Only the Oklahoma City Thunder's 16-game winning streak — which the San Antonio Spurs ended — has gone longer than the Silver and Black's 11-game winning stretch through February. Mitch Johnson, though, is looking beyond the number of consecutive wins.
“I think that's a sign of growth for a team that, at a certain point, we were probably a little bit of a momentum team. I think earlier in the season our highs were really high, but we were trying to continue to grasp that consistency,” the head coach said. “And I think it's been fun this month to have some struggle; or some teams or circumstances forced us to find different ways to win.”
What's considered a nine-game winning streak (they lost to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup Final in the middle of that stretch) that included three victories against the Thunder from early to late December propelled the Spurs to the second best record in the West. Save for maybe a night or two when they momentarily flip-flopped with the team directly behind them, the Silver and Black have essentially remained there since then.
“It feels like the guys in that locker room have found a lot of different ways to win, and it feels like that's a sign of growth,” Johnson said.
During their current hot streak, while the Spurs didn't get the number of quality wins they recorded earlier in the season, they didn't fall into any traps. Not to mention their victory at the Detroit Pistons did register as one of their most impressive of the year.
“I think when you look back at this month, there wasn't one guy who went on some historical stretch or a certain way that we won it every night. I think we played a lot of different styles of teams. And the games that we played this month have taken on a lot of different personalities,” Johnson added. “We've had some guys that have had their night, so to speak. And we've had some guys that didn't have their night in terms of ball going in and that things are going your way.”
Players like Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie played very well to close out February. And while Victor Wembanyama leads the way, the Spurs are also deep when it comes to star power. The roster features two-time NBA All-Star De'Aaron Fox, reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and this past summer's second overall draft pick, Dylan Harper.
Asked if he's been able to take in this stretch — and, really, the entire season — Johnson didn't hesitate.
“No, but I do enjoy the work of being with them. So, it's kind of a fun balance of being mad and enjoying it all at the same time.”
In his first official season as the Spurs head coach, Johnson is guiding the team to what looks to be the organization's best campaign since 2016-17 when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals — with signs this group could match the best years the five-time NBA champion franchise has produced.
