Misc 2026 NBA Playoffs Spurs Expectations Thread

[scott]

Prediction: Wemby's FT rate will go up in the playoffs (refs will start giving him the superstar calls they've been missing as defenses become even more physical with him), and Castle's will go down (as it feels like it has been already).

 

[heyheymymy]

I could see Denver being a long battle in the 2nd round going 7 games.

But if the Spurs got through that I could see them momentum cruising past OKC in like 5 and whomever in the Finals in 6 just on the rush of everything clicking to get past Nuggets.

 

[LeBowen]

 

[spursistan]

Interesting..

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043710024544121265

 

[Paramore]

 

[ace3g]

Big key will be what adjustments Mitch/Spurs make after a loss.

 

[ace3g]

https://sports.yahoo.com/video/matt-bonner-spurs-chemistry-can-make-up-for-nba-playoff-inexperience-190226445.html

 

[ace3g]

Also, see how much PnR Spurs run between Fox and Wemby.

 

[024]

Blazers will be a good warmup to ease the Spurs into the playoffs. Expecting 4-1 but can see it go 4-2 if the Spurs' regular season inconsistencies pop back up.

Spurs then likely gets eliminated by the Nuggets. Expecting a 2-4 series loss. Shame they could have faced the Wolves or Lakers instead but dropped those 2 late games to the Nuggets.

Major factors to watch:

1. Whether Wemby can continue his otherworldly defense and lock down the paint
2. How consistent the high volume 3 pt shooters perform. Looking at Vassell and Champaigne plus Barnes to a lesser extent. I think the Spurs will live and die by how consistent they are, which is not too encouraging since they are known to be extremely streaky.

Although I think a second round exit is likely, I'm looking forward to the Spurs gaining some playoff experience. A 7 game series is such a different environment so it'll be fun to see how everyone shows up.

 

[Exstatic]

Spurs depend a lot on speed and getting downhill on teams, overwhelming them. Playoffs are another matter. Games slow down. Teams get more physical. Possessions get much more important one after another. There's gonna be a lot of growing pains. We need to see how each player individually reacts to the heaviness of the situation and then how everyone acts as a team.

I just want to see the second round. That's my hope and expectation for our first season in the POs with these guys.

Fuck that. Conference Finals or bust.

If they pack the lane to stop the downhill, well, we shot more corner threes per game than any team in NBA history. Pick your poison.

 

[bozhemoi]

I could see Denver being a long battle in the 2nd round going 7 games.

But if the Spurs got through that I could see them momentum cruising past OKC in like 5 and whomever in the Finals in 6 just on the rush of everything clicking to get past Nuggets.

I kind of feel this, too. If they can beat Denver, then the questions of playoff experience have been answered and I think I pick them to go through to the end.

 

[bozhemoi]

Fuck that. Conference Finals or bust.

If they pack the lane to stop the downhill, well, we shot more corner threes per game than any team in NBA history. Pick your poison.

The problem is role player and shooting variance is very big especially for new playoff players. We don't know how Champ and Vassell and all these guys are going to do. There's also big variance between playing away and at home. If no one shrinks in the moment, we're good, but we don't know yet.

 

[Exstatic]

The problem is role player and shooting variance is very big especially for new playoff players. We don't know how Champ and Vassell and all these guys are going to do. There's also big variance between playing away and at home. If no one shrinks in the moment, we're good, but we don't know yet.

The reality is that everyone doesn’t perform every night. We don’t need everyone to perform, we just can’t have everyone NOT perform.

 

[bozhemoi]

The reality is that everyone doesn’t perform every night. We don’t need everyone to perform, we just can’t have everyone NOT perform.

Yeah, my point -- that the playoffs are a different animal. We don't know how most anybody will react.