Spurs lack of postseason experience has little impact as they advance in first playoffs since 2019

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs’ lack of postseason experience was not much of a factor in their first playoff series since 2019.

San Antonio held Portland under 100 points three times in capturing its Western Conference first-round playoff series in five games.

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Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks, De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and San Antonio never trailed in eliminating Portland 114-95 on Tuesday night in Game 5.

“This is a great basketball team,” Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said. “They’ve got a superstar (in Wembanyama) that changed the game. They deserved it. They played better.”

It was the first playoff series for Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and more than half of the team’s youthful core.

The Spurs were constantly reminded about their lack of postseason experience even while earning the West’s second seed. Most saw this as a detriment, but San Antonio viewed it as a progressive step after finishing 62-20 in the regular season.

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“We don’t care about that,” Castle said. “We’ve seen these teams throughout the regular season multiple times. We know what other teams like to do against us. We have nothing but confidence in each other.”

San Antonio advances to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2017 and will face the winner of the Denver-Minnesota series. The Timberwolves lead the series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night.

“We gain experience all the time,” Wembanyama said. “And that was just one example of how a series can go. And that’s a good way to start the playoffs. But, yeah, we gain experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, himself in his first postseason, stressed that while the intensity increases in the playoffs, they needed to remain who they are. San Antonio finished third in both offensive and defensive efficiency during the regular season and is led by the Defensive Player of the Year in Wembanyama.

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The Spurs averaged 112.4 points while holding the Trail Blazers to 100 points. Wembanyama averaged 21 points, 8.8…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spurs-lack-postseason-experience-little-092033195.html

Author : RAUL DOMINGUEZ

Publish date : 2026-04-29 09:20:00

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