The Spurs have the confidence and the talent to beat the Thunder

The Thunder swept their way to the Conference Finals. The Spurs were dominant but had to fight harder to get there. Who comes into the matchup in better shape?

Marilyn Dubinski: I think both teams have their advantages and disadvantages.  There is no doubt that the Spurs are the more battle-tested team, while the Thunder had about the easiest path to the WCF imaginable, but they are the defending champions. They know what it takes to win it all, so does that actually matter? There’s also the matter of rest vs. rhythm: the Thunder are certainly more rested and fresh, but will that translate to rust?  It did for the Spurs between the first and second round, but the Thunder still won their game 1 against the Lakers comfortably.  I think both teams will be so hyped for this match-up that it doesn’t matter.

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Mark Barrington: It’s hard to say, but the Spurs definitely needed to be challenged to be playoff-ready, and the rugged nature of the first two rounds was good preparation for the conference finals. The players on the Thunder already have plenty of playoff experience, so the fact that they had an easy time with their first two rounds shouldn’t be a problem for them. I think the best news for the Spurs is that the only player who is nicked up going into OKC is De’Aaron Fox with a sore ankle, and he seemed well enough to score at will against the Timberwolves in Game 6 of the conference semifinals. Jalen Williams has missed a lot of time for the Thunder, and even though he’s expected to be back for the series against the Spurs, he may be a little rusty.

Bill Huan: I don’t think either team has a “readiness” advantage over the other. They’re both firing on all cylinders and have undoubtedly been the two best teams in the league since the All-Star break. With that said, the type of confidence they exude is entirely different. The Thunder are quiet and laid back: they know exactly what they are and have been here before. On the other hand, the Spurs are the new, raucous kids whose belief that they can win it all borders on arrogance, even when they don’t know what to expect on the…

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Publish date : 2026-05-17 21:24:00

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