By Matija Šerić
The NBA Western Conference Finals give us a clash between defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder and the young challengers, the San Antonio Spurs. Given the quality of both teams (the Thunder finished the regular season with the best record at 64–18, while the Spurs were second-best at 62–20), many basketball experts describe this matchup as a “final before the final.”
That assessment should be taken with a grain of salt, because whoever wins will still need to prove themselves in the actual NBA Finals. However, what we have seen so far belongs to the very highest level of basketball.
Although the Spurs had a 4–1 record against Oklahoma during the regular season, that does not necessarily indicate how this series will end. The three games played so far have shown that every matchup can go either way and that literally every possession matters.
Game 1 – Wembanyama the new Wilt Chamberlain
On the day of the game, May 18, it was announced that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had been named MVP for the second consecutive season. That provided extra motivation for Victor Wembanyama, who delivered a historically dominant performance in Game 1 — 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks.
He became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to record 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in a conference finals game. He was brilliant from start to finish.
Wemby’s Herculean effort was enough for the Spurs to take a valuable 122–115 road win, but only after two overtimes.
From the beginning, it was clear the Spurs wanted to strike first in Oklahoma City. Wembanyama was outstanding on both ends — scoring, rebounding, and defensively controlling Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. He looked like a player on a mission.
SGA, the newly crowned MVP, surprisingly struggled. In the first half he had one of his worst performances in three years — only four points on 1-of-5 shooting. The Spurs’ defensive scheme, which often involved double- and triple-teams, played a major role.
Despite SGA’s poor start and Wembanyama’s dominance, the Thunder trailed only 51–44 at halftime. Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso kept Oklahoma in the game.
SGA eventually woke up in the third quarter. The Spurs entered the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead. With around 10 minutes left, they were up by double digits, but Oklahoma fought back.
In a dramatic finish, the lead changed multiple times, and the game was tied on three separate occasions.
Alex Caruso was arguably the biggest factor keeping the Thunder alive, playing perhaps the game of his career with 31 points (11/19 shooting, 8/14 from three).
Jalen Williams added 26 points. SGA finished with 24 points, 12 assists, five steals, and one block, showing his playmaking ability.
Still, it wasn’t enough to beat the Spurs. Alongside Wembanyama, San Antonio’s supporting cast delivered. With De’Aaron Fox unexpectedly out, rookie Dylan Harper stepped up with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and seven steals. Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell combined for 30 points and 11 assists to secure a major road win.
Game 2 – SGA proves why he is MVP
After the emotional high of Game 1, teams often experience a drop in intensity. Whether that happened to the Spurs is debatable, but Oklahoma won Game 2 122–113.
The Thunder built an 11-point lead in the second quarter and controlled the game until the end.
Statistically, the Spurs were solid — shooting 49% from the field vs 48% for OKC, and 40% vs 36% from three, plus a rebounding advantage (45–41). The difference was turnovers: 21 for San Antonio compared to just 10 for Oklahoma.
SGA once again delivered elite production with 30 points, nine assists, and two blocks.
The Hartenstein–Holmgren duo was dominant, combining for 23 points and 17 rebounds.
Jalen Williams left early due to injury, but the bench stepped up. Alex Caruso scored 17 points with five assists, while Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, and Ajay Mitchell combined for 34 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
For the Spurs, Wembanyama was not at his Game 1 level, partly due to fatigue and Oklahoma’s interior defense. He finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists.
Castle led San Antonio with 25 points and eight assists, followed by Vassell with 22. However, Castle also committed nine turnovers. Fox remained out injured, and Harper was also hurt in the third quarter.
Game 3 – OKC discipline and bench depth secure key win
Game 3 moved to the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The Spurs started explosively, opening with a 15–0 run — the biggest conference finals opening run since 1997.
Fox, Wembanyama, and Vassell led the early surge. However, by the end of the first quarter, the lead had shrunk to just five points (31–26) after Oklahoma responded with a 13–2 run while Wembanyama rested.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said:
“Other than the first 15 points, our defense was really tight. We settled into half-court defense. Our offense improved because of that. This is a series where discipline is key.”
He was absolutely right.
Oklahoma won 123–108, controlling the game through discipline and execution.
The Thunder won nearly every major statistical category: field goal percentage (48%–43%), three-point shooting (45%–32%), rebounding (41–37), and turnovers (11–15).
Their big men effectively neutralized Wembanyama, who scored only 10 points in the paint for the second straight game.
SGA again led the way with 26 points and 12 assists.
Even without Jalen Williams, the Thunder bench was spectacular, outscoring San Antonio’s reserves 76–23. McCain (24), Jaylin Williams (18), Caruso (15), and Wallace (11) highlighted Oklahoma’s incredible depth.
For the Spurs, Wembanyama led with 26 points, while Vassell, Fox, and Castle added 20, 15, and 14. However, the bench collapsed, and Harper struggled while still recovering from injury.
The game also featured a heated moment when Ajay Mitchell fouled Stephon Castle on a dunk attempt, leading to a flagrant foul and technicals after a confrontation with Devin Vassell.
Oklahoma holds strategic advantage
Overall, after San Antonio’s Game 1 win, Games 2 and 3 showed a clear shift in momentum. The Spurs appear to be fading from game to game.
Interestingly, they have looked better without Fox than with him.
Oklahoma now leads the series 2–1, and if they win Game 4 to go up 3–1, the series could become extremely difficult to overturn — as it is nearly impossible to win four straight games against this Thunder team.
Still, despite Oklahoma’s clear strategic advantage, the Spurs are far from finished.
