The championship window is officially open in San Antonio. The past six seasons have come and gone with no playoff appearances, but this year’s San Antonio Spurs boast the third-best record in the NBA at 43-17, and center Victor Wembanyama is a bona fide MVP candidate. Eight Spurs average double figures in scoring, and the team thrived in February, posting an 11-0 record. The mission is clear: Bring home número seis.
The Spurs’ on-court renaissance has earned them the second seed in the Western Conference, three games behind reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are title favorites once again, but the Spurs have won four of five games against Oklahoma City this season, including three matchups in a 13-day stretch in December. The three consecutive victories prompted reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to state that the Spurs were simply “better” than the Thunder.
Of course, any sports fan knows the onus is on playoff success, and as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, the Thunder and Spurs will be set up for a showdown in the Western Conference Finals. Oklahoma City eliminated the Spurs in 2012 and 2016, but the Spurs knocked off the Kevin Durant-led Thunder en route to their most recent title in 2014.
The Spurs will need to win two best-of-seven series against Western Conference opponents to earn a Conference Finals berth. The opening-round matchup will be San Antonio’s first playoff series since the 2018-19 season, but the Spurs are aided by their position in the standings as they will likely face a middling team from the Play-In Tournament in the first round. The Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, featuring former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard, are potential first-round opponents. Should the Spurs prevail, their young core will likely face a squad much more acquainted with the bright lights in the next round.
The Denver Nuggets, led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokić; the Los Angeles Lakers, starring LeBron James and Luka Dončić; and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have made back-to-back Conference Finals, are all in the hunt for the playoffs. Many Spurs fans surely wish to eliminate the in-state rival that plays three hours east: the hated Houston Rockets. Like the Spurs, the Rockets have achieved remarkable success building through the draft, but they also acquired the 37-year-old former MVP Durant in a trade over the summer. All-Star center Alperen Şengün and guard Amen Thompson, both 23 years old, add young star power to a Rockets lineup that has rekindled the I-10 rivalry with the Spurs.
The Western Conference champion will likely face one of four teams from the East in the NBA Finals: the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons or the New York Knicks. Detroit and guard Cade Cunningham have shocked the league this season, going from the worst record in the league two seasons ago to the NBA’s best mark. There is teeming animosity with New York, as they knocked off the Spurs in Las Vegas to win the in-season NBA Cup and recently snapped the Spurs’ 11-game winning streak. Boston has maintained surprising success after losing star forward Jayson Tatum in last year’s postseason, and Cleveland recently added former Rocket James Harden at the trade deadline to beef up their contending roster.
Spurs fans began the 2025-26 season simply hoping for the unknown, but the results have been clear. San Antonio is home to a legitimate title contender.
