NBA Playoffs Rumors: Spurs May Struggle To Clinch Playoff Berth Without Kawhi Leonard
After having well-established successes over the years, the San Antonio Spurs might possibly miss the playoffs this season for the first time since 1997 — especially with Spurs superstar, Kawhi Leonard, out of the game.
Leonard is still recovering from a tendon injury in his right quadriceps. The 6'7" basketball player's injury has been one of the most mysterious incidents in the NBA this season. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has told CBS Sports that Leonard's injury was unlike any other injury he has witnessed in his four decades of his coaching career.
Aside from Leonard, Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol also have injuries, with the former probably staying out of the games in the near future and the latter definitely out. Gay and Gasol have missed out on at least 20 games so far. Leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge has also missed three games because of his knee and ankle injuries.
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"Nobody's crying, nobody's making excuses. Everybody has problems they have to overcome with their teams. With us, it's been the injuries," Popovich said, told ESPN.
The 69-year-old coach expressed the team's disappointment with the situation as they have been aiming high for this season. Last year, the Spurs scored 61 wins.
"For a large portion of the season, we were first or second in defensive efficiency. Our last 10 games, we've been 22nd. That tells the whole tale right there," the coach added.
Nevertheless, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili revealed that the team was still aiming for the third spot amid their loss of players. Ginobili added that the Spurs was looking forward to the playoffs. The Spurs are struggling to keep their pace. Before their win on Monday over Memphis, the team had already lost eight out of 10 games.
Currently, the Spurs are two games above the 8th-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, 9th-seeded Denver Nuggets, and 10th-seeded Utah Jazz. Only eight teams can enter the playoffs, with the last-seeded team being up against either Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.
