Could happen. They are 2.5 games ahead of the 9th seed in the west.
Tony Parker is out indefinately. They still have a brutal swing of games on the road trip. They've played far more home games than road either way, and relatively fewer games than the rest of the league on average, so the rest of the schedule is crammed with games.
They just had Manu Ginobili and Duncan log about 40 minutes each on the second night of a back to back and still LOST to the Sonics who hadn't won a game in the 2008 calender year until the Spurs came to town.
Do I think they miss the playoffs?
No.
But I think there will probably be a point in the regular season where they fall out of the top 8 seeds before getting back in.
BUT
If they did miss the playoffs . . . they'd get a lottery pick. Presuming they didn't pull a Dumars, that kind of pick could be huge as they reload with youth (Mahinmi, Splitter, lotto pick) and unload the age (Elson, Barry, Finley).
Maybe they even get a top 3 pick . . .
hmmmmmmmmm.
BTW, I hope the Suns blow the Spurs out tonight BAD. The only way Mahinmi will get a chance is if the stubbornness is forced to end and the opportunities given.
Definitely.