The San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder playoff series is one of the most anticipated in recent NBA history. Two 62+ win teams facing off in the Western Conference Finals, with two young superstars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, have had the nation in a vice grip.
After a legendary performance from the French superstar in Game 1, the defending NBA champions fought back to take a 2-1 lead, making Game 4 an essential must-win. With their backs against the wall, Wembanyama, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, came through with a spectacular performance, one that left the entire NFL world in awe.
Victor Wembanyama Continues to Shine
In his first-ever playoff run, Wembanyama has already defied expectations at every level. Even with dealing with adversity in the form of a concussion and an ejection, he has continued to shine as arguably the best player in the world.
That stretch continued in the Conference Finals, as he opened the series with a 41-point, 24-rebound outing in Game 1, including a 27-footer to force double overtime. However, with the Thunder switching to Isaiah Hartenstein as his primary defender, Wemby hadn’t had nearly the same level of success in the following two games.
That script changed once again in Game 4, as the Spurs came out with a vengeance. Down 2-1, they had their backs against the wall and played with the desperation of a must-win game. A 14-0 run early in the first quarter was highlighted by alley oops for the French superstar.
But that energy continued in the second quarter as well. As San Antonio took a double-digit lead, the only unanimous DPOY in league history left his imprint all over the game. That concluded with an awe-inspiring half-court buzzer beater to finish the first half.
Robert Griffin III was left extremely impressed, immediately claiming, “A half-court shot for 7’7 Wemby is like a 3-point shot for the average human. THIS GUY IS AN ALIEN.” The love fest for Griffin continued, as the Spurs took a 12-point lead into the break.
He added, “When Wemby leads the charge and plays that aggressively, the San Antonio Spurs are tough to beat even for OKC.” Some of the moves from the two-time All-Star, though, continued to belie his size.
Ryan Clark wrote, “I love a clean spin move and finish in the lane,” but he wasn’t the only one left shocked by Wembanyama’s production. As he finished the game with 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, Dez Bryant could only exclaim, “WEMBY!”
Even Pat McAfee added, “This Wemby creature’s outrageous.” On the other end, they were able to set the tone defensively as well. After limiting the Thunder to just 38 points in the first half, Oklahoma City could only manage 82 total points on the night.
As a result, they go back home with the series tied 2 games apiece. The back-to-back MVP did not have a night to remember either, as he scored just 19 points on six of 15 shooting from the field.
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For Tyler Lockett, who has been a vocal OKC fan, it wasn’t Alexander’s fault. “Lol they playing football on Shai right now lol.” After the game, though, he did not sound too worried about the result.
Lockett added, “Didn’t play our best game today! Gotta stay locked in! Learn from it and grow! Just gotta keep getting better each game! Thunder Up!!” He wasn’t the only one, though, who still had belief in the Thunder.
Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the most legendary tight ends of all-time, Shannon Sharpe, too, wasn’t willing to count out the reigning champs. He wrote, “Gm 7, but I took Thunder.”
It remains to be seen if the Thunder can find some answers for the Spurs. Getting either Jalen Williams or Ajay Mitchell back could work wonders for them, as generating consistent offense became a legitimate problem for them in Game 4.
But the first four games have already proven that the two sides are extremely evenly matched, and the series could go down to the wire.
