Paul Pierce claims injuries are the only reason OKC lost to the Spurs in WCF: "You didn’t have your second leading scorer" - United States News Beep

The San Antonio Spurs appeared completely confident throughout their Western Conference Finals matchup against the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Surviving two elimination games, the Spurs paved their way to the championship round for the first time since 2014 by eliminating the Thunder at their home, courtesy of Victor Wembanyama leading the series in points, rebounds and blocks.

Moreover, it was a series in which not only Chet Holmgren (an All-NBA Third Team selectee) was contained to just 10.7 points, but Shai Gilgeous Alexander logged four consecutive games where he shot below 50.0 percent from the field (the longest streak of his playoff career).

Yet for Paul Pierce, the only reason this young Spurs team was able to eliminate the Thunder was that the latter suffered from injuries to multiple stars.

“OKC just couldn’t overcome injuries. They took this great, Spurs team to seven and you didn’t have your second leading scorer, All-Star, and you didn’t have another guy – Ajay Mitchell, who was coming to his own this season,” Pierce said. “I always say, you have to be good and healthy and lucky, and they were unlucky with injuries.”

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Would Ajay and J-Dub have made a difference?

There is no doubt that both Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams, at full health, would have provided a major boost to OKC’s offense and given them greater depth. But even in the limited appearances they made in these Western Conference Finals, both players were far from their best.

Mitchell, for example, entered this series after registering a scoring average of 22.5 points per game in the second round series against the LA Lakers. Against San Antonio, though, he looked far less effective.

Across Games 1 and 2, Mitchell looked a shadow of his peak self, averaging just 7.0 points on a combined shooting of 6-of-13 from the field. Even in Game 3, before he was ruled out, Ajay scored just two points and had more turnovers (3) than field goals made (1). So, while his presence would have allowed OKC to rely on another quality shot maker, there was little evidence that Mitchell was able to manipulate his way against the Spurs’ defenders.

The same argument can be made for Jalen Williams.

Sure, he opened the series with a gritty 26-point performance, but followed it up with just four points in Game 2. Then, in his brief return in Game 6, the Spurs defenders did not allow him to settle in. As a result, in his 10 minutes, J-Dub had one point and two turnovers against his name.

Injuries are an unfortunate reality for every championship contender, and there is no question that they affected the Thunder’s trajectory in these playoffs. But even with other role players like Cason Wallace and Jared McCain stepping up in their absence, the Spurs’ youth did not allow them to dictate terms in every game, as they continuously adjusted to make their lives difficult.

Spurs youth showed their class

For instance, sophomore guard Stephon Castle averaged 18.0 points and 7.6 assists. Even rookie Dylan Harper averaged 12.0 points per game, while Devin Vassell, who was also in his career’s first playoff appearance, averaged 13.9 points per game this series.

Moreover, Mitch Johnson’s team showed multiple times throughout the year that they were not intimidated by the defending champions. They defeated the Thunder four times in the regular season and then four more times in the playoffs, showing the ability to adjust their game against the best in the league.

That level of success over such a large sample size is difficult to dismiss as a coincidence or simply the result of injuries.

So, while Pierce believes the Spurs might not have stood a chance against OKC if they had been fully healthy, Wemby & Co. proved him wrong eight different times in total this season, both in the regular season and now in the Playoffs.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Paul Pierce claims injuries are the only reason OKC lost to the Spurs in WCF: “You didn’t have your second leading scorer”

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