The Oklahoma City Thunder were one win away from the NBA Finals. Now they have to win a Game 7 at home to get there, because the San Antonio Spurs just punched them in the mouth.
San Antonio dismantled OKC 118-91 in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7 on Saturday night. The series flipped on a disastrous third quarter for the Thunder, who got outscored 32-13 in the frame and never recovered. A two-point game turned into a blowout in about 12 minutes.
Victor Wembanyama led the charge with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, had one of the worst nights of his postseason with 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
The Pressure Just Shifted to OKC
Game 7 will be in Oklahoma City, which is a real advantage for the Thunder. But all the pressure now sits on the higher seed. The Thunder were the best regular-season team in the West and the title favorite for months. Losing this series after going up 3-2 would be a franchise-defining collapse.
San Antonio has nothing to lose and the best player on the floor. Wembanyama has been a problem all series, swatting shots, stretching the floor, and bullying the Thunder bigs. When he plays like he did in Game 6, the Spurs can beat anybody.
The Thunder need Gilgeous-Alexander to look like the MVP again. Six-of-18 will not cut it in a Game 7. If he comes out passive and settles for jumpers, OKC is in serious trouble.
How I See It Playing Out
Home court matters in Game 7s, and the Thunder are loaded with talent and depth. The smart bet is OKC bouncing back and finding a way to survive. But Wembanyama has the kind of ceiling that makes any prediction feel shaky.
If the Spurs win, it goes down as one of the biggest upsets in recent playoff memory and launches the Wembanyama era a year early. If the Thunder win, they get the Knicks in the Finals and the storyline becomes whether SGA can deliver a championship.
Either way, we got a Game 7 between the reigning MVP and the future of the league. That is exactly the matchup the NBA wanted, and it is exactly the kind of drama that makes the playoffs must-watch television.
The Spurs have already proven they can hang with the favorites. Now they have to do it one more time, on the road, with a Finals berth on the line. If Wembanyama plays like he did in Game 6, do not put anything past him.
Saturday cannot get here fast enough.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
