The Bounce: Are the Spurs primed to win it all this season?
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Today marks the birthday of Cincinnatus Powell, a two-time ABA All-Star and a one-time All-ABA selection. The Baton Rouge native would have turned 84. Powell starred for the Dallas Chaparrals, averaging 19.3 points and 9.0 rebounds over three seasons. Try saying his name aloud with the swagger of a Louisiana attorney in suspenders, sleeves rolled, brow perpetually damp with a handkerchief in hand. Say it often enough today, and you’ll likely crack a smile.
Can they pull it off?
Spurs on a faster track
The San Antonio Spurs are the talk of the NBA—though mostly for their rapid rise rather than for tanking. They head to Toronto tonight aiming for their first 10-game winning streak since January 2016, when they rattled off 13 straight.
San Antonio sits second in the Western Conference and trails the Oklahoma City Thunder by 2.5 games. They barely contained the East-leading Pistons on Monday. It’s hard not to wonder if this team might contend for a title just one season after narrowly missing the Play-In Tournament by five games. Yes, Victor Wembanyama didn’t play the final 30 games last season, which affected the finish. This Spurs crew didn’t arrive out of nowhere, but they’re clearly ahead of where many expected.
Back in late December, the Spurs won three of 12 games against the Thunder. I drew parallels between this Spurs squad and the 2023-24 Thunder, which went from non-playoff status to the West’s No. 1 seed. Those three wins to close the year punctured the Thunder’s invincible aura, suggesting San Antonio is already overlapping with the league’s elite.
This recent surge has fans wondering if San Antonio could snag a sixth championship this season. They’re about 10-3 against a combined slate of Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets (though one loss was the NBA Cup final—which the Knicks’ bank account can pretend matters more).
The Spurs’ roster carries roughly the same average age as last year’s championship Thunder team, yet they lack that deep playoff run as a learning catalyst. So, what could be the great equalizer to elevate them into true title contention? Wembanyama stands out as that equalizer. He’s the reason the conversation has shifted from “Maybe?” to “Why not?” because he redefines what’s possible on the court.
Wembanyama is astonishing and seems to improve with every stretch of games. While he lacks playoff experience, perhaps he can channel the pressure he faced in the Olympics. Either way, we’re witnessing a transformative player who could soon be competing for titles—potentially as soon as next season, or perhaps this season. The Spurs are more than just him, but he’s the primary catalyst fueling belief right now.
The last 24 hours in brief
- No tanks. How can the NBA curb tanking? The Athletic’s experts propose bold ideas, including scrapping the lottery.
- Ice cold. As part of our ongoing hip-hop and basketball series, Ice Cube talks with Jason Jones about his infamous triple-double lyric from “It Was a Good Day.”
- Aiming higher. Kevin Durant has four Olympic gold medals already and is chasing a fifth in 2028, even though he’d be approaching 40.
- Still dunking. Marques Johnson, now 70, continues to dunk yearly on his birthday and deserves Hall of Fame recognition.
- He’s back. Dejounte Murray returned from an Achilles injury last night. Check out Mirin Fader’s profile on his comeback.
- Great find. In Toronto, Jamal Shead—a second-round pick—has emerged as a leadership force for a quality team.
Stream NBA games on Fubo (free trial available) and watch out-of-market action via League Pass.
Audit time: Are some teams benefiting from inflation?
Periodically, The Bounce runs a records audit to gauge how teams fare against different tiers of opponents. The goal isn’t just numbers; it’s detecting potential overstatements in a team’s record and whether such teams can translate strong showings into deep postseason runs.
We looked back over the past 20 years at conference finalists to see how often teams with losing records against teams above .500 still reached the conference finals, NBA Finals, or won it all. What does that imply for this season’s contenders?
Findings at a glance: Only a minority of conference finalists owned a losing record against above-.500 teams. Specifically, about 12.5% of conference finalists, 10% of NBA finalists, and 5% of NBA champions over the last two decades fit that pattern. This season’s .500 Nuggets are in a similar predicament, with several other contenders posting mixed results against strong opposition.
From the data, Denver would likely benefit from a stronger record against good teams to avoid leaning on historical quirks.
What they said?
Carlisle vs. tanking penalties
On February 12, the NBA fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 amid a tanking crackdown. The league concluded that Pascal Siakam and two other Pacers players could have played against Utah but were ruled out for injury. Aaron Nesmith supposedly was among those players, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle called the decision “ridiculous” on a local radio show.
Carlisle disputed the process, arguing Nesmith couldn’t even hold a ball due to the injury, that league investigators didn’t consult Indiana’s medical staff, and that Nesmith wasn’t interviewed. He went further, asking, in a startling line, whether there had been any consideration of medicating Nesmith to play in a game when the team was 30 games under .500.
That remark set off a firestorm. The league issued a statement defending its process, noting that an independent physician led the review and that the Pacers provided all requested information. They also clarified that interviews with Carlisle or a team physician weren’t deemed necessary.
This lingering medicating question will likely keep fueling debates as teams challenge punishments and the league considers further reforms to curb tanking. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more public battles, including comments from team owners pushing back against penalties.
Would you take a side in these tanking debates, or do you think the league should enforce stricter rules even if it stirs controversy? Share your thoughts in the comments.
