Spurs-Thunder matchup lives up to the hype, and Victor Wembanyama goes completely beyond it

OKLAHOMA CITY — The final five minutes of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals — or the 14th round of Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, or the fifth installment of Godzilla vs. King Kong — had nothing to do with physical skill.

By the second overtime, both the Spurs and Thunder had demonstrated not only a will to win by any means necessary, clawing and dragging and diving on the floor, but why they belonged on basketball’s biggest stage. No amount of scheming or tactical adjustments could offset the collective fatigue of body, mind and spirit.

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So as Victor Wembanyama and nine other human beings strolled onto the floor for the third tipoff of the evening, the Frenchman clinging to any ounce of energy he could muster throughout his elongated frame, basketball became secondary. Effort, mental fortitude and tenacity — with the reigning champs within arms reach — bubbled to the surface. Oklahoma City spent six months leading the pack, frolicking in their fame while San Antonio toiled away in second place. But as Monday night demonstrated, objects in the rearview mirror are often closer than they appear.

“It was a competitive game,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said following his team’s 121-115 win. “It felt like both teams just kept doing enough to not be put away and kept doing enough to let the other team know they were trying to pull away. It got to the point at the end of the fourth quarter where it felt like it was a war of wills, and there’s a level of mental toughness that was exuded by both teams. We needed every second from everybody that played — that was a heck of a game to be a part of.”

The sheer brazenness of an organization that dares to buck trends and challenge the status quo is one that requires sacrifice, a common goal and, more importantly, a plan. The Spurs, who had faced Oklahoma City five times this season before Game 1, was well-versed in Thunderspeak, holding a deep-rooted understanding of pressure points, where to attack the champs and how to keep within striking distance long enough for Wembanyama to finish the job. The 22-year-old ran and ran, and…

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Author : Kelly Iko

Publish date : 2026-05-19 06:57:00

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