San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich Emphasizes Team’s Present Performance Over Historic Playoff Streak

The incredible playoff streak of 22 consecutive appearances for the San Antonio Spurs ended with the 112-118 loss against the Utah Jazz. Head coach Gregg Popovich however remained pleased with the effort his team gave throughout the season.

Despite falling short of an opportunity to suit up for the play-in tournament, the Spurs still gave the same intense effort inside the NBA bubble that brought them decades worth of success in the postseason. The impressive playoff streak could be traced back to the 1996-1997 season and has finally ended with today’s loss. While this was a tremendous feat to look back on, Popovich shared that it’s not a moment he’s fixated on.

"It means a lot to a lot of people probably, but I don't dwell on the past," Popovich said by way of ESPN.

It’s the experiences gained and what’s happening in the present time that Popovich focuses on as the leader of his team.

"That stuff's totally [not] important; what's important is the moment you do what you've got to do then you move on, but looking at the past doesn't do much good. Any success we've had has been because we've had some great players," Popovich added.

The final spot in the Western Conference has yet to be decided with the Portland Trail Blazers facing off in a deciding series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

"I'm more excited about this than anything you guys are talking about right now, successes or non-successes, because the success for streaks or whatever the hell you're talking about ended," Popovich added.

The recent loss saw several players step up for San Antonio as highlighted by the evenly distributed scoring spread of the Spurs’ box score. The 24-point performance by Keldon Johnson led all Spurs scorers followed by veteran Marco Bellineli’s and 20-year-old Luka Samanic notching 16 points each.

"I could care less about that. I'm thrilled at the way they played here," Popovich concluded as he emphasized his team's performance over the playoff streak.

The play-in series to decide the final spot in the playoffs is set for August 15 as the Phoenix Suns were eliminated despite notching a perfect 8-0 record in the NBA bubble. The Portland Trail Blazers’ recent win finalized the play-in series against the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.