San Antonio Spurs given lifeline by NBA in bid to make playoffs for record 23rd straight season

The San Antonio Spurs are the model franchise in the NBA as they have reached the playoffs an unthinkable 22 consecutive seasons – not just the longest active streak in the four major U.S. professional sports leagues but tied for the longest in NBA history with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, who accomplished it from 1950-71.

NBA owners will approve Thursday a 22-team restart – including San Antonio -- to the 2019-20 season with each club playing eight regular-season games. Only the top eight in each conference per usual will make the playoffs, although there will be a play-in "tournament" between the No. 9 seed and the No. 8 in each conference if the ninth seed is within four games of the eighth seed when those eight regular season games are finished.

The Spurs sit 12th in the Western Conference, four games back of the eighth-place Grizzlies but also trailing the Trail Blazers, Pelicans and Kings. In a normal situation, the Spurs were not going to make the playoffs. Can Gregg Popovich make up enough ground to extend the streak to 23 seasons in a row?

Reports are that each team's regular-season schedule will pick up where it left off, but there would need to be tweaks. For example, San Antonio was to play Denver before the season was shut down. That game would remain, but the Spurs were next to face Minnesota. That won't happen because the Timberwolves are one of the eight teams not invited to Orlando. In addition, some teams at Disney World will reach eight games more quickly than others.

In theory, though, this would be San Antonio's schedule in Orlando: Denver, Memphis, New Orleans, Utah, Utah, Denver, Sacramento and New Orleans. Good-looking young Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray had suffered a calf strain right before the league shut down and was going to miss some time, but will be good to go in late July.

The Spurs are +75000 long shots on the William Hill moneyline odds to win the NBA title. That's obviously not happening with this roster, and it's probably better for the franchise to miss the playoffs and enter the draft lottery. It figures to be an offseason of change regardless in San Antonio with DeMar DeRozan holding a player option to return and LaMarcus Aldridge having one year left on his contract.

DeRozan is one of three players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting better than 50 percent (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic) and figures to opt-out -- although the NBA's financial issues could change his mind. The Spurs are likely to try and trade Aldridge and his expiring contract. He's still a very good player who could push a contender over the top in 2020-21 but will be 35 next month, so finding a suitor could be challenging at his big salary.

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