A month into this NBA season, a San Antonio vs. New Orleans play-in matchup seemed about as likely to take place as an April snowstorm in the Crescent City. The Spurs were 4-13 on Thanksgiving, while the Pelicans entered Turkey Day at 4-16, far from the Western Conference postseason conversation. Led by mostly inexperienced rosters, both Southwest Division squads eventually found their footing, playing .500-plus basketball over the rest of 2021-22, setting the stage for an elimination game between No. 9 and 10 seeds.
Unlike many Spurs rosters over the past few decades, this edition does not boast a collection of future Hall of Famers or multi-time All-Stars, with none of their three leading scorers older than 26.