Throughout much of the season, questions arose about possible weaknesses for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The reigning champions lacked Victor Wembanyama, who guided the San Antonio Spurs to a Game 7 win in the Western Conference finals. The Spurs secured a 111-103 victory on Saturday evening, advancing to face the New York Knicks in the NBA finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday in San Antonio. It would overlook the contributions of Wembanyama’s teammates to attribute the outcome entirely to the 7-foot-4 Frenchman. Julian Champagnie tallied 20 points, including six three-pointers, while Dylan Harper posed threats off the bench. Backup Luke Kornet delivered a key block in the fourth quarter during a Thunder rally attempt. Wembanyama ended with 22 points and seven rebounds. “They don’t know how much I love them, and everyone stepped up tonight,” the 22-year-old said regarding his teammates. The Thunder, missing Jalen Williams due to a hamstring injury, competed until the end but resorted to long-range three-pointers, allowing the Spurs a breakaway dunk to close the game. Wembanyama earned series MVP honors and became emotional afterward. “Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true,” he explained about his reaction. “We’re still hungry, we want more. This feeling is so powerful, I can’t explain it.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, scored 35 points and added nine assists for the Thunder. No other teammate reached 20 points as the team lost its title. “You have to grow from every experience, including the tough ones,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “And it’s the NBA – there are tough ones. We can also be really disappointed … There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully.” The Spurs expressed confidence moving forward. History offers encouragement, as the Knicks last reached the NBA finals in 1999 and lost to the Spurs 4-1. “We never knew if we were going to get this far but when you’ve got the greatest player in the world things happen,” Champagnie noted. It was difficult to argue.
