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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs weren’t supposed to be this far along at this point in their development, entering the Western Conference finals with confidence, momentum — and just about everything they need on the court except for significant NBA playoffs experience.
The Spurs aren’t concerned about everybody else’s timeline. They’ve got another series to play soon against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, and they’re aiming to win it.
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“I understand the general expectations of what we were supposed to do in October aren’t necessarily aligned with where we’re at right now,” coach Mitch Johnson said after the 139-109 romp past the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night that finished the second-round series in six games. “We never talked about what we were going to be or what we were going to do. We just knew that we had a lot of potential and we were going to try to be the best team we could be.”
Drafting Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in 2023 was the most obvious step toward this moment for a proud franchise that collective five NBA championships over coach Gregg Popovich’s storied tenure from 1997-2024, but the way they’ve assembled a strong, smart, speedy and slick-shooting backcourt around him has proven to be a masterpiece in roster building.
Stephon Castle, who led the Spurs with 32 points and 11 rebounds in Game 6 and went 5 for 7 from 3-point range, was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft. Dylan Harper, whose energy off the bench was a consistent edge in the series, was the second overall pick in the 2025 draft. Six of their nine primary rotation players were first-round draft picks by the Spurs.
Then there was the trade for two-time All-Star De’Aaron Fox last year, adding a steady veteran for Castle and Harper to emulate.
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“They’re as coachable as anybody we have,” Johnson said. “They listen when we tell them stuff, and they get on the court and they’re just like attack dogs and they just go. I think the one thing I can give them both credit on and praise them is they don’t make a lot of repeatable mistakes.”
The…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spurs-arent-thinking-being-ahead-065425423.html
Author : DAVE CAMPBELL
Publish date : 2026-05-16 06:54:00
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