Spurs 122 – Thunder 115 (2OT)
I was just going to do a Substack note but as this game progressed I found myself with more and more things to say. As I watched the game at my desk at school – I missed the third quarter and first half of the fourth – I was scribbling on the scratch paper that litters my desk like I was flowing back in my high school debate days. Man, oh man. Where do I even begin.
I spent a decent chunk of my day yesterday thinking about the series. I write this just minutes after the game went final, and I didn’t get the chance to listen to the latest installment of the Bill Simmons Podcast, which is my Basketball Bible, in which Bill and Zach Lowe broke down the conference final matchups. But I thought the betting market wasn’t showing the Spurs enough respect, as Oklahoma City was a -260 favorite (meaning that you would need to risk $260 to win $100 in profit) to win the series, and I thought the series was closer to even than that. Sure, the experience of OKC would win out, but I figured the series would go six or seven games.
On the train to school this morning – about two hours before tipoff – I texted my dad that I thought the Spurs would win tonight. OKC had only played eight games in the past month – that’s what happens when you sweep your first two opponents – and Jalen Williams was being reinserted into the lineup after missing the last six games. He’s missed most of the season – only 33 games played – and I thought the readjustment might be tricky. About an hour before tipoff, I got the Shams notification on my phone that De’Aaron Fox was out with an ankle injury. Apparently he had rolled it back in Game 4 of the Minnesota series, and was being held out so he could be healthier later in the series. But given that I had named him “The Made Himself Expendable at $60 Mil AAV And Will Be A Summer Trade Machine Mainstay” in my SAS-MIN Series Awards, that didn’t concern me too much. Especially because taking his place was Dylan Harper, winner of “The Rookie Ascension” award.
So the San Antonio Spurs rolled out a starting lineup of Harper (20), Castle (21), Vassell (25), Champagnie (24), Wembanyama (22). Those are their ages in parenthesis, making for an average age of 22 years, 346 days – youngest ever lineup in a Conference Finals. The atmosphere and anticipation was unreal. This is the first postseason matchup between two teams that won more than 60 games a piece in nearly a decade (last one: 2017 Western Conference Finals between Warriors and Spurs). All season, these two teams have been levitating above the rest of the pack. A collision course seemed inevitable. And I don’t think anyone would pick any team in the Eastern Conference to beat either San Antonio or Oklahoma City. So, this is effectively the NBA Finals in the sense that it’s the best two teams squaring off.
Who will take it? The defending champions, led by the now two-time MVP? The Thunder’s dominance combined with their play style – isolation heavy, an aggressive defense that seems to get away with way more than opposing defenses are allowed to against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – has quickly made them the league’s villains. On the other side is the surging Spurs, who nearly doubled their win total from last year, led by the first of what will hopefully be many MVP-level seasons from Victor Wembanyama. Add in the Wemby vs. Chet rivalry (is it really a rivalry if one guy kicks the other guy’s ass over and over again? Add in the historical piece: three playoff matchups in four years from 2012 to 2016 between the “Beautiful Game” Spurs of Duncan, Leonard, Ginobili, Parker, Diaw, and Mills, and the Durant-Westbrook-Harden Thunder – OKC took 2012 Conference Finals and the 2016 Semis while San Antonio won the 2014 Conference Finals en route to their championship. Add in the fact that Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was born and raised in Seattle, where his dad John started all 82 games for the 1978-79 champion Seattle SuperSonics – and the Thunder are the stolen reincarnation of the Sonics.
Okay, enough foreplay. Let’s get to the actual game, in which the Thunder were favored by 6.5 points. The Spurs quickly jumped out to a double digit lead, the largest deficit OKC had faced in their undefeated postseason thus far. Alex Caruso, the oldest player on the Thunder and defensive ace off the bench, responded by scoring 10 of the Thunder’s first 12 points. Jalen Williams shook the rust off and also chipped in 10 first quarter points, and the game was tied at 27 after the first quarter.
Wembanyama got going in the second quarter, and had one of those crazy dunks where the Spurs throw him in the ball in the paint and he catches and flushes it all in one fluid motion while barely leaving his feet. His Gumby limbs make him the only person in the world who can do that.
The Thunder got back into the game via fast-break points, which they ended up leading 16-7 in the game. Caruso continued his hot shooting, which the Thunder needed considering SGA finished the first half with just four points. But it was the gravity and attention that SGA garnered that gave Caruso all those open looks. Meanwhile, on defense, Caruso was doing his best to contain Wembanyama the way he had dealt with Jokic in last year’s playoffs. How do you defend someone a foot taller than you? By grabbing, clawing, and using your lower center of gravity to get up into their chest and push them off balance.
Spurs were up 51-44 at halftime. Admittedly I missed a good chunk of the second half because I had to go to class, so let’s fast forward to where I picked up midway through the fourth quarter. Caruso continued to have flames shooting out of his ass, but the Thunder were still down double digits because SGA had just 10 points on 3/10 shooting through three quarters. Shai finally started to get going, but got his patented step-back blocked by Wemby. On the next possession, SGA beat Vassell and Wemby off the dribble and got to the rack before Wemby landed on him. And-one. OKC cut the lead to five with less than six minutes to go.
Caruso had an emphatic block on Castle. Back to back Thunder buckets made it a one-point game with three and a half to go. Massive Vassell three. Next trip down the floor, SGA got into the body of Wembanyama to create space for his mid-range shot. I’m on the edge of my seat as the other teachers begin to dish out lunch. Sorry everyone, but I’m unavailable to help right now.
Caruso hits yet another three to give the Thunder a 95-94 lead with less than two minutes left. We trade buckets and free throws we’re tied at 99 with thirty seconds to go. Spurs inbound to Wemby and he’s isolated at Williams, takes two dribbles, spins into the paint, and finishes over him like he’s on a Nerf hoop. Back the other way, the Thunder spring SGA off a series of misdirections and he beats Castle off the dribble and lays it up. 101 all, 3 seconds left, Spurs side out. Inbound to Wemby yet again, but Caruso helps off his man to poke at the ball, which disturbs Wemby’s pickup and gives Chet Holmgren enough time to rotate over and spike it like a volleyball. Overtime.
Forgive my blow by blow retelling, but this is mostly for my own benefit, so I can relive it. Whenever I’m watching an amazing game like this, I’m always rooting for OT at the back of my mind.
The first score of overtime is Castle jumping off two feet and dunking all over SGA. I’m in basketball heaven.
An out of bounds call is challenged successfully by the Spurs to reveal that a loose ball went off of Holmgren’s foot. Wemby cleans up the offensive glass to give San Antonio the 105-101 lead. Another Caruso three, followed by an acrobatic interception that leads to a J-Dub runout dunk. Thunder back in front. It was then that Wembanyama did something unbelievable. And everything this guy does is unbelievable.
But down three in overtime with thirty seconds left, he catches the ball in stride nearly thirty feet from the hoop and pulled up for three like it was the most natural thing in the world. Wemby is a decent three-point shooter (shooting exactly the league average .349 in these playoffs), but it wasn’t that long ago that he went 0/8 from three in San Antonio’s Game 1 loss to Minnesota. For someone of his absurd height, it can be frustrating to watch him shoot threes instead of just going to the basket – which he can be prone to do at times. To be fair, his release point is so high as to make his shot unblockable. But in this situation, knowing how much stealing Game 1 on the road would mean for the Spurs in this series, I wonder if Mitch Johnson felt the bottom of his stomach fall out when Wembanyama pulled up.
And then I wonder what it felt like when the shot hit nylon. It’s a shot you wouldn’t want anyone not named Steph Curry (or Damian Lillard, as I always chime in) taking, so it’s fitting that it’s almost identical to the iconic three that Steph hit from the same part of that court in Oklahoma City a decade ago.
After the game, Wemby said on that shot “I was just thinking, take my time,” which is a ludicrous thing to say and I’m not even sure if I believe him. Anyway, that pushed the game to double overtime after both team had a chance to win it and failed – another sensational defensive play by Caruso to break up a lob to Castle for the win.
The last playoff game to go to double overtime was… Blazers vs Nuggets, Game 5 of the 2021 first round, when Lillard had 55 points (17/24 FG, 12/17 3FG, 9/10 FT, good for .968 true shooting percentage), including 19 of Portland’s 21 in the two OT periods (highest Game Score in playoff history, by the way), and Portland still lost. Still probably the greatest playoff performance I’ve ever seen. Where was I? Oh that’s right, double overtime. First 2OT in the Western Conference Finals in 50 years, by the way.
Wemby had a vicious dunk, and then a pair of free throws to open the scoring. After a Cason Wallace three, Dylan Harper had a nasty and-one finish. By the way, did I mention that he’s 20 years old and only started 4 games in the regular season?
Huge J-Dub three to bring the Thunder back to within one with less than 90 seconds left. But then Wemby responded by dunking all over Chet – and-one again.
Another Wemby dunk, and a block on Williams sealed the game for the Spurs. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Thanks for indulging my countless Tweet embeds. But considering how high the stakes were, this is the best basketball game I can remember watching in a while. The star of the night, Victor Wembanyama, in his conference final debut, had 41 points and 24 rebounds (9 offensive) plus four stocks (steals + blocks). They literally presented the MVP trophy to Shai right in front of Wembanyama’s face, and he took it personally. I know the awards are for the regular season, but sometimes what happens in the playoffs can feel like a referendum on the MVP.
For instance, when Dirk Nowitzki won the 2006-07 MVP and then lost in the first round as the one seed to Baron Davis and the “We Believe” Warriors, Dirk got killed by the media – rightfully, so. I’m a Dirk enjoyer, but that hurdle was part of what made his eventual championship so sweet. I’m not saying SGA didn’t deserve the MVP – after all, I cast my fictional vote for him – but his performance (24 points on 7/23 shooting, -15) stood in stark contrast to Wemby.
The list of players with 40+ points and 20+ rebounds in a playoff game is short and sweet. In my lifetime, it’s Jokic and Giannis – once each. Shaq did it three times, Barkley once, Hakeem twice, Moses once, Kareem three times, Bob McAdoo, some guy named Zelmo Beaty (that sounds fake), Elgin Baylor, and Wilt more times than I care to count. But that’s extremely rarified air. And Wemby is just 22, and this was only his 11th career playoff game. How many more times will he do this in his career?
Some other things I want to get to. Dylan Harper. 24 points, 11 rebounds, 7 steals, and 6 assists. Absurd. How many more times should I mention that he’s 20 years old. Now you see why I’m already eyeing potential Fox trades – straight up for Jalen Johnson works, in case you were wondering. I’ll save that for the off-season. Anyways, Harper was the first rookie since Magic Johnson to score 15+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ steals in a playoff game (Magic did it three times in as many weeks, by the way). And it was Harper’s first playoff start. Fox’s absence was felt by Stephon Castle, who still had 17/6/11 but turned it over a whopping 11 times.
After not playing 40 minutes in any regular season game, Wembanyama played 49. The Spurs fielded nine players, although their starting five played the bulk of those minutes (6MOY Keldon Johnson played just 22). On the other side, the Thunder had 11 guys check in. Shai played 51 and Chet 41, but besides that it was more evenly distributed. You would think in a 58 minute game, that kind of depth would be an advantage, but instead it felt more like the Thunder weren’t quite sure of themselves. Starting center Isaiah Hartenstein played just twelve minutes, and was jettisoned for Cason Wallace to start the second half. If not for Caruso – who was sensational on both sides of the ball – this would have been a blowout. Chet had just eight points.
Anyways, I have to go to bed now because I have to work in the morning, and more importantly, we have the Eastern Conference Finals starting tomorrow. While I’m sure Knicks-Cavs will be an entertaining series, I don’t see how anything could top that game I watched today.
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