Are the San Antonio Spurs now a favorable first round opponent?
By Nate Mann
According to Gregg Popovich, Kawhi Leonard is likely out for the season. Does this make the San Antonio Spurs a favorable first round matchup for Portland?
Kawhi Leonard suffered a right quad injury before the season started and has played in just nine games so far. In most recent news, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stated his doubt of a return from Leonard in 2018.
While the All-Star forward has long been medically cleared for return, he’s yet to make a complete comeback. Even without their star player, San Antonio is still 35-24 and third in the Western Conference.
The Blazers are just 2.5 games back on the Spurs heading in to the second half of the season. In the West, the third and tenth place teams are separated by just 4.5 games.
Despite the intense competition, we all know Popovich will get his ragtag group into the playoffs as a top seed.
This begs the question, are they a favorable matchup for the Blazers come postseason?
Blazers vs. Spurs playoff history
The Blazers have made the playoffs the last four seasons and seven of the last nine years. The Spurs, on the other hand, look for their 21st consecutive playoff berth.
Since the turn of the century, Portland and San Antonio have matched up just once in postseason.
In the second round of the 2014 playoffs, Popovich and crew dominated the series and won in five games. (None of the five games finished with a deficit of single digits.)
Kawhi Leonard averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in the series.
Blazers vs. Spurs this season
The two teams face off three teams this season. Two have already been played and both came down to the wire.
In the first matchup, San Antonio won 93-91. LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol tore up the interior, combining for 42 points and 25 rebounds.
Even though the Spurs turned the ball over 23 times (compared to nine for the Blazers), strong play in the final minutes resulted in their victory. The Blazers shot just 39.6% from the field and 24% from beyond the arc.
Portland bounced back to win the second matchup of the season though. With Damian Lillard out injured, CJ McCollum scored 25 points on 11/24 shooting.
The game’s X-factor was Maurice Harkless. Harkless scored 19 points in 24 minutes off the bench and also blocked two shots.
The final game between the two teams is on April 7. It’s Portland’s third to last game, meaning there will most definitely be playoff implications.
Spurs compared to last season
With Kawhi Leonard out for all but nine games this season, San Antonio’s overall numbers are down from last year.
Offensively, the Spurs score almost four points less per game. Despite the scoring dip, the team still accounts for the same amount of rebounds and assists nightly.
San Antonio’s defense also takes a hit in Leonard’s absence – but not as much as expected.
They currently have a defensive rating of 101.9, second in the league. Last year, they finished the season first in defensive rating at 100.9.
Each game, the Spurs record about one steal and one block less than 2016-2017. Excluding Kawhi Leonard’s 2 steals and 1 block average in nine games, the team now records nearly three steals and three blocks less than 2016-2017.
Record-wise, San Antonio was 43-13 at the All-Star break last season. Now, they are 35-24 and stuck in a glut of teams fighting for a spot in the West playoffs.
Next: Who wins a 1v1 between Damian Lillard and Brandon Roy?
Clearly the Spurs aren’t the same team without Kawhi Leonard.
At the same time, Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich has found a way to make his injury-prone, ragtag squad compete with any team in the league.
Even without Leonard, the Spurs are as difficult of an opponent come postseason as the Minnesota Timberwolves or Oklahoma City Thunder.
For Portland, though, playing the Spurs is much better than either Golden State or Houston. This means the Blazers need to finish the season strong and not be the seventh or eighth seed.