Open Thread: Spending Sunday at the Spurs season finale

Best way to say so long for the summer

It has been tradition for the last few years for my daughter and I to attend the Spurs final home game together. A decade ago, it was my dad and I. The tradition has now been passed on to the next generation.

Attending the final home game is like going on the last day of school — it’s bittersweet and yet there’s solace in knowing that most of us will all be back in the fall.

This year my father-in-law and wife joined in (he’s from Detroit which made the game a little more interesting as a family outing).

We kicked off the afternoon with the Courtside Experience, which is always a highlight on the day. Beat the heat and crowd into the arena and relax watching the players warm up. Yesterday we watched David Duke, Jr., Sidy Cissoko, and Zach Collins who had been listed as questionable for the game.

On the Pistons side, I saw a familiar face — Taj Gibson.

Gibson, now age 38, has had a career spanning fifteen years and six teams. I’ve always immense respect for Taj. He’s aggressive and fearless. A favorite of Tom Thibodeau (they were together through moves to Chicago, Minnesota, and New York), Gibson brought a veteran presence to the disheveled Pistons squad. He maintained his aggressive defense during his eight minutes, but unfortunately, his prime has passed.

I had to wonder to myself in the moment if we were, in fact, witnessing Taj Gibson’s final NBA game.

From a San Antonio standpoint, it was the perfect sendoff into the break. The Silver & Black dominated and took a 28-point win into the sunset. The arena was chock full of great energy and fans. Heck, even Wemby took a turn shooting The Coyote’s t-shirt launcher and thrilling the crowd.

From the day Wemby was announced as the Spurs draft pick until the final buzzer of the season sounded yesterday, I am 100% willing to bet no one had the Spurs wrapping up their season with Devonte’ Graham, Sidy Cissoko, Raiquan Gray, David Duke, Jr., and Jamaree Bouyea on the floor. If you did, buy a lottery ticket this instant.

It may also be surprising at the close of the regular season to not see the Spurs with more wins. Even pundits who follow the team closely are baffled by the 21-game cap on wins. It’s understandable after watching the Spurs go 7-4 over the finasl three weeks of regulation.

But no matter where you land on how the Spurs did this season, there are many reasons to celebrate. Many iconic moments to relive. And we will. This summer, we will recount the great plays, the progress, and hopefully, complete a list of every Wemby “first” or comparison to one of the legends of the sport. Those groundbreaking statistics and seemingly impossible accomplishments.

There’s also comfort in knowing that this is just the beginning.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.