How the hiatus affects all 30 NBA teams

San Antonio Spurs: Postponing the inevitable

Gregg Popovich knows better than most that there’s a lot more to life than NBA basketball. So while it’d be unfortunate to see the San Antonio Spurs‘ incredible 22-year playoff streak come to an end — right before they set the all-time record among any of the four major sports, no less — we’re guessing he wouldn’t lose much sleep over it.

To be honest, hiatus or no hiatus, this was starting to feel unavoidable. With DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge taking noticeable steps backward and the Spurs’ once-proud defense falling all the way to 24th in defensive rating, this wasn’t a playoff-caliber team.

Even if the rest of the regular season games are played out as planned, making up that four-game gap between San Antonio and Memphis feels highly unlikely. Time off should be useful for nagging injuries, and also to give DeRozan and Aldridge a spot of rest, but more than likely, this hiatus is simply delaying the inevitable: the end of the Spurs’ historic playoff streak.