. They’ve got the point differential. The metrics love them. And yeah, Victor Wembanyama looks every bit like a future MVP.
It’s that time of the year again! The NBA awards have always been a debate between individual brilliance and narrative momentum. This season, Victor Wembanyama surged into the MVP conversation with momentum building around him as the ‘Next Big Thing.
After the 2024 Paris Olympics concluded, I wrote a piece entitled “Age does not defeat joy, even in sports“. I talked about how some of the “senior members” of the USA Olympic basketball teams, and in particular, Steph Curry and LeBron James, had conquered the world joyfully.
From the Boston Celtics’ own Bill Russell to the more recent careers of Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Ryan has covered several Mount Rushmores’ worth of all-time NBA greats.
It was weird getting to zone out last night. Over the years I’ve been pretty open about my tendency to do this when the game gets out of hand for the Spurs, but (for the most part) I just wasn’t able to disengage like that this season.
The San Antonio Spurs had the opportunity to control the playoff bracket. If they defeated the Denver Nuggets, who sat the bulk of their starters and only played Nikola Jokic 18 minutes, they’d bump them down to the fourth-seed, and wouldn’t need to face them until the Western Conference Finals.
Victor Wembanyama’s NBA Cup Finals’ appearance saved the day. Otherwise, award nominations with just 64 games? You really think Adam Silver & Co. would be that flexible?
At 37, Kevin Durant continues to defy time. In his first season with the Houston Rockets, the veteran forward delivered another elite campaign, proving he remains one of the most unstoppable scorers in NBA history.
LeBron's career can't go on forever, can it? If it were to end tomorrow, it would be the greatest run of sustained excellence the league has ever seen.
The San Antonio Spurs (62-20) had a remarkable turnaround this season and finished the year with the second best record in the NBA. Victor Wembanyama led the way and helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019, ending a six-year drought.
In a final tuneup before the playoffs, the Spurs took to the court and walked away relatively healthy (I’m looking at you, Dylan Harper’s thumb), which is all that matters.
The San Antonio Spurs just suffered only their fourth loss since the beginning of February. It was their third one against the Denver Nuggets, and this time it was against Nikola Jokic and the backups.
Having increased the San Antonio Spurs’ win total by 28, few expected Mitch Johnson’s second year to be this successful. Taking over from the legendary Gregg Popovich, Johnson has quickly put together what Pop was building over the years.
The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the best teams in the NBA in this 2025-26 season, and guard Stephon Castle is a big reason why. Castle has impressed in his sophomore season, so much so that he was announced as the latest cover athlete for SLAM Magazine on Thursday.
De'Aaron Fox poured in 25 points and San Antonio's reserves contributed 48 points as the host Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 112-101 on Wednesday.