The teams at the top of the Western Conference have established their superiority. The Thunder have won 11 in a row. The San Antonio Spurs are 21-2 in their last 23. Even the Lakers are on a roll, with nine straight wins to solidify their hold on the 3-seed.
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NBA fans came into this season expecting OKC to run it back and run roughshod over the league. When they began the campaign with a 24-1 run, it looked like the Warriors’ all-time wins record was in jeopardy. However, the Spurs beating them three times in a row opened everyone’s eyes to the possibility that a Thunder repeat wasn’t a guarantee.
San Antonio’s rapid ascension as a title contender is powered by its star and leader, Victor Wembanyama, who looks like a lock for Defensive Player of the Year. His 24.3 points per game and ever-evolving offensive skill set have also kept him in the MVP running. And the star forward wants more.
Wemby recently said that he wanted to get the Spurs to 60 wins this season to balance out the losses during his rookie year. San Antonio needs to finish the regular season with seven wins in its final 11 games to get there. And with more than a few games against teams with no incentive to win, the smart money is on them doing it.
On NBA Showtime after Sunday night’s Wolves-Celtics game, Carmelo Anthony, impressed by the French star setting the benchmark for his team like a true leader, said that the best is yet to come for Wemby and the Spurs. “Wemby is coming down the end of the season saying he wants to get 60 wins,” he said.
“That mindset right there just tells me something totally different about San Antonio, and Wemby and the focus going into the postseason. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of San Antonio yet,” predicted Melo, adding that the team’s defense is the prime reason the Spurs could make a run.
Vince Carter stepped in at that point to state that the Spurs do so much more well than just D up. “They understand how to play, and they make it tough,” he said.
“He’s a great rim protector, and then when they get out and run, they have athletes, shooting, and then Wemby trailing, that’s a tough go,” added Carter.
When he came into the league in 2023, the Frenchman was arguably the most heralded prospect of all time. Two years down the road, he is showing why, fueling the Spurs on both ends of the court. OKC got a first-hand experience of what the team, powered by Wemby, could do during the season.
The Spurs do have the tiebreaker against the Thunder. However, they’re three games behind with 11 to go, and OKC likely won’t lose enough to give San Antonio a chance to catch them.
Regardless, this looks like a grudge match that can only be settled in a seven-game series. Are the Spurs ready to dethrone the champs? No one knows the answer to that just yet, but we’d all love to see them try.
