The Spurs are moving on to the second round of the playoffs. After taking down the Trail Blazers, 114-95, in Game 5 on Tuesday night, San Antonio officially eliminated Portland in five games and secured a date with the winner of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series. The crowd at Frost Bank Center was absolutely rocking all night long, sensing the Spurs' first playoff series win in nine years.
Led by a roaring, adrenaline-fueled Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio pounced on the opportunity to finish the Blazers off by getting out to a big lead early. The Blazers made a late push but, like all quality playoff teams, the Spurs slammed the door shut to move on.
It was a short series without much drama other than the Wemby concussion situation. But it was a tremendous postseason debut for the superstar big man and most of his young teammates who haven't been here before. More than anything, it finally showed us what these Spurs were made of; winning 60 regular-season games is a big accomplishment but postseason basketball is basically a different sport entirely.
Here are the three biggest things San Antonio's five-game first-round series told us about the Spurs' chances to compete for a championship this year.
1. Victor Wembanyama is the Same Dominant Player in the Playoffs
It was predictable in hindsight, but it's now official: wondering if Wembanyama would hold up in the playoffs was an absurd, fleeting thought that can already be dismissed.
In his first-ever postseason series, Wemby averaged 21.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. His scoring peaked with an excellent Game 1 but he found ways to control the game throughout the series, mostly through the defense that made him the first unanimous DPOY. Such was the case in Game 5, as the star center couldn't find a flow offensively but dominated the paint, finishing with six blocks.
The concussion suffered in Game 2 makes for a blip but it was a fluky injury and certainly shouldn't serve as any proof that the 22-year-old's body isn't ready for the postseason gauntlet.
Everything about the young center's demeanor suggested he would thrive in this environment; he's so intense he managed to get everyone to play hard in the All-Star Game. Guys like that are built for the moments where they feel the pressure to perform. They embrace the weight of expectations. Wembanyama had all the makings of that kind of player, but we didn't know for sure until he was baptized by playoff basketball. Now we know for sure: Wembanyama is the same all-consuming, game-changing force in the playoffs as he was in the regular season.
Wemby passed his first playoff test with flying colors. Tougher times lay ahead; he will be tested again and again. But the generational superstar did not blink in his first postseason battle.
2. De'Aaron Fox Still Has Plenty to Offer
Fox proved a steady hand for a Spurs team that needed it at times in the first round and came up biggest when it mattered most. The veteran point guard led the charge in Game 4 as San Antonio nearly allowed Portland to tie the series up 2–2 before going on a monstrous second-half run to change the series.
Fox finished that night with 28 points as the Spurs made history. Then he finished the job in Game 5 with 13 fourth-quarter points in an incredibly clutch showing as Portland pushed hard to pull off a comeback.
Fox's one foray into the playoffs in his career seems to have given him a good sense of the moment, and every true contender needs a wily veteran who can change the course of a game when called upon.
3. The Young Spurs Core Is Ready for the Moment
Beyond Wembanyama and Fox, the collective performance of San Antonio's young core demonstrated they belong on the big stage. Players who had never experienced playoff basketball showed no signs of nerves, executing in crucial moments throughout the series.
Their ability to close out games, particularly in Game 5 when the Blazers made their push, speaks to the maturity of this group. The Spurs held up well enough to advance, and they did so convincingly.