The San Antonio Spurs have shown throughout the regular-season that they have what it takes to beat the reigning champions. Record-wise, San Antonio has had their number all season long as they have met five times during the season, and the Spurs have beaten OKC four out of the five times. They seem to be the only team left in the playoffs that can actually give the Thunder a run for their money, or are they? San Antonio lacks the playoff experience that OKC provides, and sometimes what happens during the season means nothing come playoff time. The playoffs are a whole different game.
The main reason they have had a problem against San Antonio this year is simple. Victor Wembanyama. This team is an entirely different beast when Wemby is on the floor. We’re seeing that already, and it’s only his first year in the playoffs. He’s already breaking records and doing things we thought weren’t possible, like 12 blocks in a playoff game. That is unheard of; most teams can’t record 12 blocks total, and he’s getting numbers like that all on his own. The Thunder have major success when SGA is able to get downhill, collapse the defense, and either make a play for his teammates or for himself. He struggles to do this when Wemby is roaming around the paint.
Health will play a big role in who comes out on top this season, like it always does, and if Wemby can stay on the court, they’ll have a great chance. No team has played the Thunder better than San Antonio. The Knicks are zero and two, the Cavs are zero and two, and the Pistons are one and one. The Timberwolves are two and two against OKC this season, but their season is on the ropes against this young and hungry San Antonio squad. The regular-season doesn’t always show the full story, as a lot of these games were played without many key players. It is a good way to see how some of these teams could match up.
The Spurs will need to win one more game against the Timberwolves before they even begin to start game planning for the Thunder. If they do finish off the Wolves, and play OKC in the Western Conference Finals, we could be looking at the 2026 champion of whoever comes out of that series. Wemby allows his backcourt to be extra aggressive on the perimeter, and allows them to gamble a bit more for on-ball and passing lane steals. They can do this because even if they end up getting beat off the dribble, they have a 7’4″ alien waiting for them at the rim. This series could turn into an all-time classic.
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