Spurs clinch playoff berth for 20th straight season

It just wouldn't be the postseason without the San Antonio Spurs in the thick of things in the Western Conference.

With a 97-90 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night, the franchise clinched a playoff berth for a 20th straight season.

This ties the Utah Jazz (1984-2003) for the third-longest streak of playoff appearances in league history. The Syracuse/Philadelphia 76ers hold the record of 22 seasons (1950-71), followed by the Portland Trail Blazers at 21 (1983-2003).

Gregg Popovich has now also tied the record for most consecutive playoff berths for a head coach, matching "The Zen Master" Phil Jackson's 20.

The Golden State Warriors are the only other team in the Association that's clinched a spot in the 2016-17 playoffs, making a reservation Feb. 25 - the earliest a team has ever clinched, breaking its own previous record - in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

San Antonio (48-13, second in West) didn't reach the conference finals in either of the past two seasons, and fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder last year in the second round in six games.