Youth and road playoff inexperience in a conference finals Game 7 against the defending champions posed no obstacle for the San Antonio Spurs. Playing with the composure of a seasoned group, a roster where most key contributors are 25 and younger dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday to advance to the NBA Finals.
San Antonio will meet the New York Knicks in the Finals, reviving memories of the 1999 championship matchup between the two franchises. It marks the Spurs‘ first Finals appearance since 2014, their first without Gregg Popovich as head coach, and the first without Tim Duncan on the roster. The victory also guarantees the NBA a different champion for an eighth consecutive year, the longest such streak in league history. Game 1 tips off Wednesday in San Antonio (8:30 ET, ABC).
Wembanyama Delivers When It Matters Most
Victor Wembanyama, 22, was the engine behind the Spurs‘ run. His series had peaks and valleys, yet when San Antonio needed him most, he produced: 41 points and 24 rebounds in Game 1, 22 points and seven rebounds in the decisive Game 7. He earned the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy as Western Conference Finals MVP.
His series averages: 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.4 steals, shooting 48.1% from the field, 40% on 3-pointers and 89.5% on free throws. The perimeter shooting proved decisive after San Antonio fell behind 3-2. Wembanyama went 4-for-9 from three in Game 6 and 3-for-5 in Game 7, becoming the first player in league history to post at least 15 made 3s and 15 blocks in a single playoff series. The Spurs were plus-62 with him on the court.
Defensively, his paint presence was suffocating. Thunder center-forward Chet Holmgren, an All-NBA selection this season, attempted just two shots and scored four points. Wembanyama finished the series with 15 blocks.
“Winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy is a childhood dream. Having a real shot at it, a tangible chance at winning it, I’m realizing a dream. It’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s going to happen again. The day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s going to be an amazing day of the realization of a dream. It’s hard to bring to words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life.” — Victor Wembanyama
“You work all these hours. It’s four years type of emotions. I want that. I want to win so bad. It’s like my life depends on it. This is the best basketball on the planet that’s being played right now. And the crazy thing is, maybe I’m crazy for that, but I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.” — Victor Wembanyama
A Collective Effort from San Antonio’s Core
Seven Spurs players reached double figures. Five had at least six rebounds. Four had at least three assists. Two recorded at least two steals.
- Julian Champagnie, 22: 20 points, six 3-pointers, six rebounds
- Stephon Castle, 21: 16 points, six rebounds, six assists
- De’Aaron Fox, 28: 15 points, five assists, three steals
- Dylan Harper, 20: 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists
- Devin Vassell, 25: 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals
- Keldon Johnson, 26: 11 points, including consecutive 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter
Victor Wembanyama. Source: fox40.com. Edited photo
Fox brought the only real Game 7 experience in the group and helped keep younger teammates grounded during critical stretches. Still, the most-discussed play of the night belonged to Luke Kornet, whose block on an Isaiah Hartenstein dunk attempt with 6:31 remaining swung momentum decisively. Had Hartenstein converted, Oklahoma City would have trailed 97-93. The rejection instead sparked a Castle basket, a Thunder turnover, and a Champagnie 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 102-91 with 5:33 to play.
“I’ve never seen Luke run that fast. I’m talking about he was hauling, man. But that was a huge play. That’s a momentum play. They get that dunk, the crowd gets into it, guys start to feel good and you never know what happens. That was the biggest play of the game honestly. It took all the life out of the building.” — Julian Champagnie
“People won’t talk about as much the habits, the character, the togetherness, the competitive response, the things we talk about in these media sessions every single day. And this team has now been pretty damn consistent for a long time, for over 100 games for the most part.” — Coach Mitch Johnson
Gilgeous-Alexander Ran Out of Help
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning two-time Kia MVP, produced 35 points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals in a near-solo effort to keep Oklahoma City alive. He was the only Thunder starter in double figures for most of the evening. Cason Wallace finished with 17 points, but Lu Dort managed just three, and Holmgren and Hartenstein combined for 11 points and nine rebounds. San Antonio’s starters outscored Oklahoma City’s 84-66.
The Thunder shot 42.6% from the field and 34.4% on 3-pointers for the series, opening Game 7 3-for-13 from deep. Gilgeous-Alexander posted his most efficient scoring output in the finale, yet across the full series he shot 40.9% from the field and 28.6% on 3s, both well below his regular-season marks. San Antonio’s length and defensive scheme consistently funneled pressure onto him and dared others to beat them.
“Obviously, he was brilliant.” — Thunder coach Mark Daigneault on Gilgeous-Alexander
Injuries Undermined Oklahoma City’s Depth
The series opened with San Antonio managing nagging physical issues. It closed with the Spurs intact while Oklahoma City absorbed significant absences. Forward Jalen Williams missed 10 of the Thunder’s 15 playoff games, including four of five conference finals games, with a left hamstring injury. Guard Ajay Mitchell missed the final four games with a strained right calf. The two rank among the team’s primary offensive creators.
Those losses proved too great a burden over seven games. Oklahoma City handled the absences well at points during the playoffs but could not sustain that in a full conference finals. The Thunder finished the regular season with 64 wins and posted a strong net rating, and their core remains young and intact.
“Who you have available always changes the decisions you make. But as it relates to Ajay and Dub, we have not been an excuse team ever and we’re not going to start now.” — Mark Daigneault
“To be a 64-win team, to have the net rating we did, overcome some of the adversities we did in the season, it’s something we’re incredibly proud of. It’s something we can build on. When you have a team that’s together for a long time, you have to grow from every experience including the tough ones. We felt like we could have won the series obviously. We were right there in the game and in the series. There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully. And so obviously we’re going to be disappointed with the outcome, but you don’t have to choose one or the other. You can be proud of the progress you made this season and then some of the successes and you can also be disappointed.” — Mark Daigneault
What is clear is that Oklahoma City must address how they will match up against Wembanyama and the Spurs for years ahead. Meanwhile, San Antonio has earned a shot at ending an 11-year championship drought. Follow TipsGG for full NBA Finals coverage, odds and analysis as the Spurs face the Knicks starting Wednesday.
Read also: Knicks Sweep Cavaliers to Claim Eastern Conference Finals Crown