It always felt like this Western Conference Finals series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs was destined to go 7 games. That prophecy became fulfilled on Thursday night, as Victor Wembanyama tallied 28 points and ten rebounds to lead the host Spurs to a 118-91 victory while facing elimination in Game 6.
Back and Forth Dominance
Game 6 was another tilt that was on par with the general theme of the series, which is dominance from the winning team despite the general back and forth nature. The Thunder have not only been held below 100 points in two of their three losses this series, their two lowest scoring outputs of the entire season have been in those games. Further, the 82 points the Thunder put up in Game 4 was the team’s lowest scoring output since they lost 152-79 to the Memphis Grizzlies on December 21, 2021.
In other words, the Spurs have Oklahoma City in a position that’s uncharted territory for the franchise post-turnaround. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning two-time NBA MVP who set the record for most consecutive 20+ point games in March, has been held below that total twice in this series and the Thunder lost both of those games. On the bright side, the Thunder haven’t lost consecutive games yet in this series and it seems like SGA is unphased by this moment and what it means for his legacy, despite his recent woes.
“Oh, I’m good,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career … And if I lose, my season’s over.”
Saturday will mark the second Game 7 in NBA history between two teams who each had a .750+ win pct in the regular season.
The other came in the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals, when the Celtics beat the 76ers 91-90 to complete their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. pic.twitter.com/0WpMM1UiVh
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 29, 2026
Career Defining Game?
SGA calling it the biggest game of his career is not exactly a small deal either, considering the Thunder just played in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season. And honestly, he’s not wrong.
SGA’s career is on trial this season in a way that it wasn’t last year. He’s become objectively the most widely disliked player in the NBA, and his performance in this series both aesthetically and on the stat sheet has done little to quell those criticisms. The entire world seemingly has a vested interest in seeing him fail on this stage, and he has one more chance to rip everyone’s hearts out.
Brewing Rivalry
This series, despite the blowouts, has been a genuine breath of fresh air in an NBA that’s become more of a fraternity than a warzone in recent eras. There is legitimate hatred between the Thunder and the Spurs, and the superstars are at the center of the beef. Wembanyama went viral for telling Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee to levy some hard fouls on their opponents at the end of Game 5, and then rookie mercenary Carter Bryant took up the cause in Game 6 by laying a shoulder shot on SGA.
Whichever direction Saturday’s Game 7 goes, it’s hard to imagine a reality where this series doesn’t happen at least a few more times in the coming years. Both teams are young and in position to maintain their cores for an extended period of time, and we seem to be in an era of player loyalty that discourages the team-hopping made so prevalent by the previous generation.
Either way, the first edition of this anthology has certainly lived up to the hype.
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