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Popovich refuses to believe the Spurs' streak has been interrupted: "Pike News, it's not over"
After San Antonio was left out of the playoffs after 22 years, Popovic "does not want to look at the past", but knows: the team's future is also unclear
Tags- San Antonio Spurs
- Greg Popovich
Walla! sport
Friday, 14 August 2020, 06:56After 22 years, San Antonio's playoff run is over. The NBA underwent end-to-end changes throughout this period: stars came, stars went, big teams were built and dismantled, Kobe Bryant's rule was replaced by that of LeBron James, commissioners also changed, but the Spurs remained the Spurs - somehow, they always found a way to get there. For the playoffs, even after Tim Duncan retired, even after Kwai Leonard left with a slamming door and left the big star slot orphaned.
Throughout the period they have won five championships and won no less than 170 playoff games, but it turns out that even what seems eternal passes in the end. The Spurs, who knew they were relegated tonight (Thursday-Friday) even before losing 118-112 to Utah in an unimportant game, end the season with a negative balance for the first time since 1997, and feel something is over. The question marks surrounding the continuation of the path of the adolescent Greg Popovich - 72 years old - reappear every summer, and it is likely that this will happen this time as well. But there are also quite a few question marks around the roster: Damar Drusen and Marcus Aldridge do not look good enough at this stage of their careers to bring San Antonio back to the places it is aiming for, and the Spurs may soon try to rebuild the team and refresh the ranks.
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Will he leave or stay? Drusen (Photo: Gettyimages)Drusen has a player option to stay for another season in San Antonio with a salary of $ 27.7 million, but he may take advantage of the exit door to look for a longer contract. Drosen was recently reported to be "happy in San Antonio," but his future is still unclear.
If Drusen leaves, it is very possible that Marcus Aldridge will also go his way. The teenage and injured midfielder is signed for another season at the Spurs, however at the age of 35, with a salary of $ 24 million, it is doubtful if it will pay to keep him.
Popovich humorously referred to developments, saying of the interrupted sequence: "This is Pike News. 100 percent Pike News. A lot of people tell me the sequence is not really over. I talk to people all the time, they say, 'Pop, the sequence is not over, it's not. runs out".
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Popovich also took seriously the end of the era, adding that "looking at the past is never such a good idea. For the most part, it mostly does. All of our past successes have happened thanks to great players."
Utah coach Kevin Snyder praised the Spurs and said "there are no words to describe the magnitude of their accomplishment. They have been at the forefront of the NBA for a long, long time."
The question is whether it will remain so in the future.