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The 2026 Western Conference Finals feature three very particular players: (1) a tall, lanky unicorn of a player who can move like a guard and shoot lights out from long range; (2) an explosive point guard (drafted fourth overall in his class) who is a triple-double threat on any given night; and (3) a left-handed, six foot five guard (drafted in the top 3 of his class) who comes off the bench but immediately makes an impact when he steps foot on the floor. Did we just describe the 2012 Oklahoma Thunder or this latest iteration of the San Antonio Spurs?
If you look closely enough at anything, you can often cherry pick eerie similarities between two different things. Give me an hour with a cup of coffee, and I can absolutely mirror The Godfather to Gabby’s Dollhouse: Cakey Cat is such a Fredo Corleone. Of course, the 2026 Spurs are not exactly the same as the 2012 Thunder. However, it shouldn’t be too uncanny to see the type of players NBA GMs prefer (e.g., height and length, athleticism, work ethic, basketball IQ, etc.). If anything, Stephon Castle is more DJ Catnip than Michael Corleone, but if you try to convince me that Victor Wembanyama isn’t Sonny Corleone with the way he threw them sharp elbows in the last round then don’t bother reading my modernized Godfather fan fiction where Google Maps takes Sonny on a faster, alternate route and he avoids the tollbooth massacre.
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All of that is to say teams (and good front offices, at least) gravitate toward certain types of players and roster constructions. In the case of both the Spurs and the Thunder of the 2000 teens (I’m workshopping that one, it’s not the best. Life was easier when we could just say the ’60s, ’80s, and ’90s), they gravitated toward a generational centerpiece player who forced mismatches based on his very unique physical build and offensive skill set. Next, it only seemed natural to pair this rainbow unicorn with a point guard that can get him the ball and be their own scoring option when need be. The rising star that comes off the bench who happens to be left-handed is just a happy coincidence that both the Spurs…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/western-conference-finals-very-particular-180000111.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-22 18:00:00
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