San Antonio Spurs: 3 reasons the 2017-18 season is over

San Antonio Spurs: 3 reasons season is over

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 24: Manu Ginobili #20 of the San Antonio Spurs and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors exchange a hug following Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /

3. Age of the team

The San Antonio Spurs are not a young team. They have the second-oldest player in the league, Manu Ginobili, who turned 40 before the season began in July. Pau Gasol turned 37 three weeks before Ginobili had his birthday. Tony Parker is a bit younger at 35, but has 16 years of NBA play on his body, which certainly takes its toll.

Ginobili and Parker have played a pivotal role in the success of the Spurs over the time they’ve played together. However, time stands still for no one. Ginobili missed 17 games this season, some through injury, some for rest. If he played these 17 games, the Spurs may have won a few more, improving their seeding.

Gasol only missed five games this season, but he appears to be slowing down. For the last two seasons, Gasol has been relegated to the bench toward the end of the season.

Parker started the season late due to injury, leading him to miss 27 games in total. For the first time in 16 seasons, Parker averaged less than 20 minutes per game (19.5). He also posted the lowest scoring average of his career with 7.7 points per game. This is only the second time in his career that Parker has fallen under 10 points per game.

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