The streak officially ended just minutes before the Spurs took the floor to play the Utah Jazz. The Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns each won their games earlier in the day and that eliminated San Antonio from contention for the Western Conference play-in berth.
That leaves the Spurs out of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. They are tied with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers franchise, which also made 22 straight postseason appearances from 1950-71.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who guided the team to five NBA titles during the span, expressed that he doesn't really care much about the streak ending.
"It means a lot to a lot of people, probably," Popovich told reporters after the 118-112 loss to the Jazz. "I don't dwell on the past. I don't know who won the baseball championship from year to year. Four years ago, I don't know who won the NBA championship. That stuff is not important.
"What's important is the moment. You do what you've gotta do and then you move on. Looking at the past doesn't do much good.
"Any success we've had is because we've had good players."
The Spurs (32-39) also finished with their first losing season since 1996-97, a campaign in which Popovich replaced Bob Hill as coach after 18 games.
The dynasty included 18 straight seasons of 50 or more wins. The first NBA title came in 1999 with the others being won in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
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