NSL Finalists: Part One - The Road to the Finals

Only two teams remain on the bracket. All other participants in the season are now nothing but hurdles climbed over by the two that remain. The San Antonio Spurs have been here before, hungry to add to the legacy and the Washington Wizards are breaking ground, looking to stake their claim at history and revered as a champion, and put some respect on the East�s name.

Here, in Part One, we will take a look at how these two teams formed, forged and forward-marched through the competition to the Finals. Part Two will focus solely on their Finals battle, arguably the greatest playoff series we have had in the NSL�s short but glorious history.

The San Antonio Spurs:

Keys: Philosophical Pivots, Wielding The Trade Phone Like A Machete, Exploit The 2k Laws + A Whole Lotta Luck

Hard to believe, looking back, that the San Antonio Spurs, less than a year ago, were fully committed to tearing down what was a true contender and hitting the rebuild.

Butler, Noel, Holiday and co. had all been moved on and out, and with a LeBron deal in place, and high draft picks and future Spurs picks retained, the team seemed fully committed to adding elite young talent and bottoming out for a time.

Then, lightning strikes; The Spurs couldn�t help themselves, and they swivel and slither and sell and end up getting none other than Giannis himself. What the fuck! Rumours swirl that a re-negged deal for a young superstar guard forced the Spurs to look elsewhere, with the Butterfly Effect moment hitting the NSL like a tsunami wave in June 2023 (stay tuned for Part 2).

From that point on, they moved Lebron and feigned like they were rebuilding, only to move that capital on and into the Giannis deal, bringing him to San Antonio for top draft picks, future picks and player fodder. Unreal.

Despite San Antonio losing contending momentum during their change-of-heart retool/rebuild, Giannis ensured that for the most part, you really didn�t need good players around him to be a great team. As long as you have one of the great GMs of the league, and the greatest player, you are going to figure it out.

Harden turned out to be a terrific addition to the Spurs, especially with the rule change that was implemented just days after his departure from Portland. Harden had his way with most PGs and was a perfect complement to Giannis� game.



The Spurs are one of the more frequent traders, with the roster undergoing continual evolution throughout the season. Trading Buddy Hield and a first round pick for Nikola Vucevic was another example of finding gold. Vucevic is worth more than that in a vacuum, let alone when he is going to a true contender.  In this deal, they were able to add Reggie Jackson and Thomas Bryant cheaply, too, who would provide effective depth, supporting rugged villain Dillon Brooks and somehow relevant James Johnson is gluing the Spurs stars together.

They found more big man gold when they threw their hat in the ring for Willie Cauley Stein. WCS, who signed a ten-day contract, disappeared after said contract, only to be offered the most bizarre contract I have seen, a �pat on the back� contract on the final day of the regular season, earning him playoff eligility.

 

The Washington Wizards:

Keys: The Steady Build, The Smart Investments, The Calculated �All-In� Bet + Big Man Blitzkrieg

The Washington Wizards have always been good. From their inception in the NSL, they were the upstart playoff team who scraped in in 2020, only to win a series and steal the hearts of basketball fans around the world. Booker has been with Washington since inauguration, and up until this season, they were one of the more stable franchises, building when opportunities presented and growing organically.

At some point, we all have to grow up. The team rode the puberty-boost through the 2022-23 season, pushing all of the chips and assets in with the eyes on the Title. What Joshua and the Wizards were able to do was put together one of the best regular season runs, and trading runs, that we have seen in the NSL.

As I mentioned previously, Booker is Washington. He wasn�t going anywhere, but everyone else, would. Joel Embiid had his first full season in Washington this season, proving to be a dominant inside force and the perfect running mate for Devin Booker. With the two pillars in place, the Wizards went on said �trade tear�, ripping through (and off) the league at every turn, building what I think was the best starting five in the league.

Desmond Bane, the super-successful draft pick for the Wiz in the 20s, is already a great player and continuing to ascend towards being great. Still on a rookie deal, the Wiz were able to move the Lowry contract with Bane to the fledgling Pelicans, who longed to feel good about something, showed Paul George the door. The Wizards now had the best big three in the league, and they weren�t done. As a little gift basket to take with them, the Pelicans let Schroeder and Joe go to Washington, too, giving the Wizards the key depth that has to be replaced when you condense and upgrade. Trade of the year.

The Wiz then locked themselves in to going all the way, committing to a deal to bring in Capela and create the most dominant rebounding duo in the league (and making the 15% position restriction a sure thing). Washington wouldn�t lose a rebound battle for the last five weeks of the season, with Joel and Cap pulling down close to 35 rebounds a game, combined.

The cherry on top was a Hail Mary trade offer to the Wolves for Alex Caruso, for the low yield return of Oladipo and Lyles. In a deal that shouldn�t have happened, the Wizards ran away from the deal with a lockdown point guard, concluding the resounding fact that they had the best starting five in the league.

Next, the NSL Finals will be analysed.