I’ve become fully convinced: Give the San Antonio Spurs the access to Saint Nick's workshop. Put Castle in charge of present construction. Permit Fox launch gifts into chimneys, from any range he’d like. Devin Vassell can personalize the festive biscuits. Harrison Barnes has the troop of helpers managed. And, of course, the sleigh's sleigh must at once be altered for a more statuesque, leaner pilot so that the immense Victor Wembanyama can pilot it comfortably.
The remarkable San Antonio squad have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in a 14-day span, and in doing so have re-energized this NBA season. I now have increased confidence in the Spurs’ ability to grant thrills to the public than any festive tales of old.
A Grim Beginning
It looked dire for a spell. The Thunder might have secured the title in June, but started this campaign in even more threatening form. They notched 24 victories in their opening 25 matchups (the single setback was a unlikely 20-point comeback). In the majority of those games, Jalen Williams, their next best player, was on the sidelines recovering from wrist surgery. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their premier player, rarely had to play in crunch time. The Thunder routed the Sacramento Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some predicted to be a credible challenger, fell by 29; their basketball savant Luka Doncic appeared as if he was playing against ten men. The Phoenix Suns’ gallant opening got them a narrow defeat, by just four points. When they faced off again 12 days later, the Thunder triumphed by 49. This game knocked all the remaining leaves off the trees and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City appeared able to dominating every team in its path, even the 2016 Golden State Warriors’ legendary regular season record of 73-9.
Debating Their Approach
The Thunder are not known for a especially appealing form of basketball. They expertly leverage the referees’ dilemma over which fouls to call (a constant whistle disrupts the rhythm of the game, an missing one lets players get away with obvious violations), often resulting in Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after whistles that would be better swallowed, while embodied nuisance Alex Caruso seems to have free rein to do anything he likes on the defensive end. Some claim to appreciate, SGA twisting his body to elicit slight bumps from defenders; I can only assume those same people also like being kicked hard between the legs. That’s not to mention man-mountain Luguentz Dort leaving his feet and into opponents after numerous debatably minimal touches. This gamesmanship allows detractors to entertain the fantasy that in a world with ideal officiating, the Thunder would be a mediocre team. Real basketball heads know it’s far more annoying than fundamental to the Thunder’s success, but the overall frustration is enough to push some fans who might otherwise be neutral into cheering for Oklahoma City’s demise.
Dominance can be coldly thrilling to watch, but a record-setting performance tends to generate reduced amazement the more times it recurs. How many times does anyone really want to watch one team beat another by 35? In the end you remember that the drama is the point. The Thunder were sapping the season of suspense, running up leads on other teams in the standings as well as on the floor.
A New Challenger Emerges
Through the first half of the first quarter of the first San Antonio vs. OKC game this season, San Antonio trailed by 16 and seemed poised to go the same route as every other team. Instead, they have caused major problems for the Thunder ever since.
Against the Spurs, the Thunder look beatable. Each member of their key players deserves considerable credit for that, but this is Wembanyama's team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this man on their team that’s 7'5" and commands a lot of space on the court,” Jalen Williams stated, with some irritation, when asked what made the Spurs such a hard team to beat. The Thunder’s tall defender, 7ft 1in Holmgren, is the biggest player on the floor in most games, free to secure boards and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s short, unpolished, and even timid. Wembanyama’s disdain for Holmgren is evident in how he reacts each time Holmgren misses a free throw, as though he’s hit the jackpot; the way he fouls him with a bit of added intensity; the way he told reporters he doesn’t consider Holmgren a peer. (There is indeed no argument over which player is better.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to emerge from the cabinet, trash-talking, when he stretches for a snack.
Holiday Domination
The Spurs led by Wembanyama made their most authoritative statement yet on Christmas, thumping the Thunder by 15 on their home court. San Antonio withstood the inevitable early punch well yet again, recovering to drop 41 points on the league’s top-ranked defense in the first quarter. De'Aaron Fox easily found the small holes in that defense to the tune of 29 points. The Spurs even limited Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 22. He tried to make up for it by zipping passes to open teammates behind the arc, but they disappointed by missing almost every single attempt.
A Thunder supporter would say that enough of those threes will go in in the future to produce a victory or a more competitive loss, but I found the misses indicative of a flaw. Off the back of his silky-smooth stepback jumper, SGA is the most consistent scoring engine in the league. He is difficult to guard and extremely difficult to stop. But even he can’t carry an offense completely on his own. The Spurs put him under enough pressure that he had to pass more than usual, and his supporting parts struggled under the heavier burden. Caruso and Dort are good for the sporadic three-pointer, but relying on them to knock down the long shot is the last place the Thunder want to be.
The New Landscape
The Spurs’ surge couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Not only have they emphatically proven themselves as title contenders – but they’ve enabled fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|
