The San Antonio Spurs, since the All-Star Break, have gone 3-7 and fallen to four and a half games behind tenth place in the Western Conference. Part of that is due to the grueling Rodeo Road Trip, where for basically a month the Spurs were on the road, and the larger factor is the fact that Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with a season-ending medical condition.
Of course, the Spurs simply have to play better, and they are not eager to lean on the usual excuses.
While fans might understand that the absence of Wembanyama would be enough to slow down their season, opponents instead relish the fact that they get an "easy" game against the Spurs, and they smell blood in the water.
"Nobody feels sorry for you," claimed Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves. "People are going through this on all the teams and schedules and whatnot, and we just have to be ready to go to work and continue to find moments to participate in our own survival and not have self-inflicted mistakes."
Earlier this season, Chris Paul admitted that the team is incredibly young and only really had him and Harrison Barnes as "veterans," although he, like Johnson, was unwilling to use that as an excuse.
It's very "macho" for athletes to hold themselves accountable regardless of the situation, although between losing their best player, a lack of practice with De'Aaron Fox after the trade deadline, and the loss of Gregg Popovich earlier this season, the Spurs could very easily blame external factors.
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Instead, it seems like they are going to fight through the season despite the likely adversary they will continue to face.
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This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 11:47 AM.