I’ve observed ample evidence: Award the Spurs the keys to Father Christmas's workshop. Put Castle in control of gift manufacturing. Allow De’Aaron Fox throw packages into rooftops, from any range he’d like. Vassell can decorate the Christmas cookies. Barnes has the army of assistants managed. And, of course, the sleigh's vehicle must promptly be reconfigured for a more statuesque, slender pilot so that the immense Victor Wembanyama can operate it with ease.
The stunning Spurs have defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trio of matchups in two weeks, and in doing so have revitalized this NBA season. I now have more faith in the Spurs’ ability to grant happiness to the masses than any holiday legends of old.
It appeared grim for a spell. The Thunder might have secured the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, but began this season in even more daunting form. They notched 24 wins in their initial 25 contests (the lone loss was a unlikely 20-point rally). In the bulk of those games, Williams, their next best player, was on the bench healing from wrist surgery. Gilgeous-Alexander, their best player, seldom had to play in fourth quarters. The Thunder routed the Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some thought to be a plausible challenger, lost by 29; their offensive genius Luka Doncic appeared as if he was playing against ten men. The Phoenix Suns’ spirited first got them a close loss, by just four points. When they faced off again 12 days later, the Thunder won by 49. This game signaled the definitive end and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City appeared able to shredding any opponent in its path, even the 2016 Golden State Warriors’ fabled regular season record of 73-9.
The Thunder do not employ a overly attractive brand of basketball. They skillfully exploit the referees’ quandary over which fouls to call (a steady whistle disrupts the flow of the game, an inconsistent one allows players escape punishment for obvious violations), often leading to Gilgeous-Alexander taking foul shots after whistles that would be better swallowed, while embodied nuisance Caruso seems to have free rein to do whatever he likes on defense. Some profess to admire, SGA twisting his body to invite minor 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 leaving his feet and into opponents after plenty of suspiciously minimal touches. This chicanery allows critics to cling to the notion that in a world with perfect officiating, the Thunder would be a middling team. True hoops purists know it’s far more exasperating than fundamental to the Thunder’s success, but the general irritation is sufficient to incline some fans who might otherwise be neutral into cheering for Oklahoma City’s downfall.
Dominance can be fascinating in its ruthlessness to watch, but a all-time dominant performance tends to inspire reduced amazement the more times it recurs. 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 sapping the season of excitement, running up leads on other teams in the table as well as on the court.
Through the first half of the first quarter of the initial San Antonio vs. OKC game this season, San Antonio was down by 16 and seemed poised to go the same route as every other team. Instead, they have wrought hell upon the Thunder ever since.
Against the Spurs, the Thunder look human. Each member of their core deserves immense credit for that, but this is Victor Wembanyama’s team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this guy on their team that’s seven-foot-five and occupies 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 Chet Holmgren, is the biggest player on the floor in most games, able to grab rebounds and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s smaller, crude, and even hesitant. Wembanyama’s disdain for Holmgren is obvious in how he celebrates each time Chet misses a free throw, as though he’s won the lottery; the way he commits a foul on him with a bit of extra venom; the way he told reporters he refuses to acknowledge Holmgren a rival. (There is indeed no argument over which player is superior.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to emerge from the cabinet, talking smack, when he stretches for a snack.
The Spurs led by Wembanyama made their most authoritative statement yet on Christmas, defeating the Thunder by 15 on their home court. San Antonio withstood the inevitable early punch well yet again, bouncing back to pile 41 points on the league’s top-ranked defense in the first quarter. Fox seamlessly found the tiny holes in that defense to the total of 29 points. The Spurs even restricted Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 22. He attempted to compensate by zipping passes to wide-open teammates behind the arc, but they let him down by clanking almost every single attempt.
A Thunder supporter would say that a sufficient number of those long-range shots will go in next time to produce a win or a tighter loss, but I found the failed attempts revealing of a issue. Off the back of his fluid stepback jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander is the steadiest scoring weapon in the league. He is tough to guard and nearly unguardable to stop. But even he can’t shoulder an offense completely on his own. The Spurs put him under sufficient duress that he had to pass more than usual, and his teammates faltered under the increased burden. Dort and Caruso 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 Spurs’ ascent couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only have they decisively established themselves as championship threats – but they’ve let fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|
A geospatial analyst with over a decade of experience in terrain modeling and environmental data visualization.
