Most teams have at least 35 games to go before the postseason arrives. But it’s never too early to start thinking ahead to possible playoff matchups.
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During the initial part of the season, it looked like the Thunder were locked to win the Larry O’Brien trophy again. However, they’ve looked much less invincible the past couple of months than earlier, when it looked like the 2015-16 Warriors’ regular-season wins record would be in reach.
The NBA can thank the Spurs for that. Victor Wembanyama and Co. beat OKC three times in two back in December. The Thunder still own the best record in the league, but since their aura of invincibility has been shattered, they’ve also suffered defeats to the Suns, Hornets, Heat, Pacers, and the Raptors.
The title is still OKC’s to lose, but with those head-to-head wins, the Spurs have elevated themselves. The time for rebuilding in San Antonio is clearly over, and justifiably, they’ve become a trendy title pick. As they say in boxing, though, styles make fights.
So just because the Spurs might have the upper hand on the Thunder, it doesn’t mean they can just walk through anyone else in the West. Wednesday night, the Spurs picked up a come-from-behind win over fellow Texas contenders, the Houston Rockets. At halftime with the Spurs down, Charles Barkley explained why they’re a better matchup for the Thunder than they are for the Rockets or Nuggets.
“That’s an easier matchup for them,” Chuck said of the Thunder, “because when they have [Isaiah] Hartenstein out there. He’s a liability on the offensive end, so their guards can pressure, pressure, pressure and funnel everything to Wemby.”
The Hall of Famer then explained where the Spurs fall short, pun intended. “The problem with the Spurs, when they play against [Alperen] Sengun and the Joker [Nikola Jokic], they’re gonna occupy Wemby, and then their team gets really, really small when he has to stay out of the paint,” said Barkley.
Chuck may have exaggerated a bit by calling Isiaiah Hartenstein an offensive liability, but he may be on to something here. What he’s probably trying to say is the offense doesn’t run through Hartenstein the way it does Alperen Sengun or Nikola Jokic. Hartenstein is not nearly the creative playmaker those two are, and the stats bear that out. He only averages 11.2 points and 3.0 assists per game.
With his size and athleticism, Wemby is the most destructive force not only now, but possibly ever. But Sengun, and especially Jokic, aren’t as bothered by size because they can do so many other things.
Wemby hasn’t faced Jokic yet this year, though the Spurs did win the lone matchup so far between these teams without the big Frenchman. The game was a 139-136 thriller.
Last year, they went against each other twice in back-to-back nights, and Jokic seemed completely unfazed as he averaged 43.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. The teams split 1-1. We’ll see what happens when they meet three times in the season’s final month.
Wednesday night’s comeback win was an important one for the Spurs. It showed they’re capable of beating the Rockets on the road after Houston held Wemby down and beat them just last week.
The Western Conference playoffs are going to be an absolute war. And if the standings hold, the Spurs will have to go through two of the three big teams in contention there (the Thunder, Nuggets, and the Rockets). Not to mention another capable team like the Lakers, Wolves, or the Suns.
Is it already Wemby’s league? We won’t have to wait long to find out.
