Taking my daughter to the Spurs’ last regular season game
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It’s become a bit of a tradition, my daughter and I go together to final Spurs home game of the season. A couple of years ago, we made it to Dirk Nowitzki’s final NBA game, and I still tear up remembering his reaction to the send off San Antonio gave him. Most of that night was spent explaining why Dirk was such an important player. At five, she didn’t quite get it. Even comparing him to Tim Duncan did little to validate the man’s career.
Power Rankings, Week 21: San Antonio Spurs have a rough end to the regular season but . . .
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Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
The San Antonio Spurs had a rough week, but they managed to back themselves into the play-in tournament the same weekend the cornerstone of the franchise - Tim Duncan - was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. While the Spurs needed a loss by the Kings to get a chance to play in the playoffs, they had plenty to celebrate with the enshrinement of Tim Duncan.
Week 21: The week began with the Milwaukee Bucks coming to San Antonio. The Eastern Confernce #3 seed was already playoff bound when they arrived to play the Spurs. And the Spurs routed them 146 to 125 (and tied for the 2nd-highest scoring half in Spurs history). The Silver and Black were on fire, shooting 59.6% FG and an almost identical 58.6% from 3 for the game (hitting 12 threes in the first half).
Spurs lose to Suns in a game that was over before it even started
The shorthanded and young Spurs get battered by the Suns in a game where little mattered for the San Antonio ball club, Phoenix won; 140-103.
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Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
In their penultimate game of the regular season, the already play-in clinched Spurs rested most of their stars and key rotation players before getting humbled by the Phoenix Suns 140-103. The eventual outcome was unsurprising and expected, but before the game it was revealed Coach Pop would not be coaching the game as he had decided to go to Tim Duncan’s Hall of Fame ceremony and this left the Spurs with a new head coach for the game. The choice was to go with assistant Mitch Johnson as he was the one who had been assigned to scout their opponents, similarly to why Becky Hammon was picked to coach earlier in the year when Pop got ejected.