🔗 Share this article

I’ve gathered the necessary data: Hand over the Spurs the keys to Father Christmas's workshop. Place Stephon Castle in charge of toy assembly. Allow Fox launch gifts into chimneys, from any range he’d like. Devin Vassell can personalize the Christmas cookies. Barnes has the army of helpers handled. And, of course, Santa Claus’s vehicle must without delay be reconfigured for a taller, slender pilot so that the immense Wemby can operate it comfortably.

The stunning Spurs have felled the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in two weeks, and in accomplishing this have reinvigorated this basketball campaign. I now have increased confidence in the team's ability to grant thrills to the audience than any festive tales of old.

A Dire Start

It looked dire for a period. The Oklahoma City might have captured the title in June, but started this season in increasingly daunting form. They secured 24 wins in their initial 25 contests (the lone loss was a anomalous 20-point comeback). In the bulk of those games, Jalen Williams, their second-best player, was on the bench healing from wrist surgery. Gilgeous-Alexander, their top player, rarely had to play in crunch time. The Thunder routed the Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some thought to be a possible rival, lost by 29; their offensive genius Luka Doncic appeared as if he was playing against ten men. The Suns' spirited initial earned them a close loss, by just four points. When they played a rematch 12 days later, the Thunder won by 49. This game was a decisive statement and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City appeared able to shredding any opponent in its path, even the Warriors' fabled regular season record of 73-9.

The Nature of Their Game

The Thunder are not known for a overly pleasing form of basketball. They expertly take advantage of the referees’ quandary over which infractions to call (a consistent whistle breaks the rhythm of the game, an missing one allows players escape punishment for clear violations), often causing Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after whistles that would be left uncalled, while embodied mosquito swarm Alex Caruso seems to have total license to do whatever he likes on the defensive end. Some claim to admire, SGA twisting his body to invite small touches from defenders; I can only assume those same people also like being struck hard in a sensitive area. That’s not to mention imposing figure Dort flying off his feet and into opponents after plenty of questionably minimal touches. This gamesmanship lets critics to harbor the idea that in a world with ideal officiating, the Thunder would be a average team. Genuine hoops purists know it’s far more exasperating than fundamental to the Thunder’s success, but the widespread frustration is enough to nudge some fans who might otherwise be neutral into cheering for Oklahoma City’s defeat.

Dominance can be coldly thrilling to watch, but a all-time dominant performance tends to generate reduced amazement the more times it happens again. How many times does anyone really want to watch one team beat another by 35? Eventually you remember that the uncertainty is the point. The Thunder were sucking the season of intrigue, accumulating leads on other teams in the table as well as on the court.

Enter the Spurs

Through 21 minutes of the first Spurs-Thunder game this season, San Antonio was down by 16 and seemed poised to go the identical path as every other team. Instead, they have caused major problems for the Thunder ever since.

Against the Spurs, the Thunder look human. Each member of their key players deserves immense credit for that, but this is Victor Wembanyama’s team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this man on their team that’s seven-foot-five and occupies a lot of area on the court,” Williams stated, with some exasperation, when asked what made the Spurs such a difficult opponent. The Thunder’s lanky center, 7'1" Holmgren, is the tallest player on the floor in most games, free to secure boards and block opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s smaller, less refined, and even tentative. Victor's disregard for Holmgren is apparent in how he reacts each time Chet misses a free throw, as though he’s hit the jackpot; the way he commits a foul on him with a bit of extra venom; the way he told reporters he does not view Holmgren a competitor. (There is indeed no argument over which player is better.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to emerge from the cupboard, talking smack, when he reaches up for a bite to eat.

A Festive Declaration

Wembanyama and the Spurs made their most authoritative statement yet on Christmas, thumping the Thunder by 15 on their home court. San Antonio withstood the customary early punch well yet again, recovering to pile 41 points on the league’s top-ranked defense in the first quarter. Fox seamlessly found the small holes in that defense to the total of 29 points. The Spurs even limited Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 22. He attempted to compensate by firing passes to uncontested teammates behind the arc, but they failed him by bricking almost every single attempt.

A Thunder supporter would say that enough of those three-pointers will go in in a rematch to produce a victory or a tighter loss, but I found the failed attempts indicative of a issue. Off the foundation of his fluid stepback jumper, SGA is the most consistent scoring weapon in the league. He is difficult to guard and nearly unguardable to stop. But even he can’t carry an offense completely on his own. The Spurs put Gilgeous-Alexander under such intense scrutiny that he had to pass more than usual, and his teammates broke down under the greater burden. Dort and Caruso are good for the periodic three-pointer, but relying on them to hit the three-ball is the last place the Thunder want to be.

Shifting the Balance

The Spurs’ ascent couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Not only have they decisively cemented themselves as legitimate challengers – but they’ve let fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|