Thunder eliminated from NBA Cup play by Wembanyama, Spurs
The Thunder have lost two games by 4 total points. And I'm upset.
The NBA Cup has once again eluded OKC, one of the few gaps on their "best of" accomplishments the last couple seasons. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs played the Thunder tough on a pseudo-neutral court in Las Vegas, ending OKC's 16-game winning streak and halting their best-ever start to a season at a tie with the 73-win Warriors (24-1).
It was an exciting, tough matchup, even though the result was quite bitter for Thunder fans. Wembanyama neutralized the Thunder's early, typical dominance, reducing their 47-31 second quarter lead to 49-46 at half. Shai took charge by scoring 11 of his 29 points in the third quarter, and the Thunder fought hard throughout a thrilling, back-and-forth second half. But the final minutes devolved into a chess match of fouling and clock control by both teams, and OKC came up just short.
I can't wait for Spurs/Thunder part 2 and 3 later this month.
NBA Cup Semifinal: Spurs (18-7) def. Thunder (24-2), 111-109
- Wembanyama didn’t check in until the second quarter, as the Spurs had him on a minutes restriction in his first game back after a calf injury and a 12-game absence.
- When Wemby entered, a lot changed. San Antonio immediately went on a 9-2 run featuring some of his shoulder-shrug inducing plays above the rim that make you wonder, "What can you do against this guy?"
- Wemby's first-quarter absence altered the rotation and made for some weird dynamics, especially in the first half. After an early-season heavy dosage of double bigs, Mark Daigneault started the game with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the fronctourt, but never brought two bigs back while Wemby was on the court.
- Makes sense to me. Wemby isn’t an interior offensive player per se, and OKC was right to spread the floor and match their season average of 37 three-pointers attempted. Wembanyama only guarded one of those three-pointers, but the Thunder only converted 24.3% from deep. They would've scored 15 more points on a typical shooting night.
- I get the frontcourt rotation, except for the Jaylin Williams minutes. If double bigs isn’t the way against Wemby, why use the least equipped Thunder frontcourt member to match up with him at all? In a 2-point Spurs victory, San Antonio was +7 in those second quarter minutes when J-Will matched up against their monster big.
- Daigneault did keep Alex Caruso on the floor when Wemby played. In another rendition of "psycho Thunder guard vs. giant phenom twice his size" (Nikola Jokic was his co-star last postseason), Caruso fought nobly in the post. He led the Thunder's undersized charge of wrestling and keeping the ball away from Wemby on several possessions.
- After missing the Thunder’s last 12 games, Isaiah Hartenstein returned from his calf injury looking like himself on both ends. IHart finished multiple alley-oops, sold out on contests all over the court, and broke out a little finger-wings celebration after knocking down a jumper to put OKC up 41–29. He was a perfect 5-5 from the floor at that point, and finished the night with 10 points and 9 rebounds in just under 24 minutes. I was Hartened by his return in the loss. Ba dum tiss.
- The neutral Vegas crowd didn’t really come alive until the second half, and Stan Van Gundy overdid his praise for the game like he was watching an old "Where Amazing Happens" commercial. But despite my SVG annoyance, the Prime broadcast is clearly emphasizing that they—get this—like the sport of basketball. This is a refreshing departure from the TNT and ABC productions that have spent most of the last 20 years complaining about how much they hate it while the rest of us watch.
One Key Takeaway: Bring It On, Wemby
Like Van Gundy, the Vegas crowd was pretty pro-Wemby. And in a game in which Shai took 4 free throws to Wemby's 12, the internet complained that Wembanyama doesn't get SGA's superstar whistle.
NBA fans are struggling to accept how good the Thunder are, and are irrationally crediting their undeniable success to exploitation of the rules. Somehow, they think the most athletically gifted 7'4 human being in all of human history was up against all odds. How can Goliath win if the refs only give his team 5 more free throws than the Thunder?
And despite what you might read, Wembanyama did not dominate the Thunder. He just acted like it. In a game in which he was stripped before a shot attempt on multiple occasions by Alex Caruso (6'5) and outright blocked by Lu Dort (6'4) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6'6), Victor Wembanyama (7'4) taunted one of his much smaller defenders after a... checks notes ... fadeaway jumper.
Wemby also flexed after Cason Wallace (6'3) successfully prevented him from getting a dunk underneath a wide open basket. He's built different, I guess.
Here's Wemby's epic stat line for the final 2:30 of the fourth quarter:
- 1 foul
- 2 missed free throws
- 1 missed layup
- 1 missed dunk
- 1 rebound
- 4 points (all free throws)
But the broadcast worked hard to give Wemby a "game-winner" moment: He guarded an inbounds play in which OKC burned a timeout. What an all-timer. Where amazing happens.
I already admitted I'm bitter, but Wemby cribbing Lorde is not poignant. Wemby jogging with monks and musing at length about greatness celebrity every offseason will not make his game any more profound. If he does become the greatest player ever—and more power to the eight-footer for aiming high—it will be because he made good on the otherworldly size and ability that no one else has ever had at their disposal.
Clearly, Victor Wembanyama will be one of the most challenging players to deal with for a long time. But this game does not alarm me. Competition is fun. Winning against the toughest competition is satisfying. I'd still give the Thunder much better odds of figuring him out in a seven game series than vice versa. Call me cocky, but JDub wants to be better than the '95 Bulls and Shai wants the wins record. If Wemby's here to try and stop them? Bring it on.
