​The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama celebrates with teammates after his game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center on March 19. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
The San Antonio Spurs fell one win short of an NBA championship last season, and their fans are entering the 2026-27 campaign with the league’s highest expectations.Spurs fans ranked as the NBA’s most optimistic fan base in a new study by Casino.ca. The site’s NBA Hope Index gave San Antonio an optimism score of 98 out of 100, the highest among all 30 teams.Casino.ca surveyed 5,000 NBA fans, asking about projected wins, playoff expectations, confidence in their team and head coach, offseason moves and overall expectations for the season.According to the study, 65% of Spurs fans expect San Antonio to win the NBA championship this season, compared with a league-wide average of 26%.Another 81% predicted the Spurs would win at least 50 games, while fans gave the team an average confidence rating of 8.7 out of 10, also the highest in the NBA.ALSO READ:De’Aaron Fox hosting workouts at Houston home as Spurs prepare for training campThe optimism is rooted in the Spurs’ recent success.San Antonio won 62 games last season and reached the NBA Finals before falling to the New York Knicks in five games. The run included a seven-game Western Conference Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.The Knicks ranked second in Casino.ca’s Hope Index with a score of 95, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers at 90, Oklahoma City at 88 and the Miami Heat at 81.At the other end of the rankings were several teams whose fans expressed far less confidence heading into the season.Milwaukee Bucks fans finished last in the study with an optimism score of 2. None of those surveyed expected Milwaukee to win at least 50 games or reach the NBA Finals. Sacramento Kings fans ranked next-to-last with a score of 3.Casino.ca calculated its Hope Index by weighting several survey responses. Expected regular-season record and postseason finish each accounted for 25% of the score, followed by confidence in the team at 15%. Offseason moves, season expectations and optimism compared with last year each accounted for 10%, while confidence in the head coach made up the remaining 5%.The survey reflects how dramatically expectations have shifted in San Antonio following the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals.SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Spurs fans expect big things after Finals run, ranking No. 1 in NBA optimism, study says.