All-in-all, it was a tremendously successful season for the San Antonio Spurs basketball organization. Brandon Ingram finally, furiously silenced all the critics by winning his 1st league Most Valuable Player award, earning himself a super max contract extension in the ballpark of 260 million. Josh Richardson earned his keep as Spur, ushering past the KCP era, and firmly gained the starting SG role, showing promise as a backup PG for the silver-and-black squad. Gordon Hayward splashed in 51% of his shots from 3PT territory, hushing the skeptic response to his thirty-six million dollar expiring contract from the Charlotte Hornets, who in return got a young star in Victor Wembenyama with the #1 pick.
The 76ers moved on from James Harden, but not before being only one-of-three teams to defeat the Spurs in regular season play this year, including the Sacramento Kings. Sac-Town's young 'n hungry talent got swept 4-0 by the Spurs in the Western Conference Quarter Finals, as the Los Angeles Lakers gave San Antonio a 4-2 six-game showdown that just aches for a rematch next season (?), with their neighbor, Clippers, going down in 5 games, 4-1, with the previously mentioned James Harden trying to knock off the Spurs from going to the NBA Finals, what has come to feel like a second home away from San Antone, as the Milwaukee Bucks tried desperately to win Game 4 at home, just as they had for San Antonio's second defeat of the season. A ferocious put-back dunk by Andre Drummond, who won his 3rd Defensive Player of the Year honors, over the Greek Freak sealed the victory, along with a cold-blooded dagger from long range by Ingram, who scored 70 points once, 50 points at least seven times, and even had two triple-double performances this season. Dillon Brooks established himself as the new defensive alpha on the perimeter, with new Spur come trade deadline, Robert Covington, long-sought talent by the Spurs front office over the years, fitting in nicely behind Drummond at center and making Antetokounmpo earn every point in those fierce four showdowns.
Milwaukee had faced San Antonio twice in the Finals before, hoping their blockbuster deal for Damian Lillard would do the trick, but they fell in this seven-years-in-the-making encounter, lastly going 4-1, but this time, that "1" came in the regular season. The Boston Celtics didn't quite show up for a rematch in The Finals this year, and the Miami Heat are the reason this reign started, so many seasons ago, this year giving the Spurs two tough encounters, the first of which was saved by Brandon Ingram's buzzer-beating 3PTer to tie the score and lead his team to a victory in OverTime. The summer is always at the mercy of tradewinds, with a new era beginning in San Antonio, with some old faces, but in an ever-developing NBA landscape scorching-hot with athleticism and deadly perimeter shooting, who knows what is next for Coach Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs. Dejounte Murray is now eligible for his own super max deal, as the ex-MVP, Seattle-strong floor general turned in another stellar year for the dynastic champions, now the hardwood king of 16 NBA titles in 17 total seasons. Above all, this 16th championship is dedicated to Amali, who passed away between opening night tip-off and the Finals trophy presentation. You were here for so many of these victories. RIP.
#forAMALI 🤍
