MINNEAPOLIS — There may be some magic in the wristband that bonds the Slash Bros together.The Spurs’ three point guards, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, have become a special group within the locker room. They call Fox “Unc.” He chuckles, shakes his head, yells, “I’m only 28!” then they laugh as they walk out of the room. As they scurry away, a keen eye could catch the black wristbands dangling past the hems of their sleeves.Fox has worn it for years. It’s a thick rubber band, fused by his logo as the centerpiece. It holds on tightly to each flick of the wrist from the All-Star point guard. It’s there when he catches fire and there when he’s holding ice.He takes it off after games, putting together a sleek business casual outfit that calls for a Patek Philippe or Rolex timepiece to class up his wrist. The band serves its purpose during the game, then goes back in the bag until it’s called upon again.However, Harper’s isn’t going anywhere. It’s a gift from Unc. He cherishes it. He shows it off proudly.Harper’s post-game attire ranges from Nike track suits to Nike track suits, or just his Spurs gear if he doesn’t feel like getting classy. Walking out of his news conference following the Spurs’ 139-109 Game 6 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to advance to the Western Conference finals, he excitedly flicks his wrist to reveal his version of a “Rollie Presidential.”“It’s his logo, we wear it every game,” Harper tells The Athletic. “Supporting the brand. Fox is my vet, so me, him and Steph wear it. I asked for his band, and it became a thing.”Around midseason, Harper wanted to be like Unc. He asked about the wristbands, thought it would be cool to make some and started the process.“He was like, ‘I’m gonna get my agency to get me some,’ ” Fox tells The Athletic. “Then he got some and he was like, ‘I only play well in yours.’ ”Fox dropped off a pile of Fox bands, and then Castle wanted in, too. He kept giving them more, but they kept losing them. Kids will be kids, after all.“I keep enough for me, but it’s dope, man,” Fox says. “Seeing those young guys and the way they look up to me, it’s fun.”Now, this is where the magic comes in — around the time the Slash Bros became the Band Bros, Castle and Harper’s 3s started going down. Not, like, getting a little better. They went from shooting in the 20s from beyond the arc to the 40s in the blink of an eye. Magic.The team that appeared to be ahead of schedule went from a maybe to an absolutely.The Spurs embarked on an undefeated run in February and looked like certified contenders from there. Now, the fourth team to go from the lottery to 60 wins is taking on the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a franchise that swiftly but steadily climbed the ladder over several years, for a chance to go to the NBA Finals. That certainly sounds like the definition of ahead of schedule.“I’m not being facetious,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Friday night, “but ahead of schedule of what?”Whether it be their own projections — the players were talking about making it out of the Play-In Tournament during training camp — or historical precedent, this team, by any measure, is ahead of schedule. They arrived early thanks to the overwhelming presence of Victor Wembanyama, but that strength is channeled through the Spurs’ point guard triumvirate.