Before the OKC Thunder became world champions, a brutal Western Conference Semifinals loss to the Dallas Mavericks tabbed them as a team too young to be a "serious" contender. It was that playoff failure and overall experience that led to their title run the following year.
This year, it's the San Antonio Spurs' turn to be the fiery young squad punching above their weight class, but they don't appear in a hurry to pay their dues.
The buzz surrounding the Victor Wembanyama-led squad has a different ring to it, as many are projecting them to be the ones to bypass the obligatory growing pains endured by all postseason newcomers.
A recent ESPN article predicting playoff outcomes tabbed the Spurs as the future NBA champions. It cited bench depth and Wemby's game-changing prowess as reasons why they could break the mold and become one of the few young teams that don't need a year ending in hard lessons learned.
Spurs have already proven they can hang with Thunder and others
Before the Lakers rattled off three straight titles in the early 2000s, they were embarrassed by Tim Duncan and the Spurs in four games in the Western Conference Semis in 1999.
Before Steph Curry brought the Warriors to the Finals in 2015, Golden State lost to the Clippers in the first round the season prior.
The Thunder paid their dues by way of a Luka Doncic-led Mavs team just before they hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy last year.
In many ways, San Antonio resembles this pre-championship stage. Though oozing with talent up and down the roster, they lack the essential postseason experience to be a prototypical title favorite.
However, the Spurs have done everything they can to buck this trend. They were 12-8 against other current playoff teams in the West, including 4-1 against the defending champions.
As a result, they breathed down OKC's necks for the one seed all the way to the end of the regular season.
Their regular-season success against top-tier competition has made it clear that if they do end up falling short this postseason, it won't be for a lack of talent but rather for a lack of postseason familiarity.
A Spurs title run could spell doomsday for Thunder for years to come
With four of their top six scorers under the age of 23 (and all under the age of 30), the Spurs electing to go the less traditional route and win a title on their first go would be a nightmare scenario for the Thunder and the rest of the Western Conference for years to come.
Just as the Thunder thought they were on the brink of a dynasty, Victor Wembanyama and company inserted themselves as the main obstacle standing in the way. They have elected to view their youth as an advantage, and pundits around the league are beginning to agree with them.
While time will tell whether San Antonio is an anomaly or just another victim of the NBA's learning curve, it is unlikely that OKC or any other Western Conference playoff team will take them lightly.
Fortunately for the Thunder, they won't have to deal with this rising threat for at least a few more weeks.
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