Throughout the course of a nightmarish 18-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs said all the right things publicly — almost ad nauseam. Frankly, because they had to way too often.
Words such as “Consistency is key,” “If I had it figured out, I would tell you and tell my teammates,” and “Tough times don't last and I feel like we work so hard” were often uttered throughout the franchise-record skid.
“I think a lot of games that we lost in that 18-game losing streak were winnable,” Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan said following Friday's 129-115 win versus the Los Angeles Lakers. “There's moments in the third quarter, especially where kind of we f**k up. It's on us and definitely, the last few games were really close, tight games.”
Spurs' 18-game losing streak
Not since a November 2 victory at the Phoenix Suns had the Silver and Black tasted victory. It's a span that included games against the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers (twice in a row), Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, the Timberwolves again, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Leading up to a second game against the Lake Show, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson may have foreshadowed a Spurs victory.
“It's part of the process. I think we're starting to see those moments more and we're starting to sustain them more and that's the key to building something special. I feel like we're definitely trending in the right direction,” the fifth-year forward said.
Johnson, who scored 17 Friday night, poured in another 28 on Wednesday in what proved the last loss of the franchise's record streak. He was very reflective following that 122-119 outcome.
“We put in so much time looking at film and in the gym. I fee like we're right there. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you so there's no need to hang your head, Johnson continued. “Nobody's going to say we're going to take it easy on you because you've lost 18 or 19 in a row. Nobody cares. Nobody wants to be that team that says, Okay, we broke their losing streak so we need to lock in even more and be even more positive, be even more uplifting to each other and have each other's back throughout the games and in practice.”
Weight lifted for Spurs
According to Spurs guard Doug McDermott, there was a different vibe around Saturday's practice.
“It felt a little bit more than a normal win I would say just after everything we've been through in the last month or so,” the eldest player on the Spurs roster at just 31 years old said. “It did feel good just to see the smile on each other's faces this morning, just reflecting on the film and not having a lot of clips that we need to clean up.”
Johnson, meanwhile, pointed out the balance the team walked between focusing on themselves with an eye on each team in front of them throughout the last month and a half.
“I feel like if you have consistency, you build good habits. Every team is different and you have to adjust to the players. We try to build good habits and stick to our game plans,” the former Kentucky Wildcat admitted.
“I would lie if I said it was a normal win,” Spurs guard Cedi Osman added. “Everybody was happy. We deserved it.”