“The NBA wants them gone” - Skip Bayless claims major television networks are actively pulling for an OKC elimination - Australia News Beep

There is hardly ever a high-pressure, intense playoff series without Skip Bayless delivering a controversial take that sparks debate across the NBA landscape.

This time, his attention has turned to the 2026 Western Conference Finals between the OKC Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, where he speculated that the NBA is deliberately preventing the young Thunder team from enjoying continued success.

It’s no surprise that, despite OKC establishing unparalleled dominance in the NBA, registering league-best records in back-to-back seasons, there is a stain on their playing style — they constantly look for favorable calls and prioritize theatrics on the hardwood.

Bayless added fuel to that narrative, arguing that a team that often gets labeled as “free-throw merchants” is now itself on the opposite side of the whistle – something which isn’t happening by accident.

“The Spurs have shot 17 more free throws than the Thunder. So the free-throw merchant is not getting to the free-throw line any more than the Alien is,” Bayless said. “The NBA wants them gone. The networks, they don’t want the Thunder to win.”

Spurs have benefited more from the FT line

Through the first four games of this Conference Finals, the Spurs attempted 111 free throws, as compared to the Thunder attempting 94.

Moreover, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is often criticized for flopping, had attempted as many shots from the charity stripe as the Spurs’ 7’4” phenom Victor Wembanyama. Furthermore, no other OKC player even attempted half as many free throws as SGA, whereas Stephon Castle went to the charity stripe for a potential 27 points over the first four contests.

However, the main reason this WCF was tied had little to do with officiating. But the fact that SGA shot 26.7 percent from the field over the first four games, whereas Chet Holmgren, who averaged 20.0 points in the second-round series against the LA Lakers, had managed only 11.3 points.

As for the increased physicality displayed by the Spurs, it is often the natural result when two young, athletic, fast-paced teams meet at this stage of the playoffs.

Bayless’ conspiracy theory proves wrong

Like many of Skip’s theories, even this one lost its weight as Game 5 unfolded. On Tuesday night, the Thunder attempted six more free throws than the Spurs.

While that alone makes it difficult to argue that the officials or the league are favoring one team, several calls went in OKC’s favor.

A notable example of this came when Cason Wallace blocked a shot off the rim from Luke Kornet, which clearly should’ve been called a goaltending. Then, an out-of-bounds play that should’ve been given to the Spurs was wrongly called and when coach Mitch Johnson tried to challenge it, the game wasn’t stopped, and he was shockingly handed a tech.

Safe to say, these are the kind of calls that inevitably occur over the course of an intense playoff series. Some will favor one team, some will favor the other. That does not automatically point to a league-wide agenda.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“The NBA wants them gone” – Skip Bayless claims major television networks are actively pulling for an OKC elimination

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