
This is the juncture in the seesawing NBA season when champions begin raising their games and pretenders plummet into sinkholes. Disarray isn’t a permanent status. Over the course of an 82-game season, lulls, injuries, suspensions and a lack of focus can derail even the steadiest contenders. However, it’s all relative. An 11-game losing streak is par for the course in San Antonio, but a five-game losing streak for a roster that had a championship blueprint is a cause to sound the storm sirens, batten down the hatches, and prepare for the worst. These squads are spiraling from their previously lofty perches. How they respond will determine the fate of their seasons.