Spurs and Hawks kick off preseason, with the East’s title picture as backdrop

The San Antonio Spurs open their preseason schedule against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, a matchup that doubles as the league’s first extended public audition for both teams’ early rotation plans. For the Spurs, it is the earliest chance to see this year’s group in live NBA action, after a postseason run that ended in a five-game Finals loss to the New York Knicks, according to Yahoo Sports’ game preview.

Atlanta arrives with the Knicks positioned as the standard-bearers in the Eastern Conference. The preview frames the Hawks as one of the teams trying to dethrone New York as the best club in the East. In preseason terms, that is less about standings and more about whether the Hawks can build on the identity that carried them to meaningful late-season relevance.

Preseason games are designed for evaluation, especially on the margins where regular-season roles begin to crystallize. That typically means front offices and coaching staffs pay close attention to how lineups protect the ball, how quickly new combinations learn each other’s spacing, and which bench groups can generate consistent possessions without being overrun on defense. For San Antonio, the first preseason showing against an Atlanta team being cast as a championship contender in the East gives those questions an immediate, high-energy setting.

The Spurs’ return to the floor also carries a psychological through line. Yahoo Sports notes that this is the first time fans will see San Antonio since the Finals loss to the Knicks, an experience that usually leaves two types of carryover for the following season. First, it can tighten decision-making expectations internally, because players and coaches have lived through the pace and pressure of the playoffs. Second, it can elevate the emphasis on matchups that matter in April and May, even if preseason does not provide a true barometer for playoff intensity.

For Atlanta, the preview’s title-picture language matters because the Hawks have to balance two objectives in these early games. One is development, including the willingness to give younger or less-established players more reps while still maintaining acceptable defensive coverage. The other is continuity with whatever core has been built to challenge for top-of-the-conference status. Preseason cannot replace the regular season, but it can reveal whether a team’s most important strengths are showing up reliably or if they are still contingent on specific lineups and game flow.

How each coach uses minutes in this opener will be a major storyline to watch. Preseason often features a contrast between starters who get enough time to confirm fundamentals are intact and bench groups who play longer stretches to build chemistry and measure readiness. While the game preview establishes the matchup and the broader framing around New York, the most practical takeaway for both teams will likely be which units look composed when the rotations shift, and whether turnovers and defensive breakdowns remain contained.

The matchup also sets a tone for the rest of the preseason because early games establish patterns. If San Antonio can keep pace physically, avoid forced shots, and show the ability to communicate defensively, it indicates readiness for the league schedule that follows. If Atlanta can translate its bid to challenge the Knicks into consistent execution against a postseason-seasoned opponent, it suggests the Hawks’ path to the top of the East is more than marketing language.