The San Antonio Spurs went into Oklahoma City and knocked off the defending champs on their dwelling court docket in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday.
They’ll play the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, which start on Wednesday, a rematch of the 1999 Finals – the final time the Knicks had an opportunity to win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
The Spurs outlasted the reigning champions, Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in a tense deciding recreation.
“Back in October, we knew we had a chance to be pretty good,” stated head coach Mitch Johnson after the recreation to the NBC broadcast. He praised his workforce for “giving themselves to each other, to the program, and everything that we’ve done. Oklahoma City’s a helluva organization, and what a series.”
He alluded to the youth of his workforce, in their first playoff run since 2019, when he stated it wasn’t expertise that obtained them to the Finals.
“There’s been a lot being talked about, just words like competitiveness, resolve, togetherness, execution. … I don’t give a damn about the word experience,” he stated.
Led by Victor Wembanyama, who completed with 22 factors and 7 rebounds, the Spurs clinched a spot in the Finals for the first time since 2014.
It was the type of dramatic Game 7 {that a} basic collection deserved – one which noticed each groups eke out shut wins and run away with blowouts as the Spurs and Thunder established their matchup as the premier rivalry in the NBA proper now. The bodily, rollicking deciding recreation in OKC on Saturday confirmed that it is perhaps the rivalry to look at in the league for years to come back.
The Spurs got here out of the gates scorching, rapidly taking a 14-point lead, leaving the raucous Continental Coliseum crowd surprised.
But the Thunder stormed again to briefly take the lead simply earlier than halftime behind reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s 13 factors in the second quarter.
However, OKC’s momentum didn’t final as San Antonio surged proper again to a double-digit lead behind a 16-2 run in the third quarter led by Julian Champagnie’s six three-pointers.
Like all recreation lengthy, the Thunder might by no means be counted out.
SGA clawed the workforce again into the recreation, solely trailing by three factors coming into the ultimate quarter.
But San Antonio had a solution for each Thunder response down the stretch, securing the victory.
It has been fairly the turnaround for the Spurs, a workforce that drafted Wembanyama first general in 2023 and completed thirteenth in the Western Conference final season.
The 22-year-old Wembanyama was emotional, bursting into tears as the ultimate horn blew and once more choking again feelings after being named the Most Valuable Player of the WCF.
The French heart stated the feelings got here from “realizing some part” of his childhood desires will come true.
“Even though we still have one more, this feeling is – I can’t explain it,” Wembanyama instructed the NBC broadcast whereas holding the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy. “It’s so powerful.”
The Spurs will host the Knicks on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center and Wemby had one message for the followers.
“We want four more, we are not done. Go Spurs, go,” Wembanyama yelled.
The Thunder’s try at changing into the first NBA workforce to efficiently defend their title for the first time since the Golden State Warriors did so in 2017 and 2018 got here up brief.
Gilgeous-Alexander completed with a game-high 35 factors and 9 assists however wasn’t sufficient to hold a Thunder workforce that limped to the end line, coping with fatigue and a slew of accidents.
“They were just the better team tonight from start to finish,” Gilgeous-Alexander instructed reporters after the recreation. “And then each time we tried to chop into it and take management of the recreation, it felt like that they had a solution.
“And a lot of the time, it felt like tough shot making. So, hats off to them. They played better tonight and they deserved to win again.”
The Finals will make a little bit of historical past: The Knicks’ Mike Brown and Spurs’ Johnson will turn into the fourth pair of Black head coaches to face off in the Finals – the first time since 2024 when Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and then-Mavericks coach Jason Kidd went to head-to-head.
The story has been up to date with extra info.