San Antonio Spurs
After getting so close to the NBA championship last year, the San Antonio Spurs are itching to get another shot at the title. First, though, they have to learn from where things went wrong.
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The Spurs infamously lost four of five games to the New York Knicks despite taking early leads, allowing the Knicks to produce several fourth quarter comebacks. That included when San Antonio blew a 29-point lead in Game 4 of the series, when the Knicks used their experience and physicality to put the Spurs on the brink.
Therefore, San Antonio knowns it needs to be better prepared for that style of play, which was the main focus of the team’s offense. The Spurs largely bring back the same team, but they hope their experience from last year will help them move forward with a better team this season.
Here’s how the Spurs are preparing for the upcoming season.
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Spurs playing with more physicality
The Spurs went through their postseason run last year playing some pretty physical teams, and it seemed to impact their play during the NBA Finals. Therefore, during the offseason, San Antonio made an effort to try and improve its physicality during the 2026-27 season.
«We played four of the most physical teams you’ll play in the league,» De’Aaron Fox said, via the San Antonio Express-News. «And coming in here playing pickup, you can see guys are used to that physicality. So that’s probably the biggest difference coming into this year.»
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As the Spurs went from out of the playoffs to a top team in the NBA over the course of last season, there were a lot of players on the team that were playing the highest level of NBA basketball for the first time. That included head coach Mitch Johnson, who was in his first full season as the Spurs head coach.
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«We went through an evolution of (playing more physical) during the regular season,» Johnson said. «There was a time last year where some teams had the approach of trying to beat us by being physical with us. Obviously, we know conversations about Victor were at the top of that list and I think some of our younger players, even the ones that are physical, needed to learn how to be smart and physical. I think that element of our team grew tremendously through the regular season.»
For the Spurs to make another playoff run, they will once again have to go through the Oklahoma City Thunder, whom San Antonio beat in the Western Conference Finals last year. Additionally, though, the Spurs need to be much better prepared for what comes after beating the Thunder, which they weren’t in the NBA Finals last year.
Led by Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, the Spurs once again are a championship favorite, and this new physical mindset will only improve their chances.
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