NBA: 5 Longest Playoff Appearance Streaks EVER

#3 San Antonio Spurs 1998-Present, 20 seasons

With arms outstretched, Tim Duncan seems to say "We did it again."

This steak will almost assuredly hit 21 and tie the next team on the list, even though they are only two games out of ninth currently, I am not betting against them. The San Antonio Spurs are the modern example of excellence for an NBA franchise, sustaining success even as the game has changed dramatically from an isolation-heavy, grind it out pace to a free-flowing, space-and-pace game. The coach for every one of these playoff appearances has been Gregg Popovich, who is well on his way to becoming the best coach in the history of the game.

Unlike the first two streaks, the Spurs did not fall from the Playoffs when their franchise star, Tim Duncan, left as they built one of the best franchise infrastructures the league has ever seen. Popovich fully empowered the team's next superstar, Kawhi Leonard, to be ready to lead the new Spurs upon Duncan's retirement two years ago.

Unlike the Jazz, the Spurs have also been a title-winning machine for the modern times, reeling off five titles, including the first and the last being 15 years apart. The Spurs franchise has taken on the mold of a team that is even greater than the sum of their parts, as Popovich consistently puts his players in tough positions in the game that allows them to build on their skills and prepare for the Playoffs.

Now let's hope they clinch a playoff spot so the prediction at the top of this page proves true.