SAN ANTONIO – It’s ironic that the Oklahoma City Thunder’s biggest show of strength came as the 7-foot center was almost thrown to the ground by a shorter man, but the struggles are science fiction.
Three minutes into the second quarter, with Oklahoma City firing on all cylinders and the San Antonio Spurs seemingly unable to keep up, the hosts’ anger reached its peak. De’Aaron Fox wrapped up Chet Holmgren and dragged him to the floor, drawing a blazing 1. The ensuing scuffle earned technical fouls for all three Thunder Williamses: Jalen, Jaylin and Enrich. The Foxes and Victor Wembanyama, in the heart of their frustrations, openly confront them overnight.
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Wembanyama, who at that time had not mentioned the goal of the field, was struck by the thunder, and his hands and feet were thunderstruck. The Foxes were visibly having a tough time adjusting to the new lineup in the first season, and was at the lowest level of his career in practice and recruiting. to be done with involvement its near-identical rookie season.
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And in the middle of it was a stubborn, veteran, ball group that seemed more ready, more ready for the present. Stubborn, veteran, not forgetting the high-five of the ball, he was embraced and shot by his sworn enemy on his home turf. Thunder reminds us that full force – instead of departing fragments – is a force to be reckoned with.
“I think our collective understanding of our opponent has evolved over time,” head coach Mark Daigneault said following the 116-104 win. “This year was the first year that San Antonio was on the scene like that – they had very impactful young players. So it’s time to learn from the opponent. We’re trying to take lessons from last season, we played a lot.”
The Thunder made life difficult for Victor Wembanyama, limiting his spurs to one field goal in 13 attempts.
(Ronald Cortes via Getty Images)
Five months ago, the two Western Conference Titans clawed, scraped and competed in a grueling, exhilarating seven-game series — with each contest a mental back game and an existential mental pickleball. Because of the few degrees of separation between Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the system of adapting and adapting is an intractable matter. Even in October, while the reactions that come with the rematch feed the flames, it is challenging to read the true tactics of the opponent at the other end of the rope.
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But the introduction of the spurs of their three stations, which were usually transposed in thunder, was not merely another key thrown into the mix. Such a stylistic and ideological movement comes with its own challenges.
The combination of Daigneault’s talent and roster versatility proved vital to what Oklahoma City carried. The Thunder decided to experiment with different starting defensive ends from their 2-3 zone. Shadow of the Man remained consistent with the cross adaptation introduced as well, placing an actor like Isaiah Hartenstein in Stephon Castle and trusting the conversions behind if needed. They are raised when necessary, and painted, taken from the corners, and by themselves they force the Spurs to look at the large number of corners. (I won the thunder three or four meetings while allowing 90th-percentile or higher angle 3 rates.) San Antonio missed 27 of its 37 perimeter attempts, which would be an anomaly for a team that finished league average in possession and success — or it could spell blue for future opponents.
Perhaps most importantly, the Thunder rendered Wembanyama ineffective offensively for nearly 35 minutes. The Frenchman connected on 10 of 12 free throws, snagged 13 rebounds and made six shots, but missed all but one of his 13 field goal attempts. Some of these can be chalked up to fatigue; Oklahoma City took full advantage of Wemby’s obsession with near-constant movement of the action, whether through teams or spilling balls just to retreat to the perimeter and drive. Observing his performance on the whole, but the thunder soon rushed upon him at whatever opportunity they got. Even in his fourth NBA season, the Frenchman still has a ways to go in terms of physicality, something his rivals boast in spades. Different coverages, mixed in with timely hits and frequents, almost made Wembanyama situations of double and triple thinking before reacting.
“I need to get back to playing basketball I like,” Wembanyama said. “I don’t have anything to worry about, it’s not because I’m not myself. I’m good when I’m happy… I was brave, I’m brave.”
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An excellent — and perhaps terrifying — aspect of the Thunder, which could somehow be forgotten between the Knicks and the Spurs, is the crazy discussion of the basketball world, because this team is not far from an unheard of regular season and playoff distance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way, finishing with 32 points on 27 shots, Jalen Williams missed 11 of 16 attempts, Chet Holmgren wasn’t particularly effective on offense, and Cason Wallace didn’t connect on a single triple. And yet this team, at one point, has a close 30-point road lead. On nights when the Chiefs misfire, their depth (48 points from the second unit) will carry them. Rookie Aday Mara’s brilliant performance and the admirable job of defending Wembanyama was a strong indication of the general manager in the eyes of Sam Presti for his talent, from products produced like the Tulsa aircraft factory to shake in the “90s. This is a group that expects to be there at the end when all is said and done, even if the finish line is a month away.
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“This game doesn’t mean much,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The first game of the season. It just means tonight is an opportunity to do better against the best team and we did that. That’s what we try to do every night in the 82nd season and tonight.”