As successful as a season has been for the San Antonio Spurs, they are running into a brick wall against the New York Knicks. It simply might be the Knicks' year, with them having won 13 straight games and clearly peaking at the right time.
That might be a tough pill for the Spurs to swallow. Just last week it appeared as though they were well on their way to winning a sixth championship. Now, it looks as though they will fall to the Knicks in the NBA Finals. Life comes at you fast.
As much as they or Spurs fans don't want to admit it, this year may end up being a stepping stone rather than a dream season.
Spurs' championship dreams collide with new Knicks reality
One potential silver lining of this playoff run is that it makes several offseason decisions much easier. The goal should be to prioritize bringing back Julian Champagnie on an affordable long-term deal.
They should also look to add depth at power forward in the NBA Draft and further develop Carter Bryant in hopes that he can start next season. For bonus points, they must address the elephant in the room which is De'Aaron Fox
Despite some strong performances and him playing admirably through an ankle injury, Fox has mostly underwhelmed in the playoffs. So much so that it's fair to question whether or not the Spurs will trade home this offseason.
The Spurs are down but not out against the Knicks
Talking about the off-season may be premature with San Antonio still having some life. Of course, no team has ever rallied from being down 0-2 after losing both games at home.
Nevertheless, this team has shown some impressive resiliency. Remember, they were down 20 on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers only to rally to win by 20 in their first-round series.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, they beat the then-defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in double-overtime. Better yet, they also outdueled OKC in Game 7 on the road.
All that is to say that the Spurs may have some fight in them and could potentially get the series back to San Antonio. However, it may just be the Knicks' year.
