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This is often overused whenever we talk about certain playoff matchups or teams going against each other. We’ll say some version of, “I’ll take seven games of this, please.” You cannot state it enough when it comes to the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Anything less than seven games will be a punishment from the basketball gods.
Wemby’s world
Did Spurs star really just do that to OKC?
Forty-eight minutes and 42 seconds. Forty-one points. Twenty-four rebounds. Three assists. Three blocks. One massive 28-foot 3-pointer.
That was Victor Wembanyama’s stat line from the Spurs’ 122-115 double-overtime victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals last night. I’m not even sure where to go with this. It’s been hours since the game ended, and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with this section.
That was one of the most fun basketball games I’ve ever watched. I’m trying not to be a prisoner of the moment. That’s all over the internet at all times. But as I get more and more minutes away from the end of that game, I’m still stunned by what I saw.
Wembanyama — who was 14-of-25 from the field and 12-of-13 from the foul line — delivered in historic fashion. Since blocked shots started being recorded in the 1973-74 season, only three players have put up 40 points, 24 boards and three blocks in a playoff game. Hakeem Olajuwon did it twice in 1987 and 1988. Shaquille O’Neal did it in 2000. Now Wemby.
Wemby had a chance to win the game in regulation. He was swarmed by Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace enough to give Chet Holmgren time to block the floater. Then in the first overtime — with the Spurs down three with about 30 seconds left — he pulled up in transition for this:
Look familiar? That helped send the game into a second overtime, where Wemby scored nine points. With a minute left in the game. Wemby spun off Caruso, was met at the rim by Holmgren and left no doubt about who would get the better of the moment. The and-1 dunk put the Spurs up by four,
Look at how fired up Wemby was there. That’s both because of the moment and because it was on Chet. That’s why this battle is so great.
Wemby scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and both overtimes. The Spurs held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting, but he also had 12 assists, five steals and four turnovers. On the night in which SGA received his MVP trophy in front of the OKC crowd, Wemby acknowledged that he wants that trophy. He wants all the trophies. And he’s here for them now.
Is it being a prisoner of the moment to call Wembanyama the best player in the world following a night like that? Probably. Does it make it any less true? No. Is the NBA about to be imprisoned by what he does and doesn’t allow others to do in his era of basketball? Most definitely. Maybe you need to wait to see more, but Wemby is the best player on the planet. Whether the Spurs win this series or not. Nobody affects the game like him. And now the Thunder have to figure out how to solve him.
What do the Thunder need in Game 2? A lot. They need to get cleaner looks for SGA. They need another heroic performance from Caruso (31 points and 8-of-14 from 3 off the bench). They need Chet to show up and actually have an impact throughout the game. He was nonexistent most of this game.
What can the Spurs improve upon? Cut down on the turnovers — giving up 28 points off 23 turnovers would normally be a recipe for disaster. And the starters shooting better than 9-of-35 from deep would help.
What’s a big stat from the game? The Thunder were 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) from the field when Wemby was on the bench. They were 31-of-84 (36.9 percent) when Wemby was on the floor.
Playoff Panic Meter: 🚨🚨🚨 for OKC.
When is Game 2? Tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
The last 24
📈 More tiers. Law Murray continues the Player Tiers project with Tier 4. Michael Porter Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Paul George are featured in this group.
💰 Big tickets. Want to go see the Cavs and Knicks play in the Eastern Conference finals? Hope you have $700 or more.
🦓 Zebra watching. The WNBA has formed a task force to help fix some “egregious” officiating mistakes.
🔊 “NBA Daily.” Watch and listen to a recap of last night’s Spurs-Thunder classic.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
East finals preview
Who has the edge in Cavs-Knicks series?
It required a circuitous route, but we have the Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks East finals that many people back in the preseason assumed would happen. The Knicks needed a while to get to the level we wanted to see, but then they sent it into overdrive in the first two playoff rounds. The Cavs … have almost ended up here by default? Which is odd to say about a team that won two Game 7s.
Regardless, we have Cavs-Knicks. Game 1 tips off tonight at 8 ET on ESPN (full schedule below). Let’s preview!
How did they get here? The Knicks made quick work of their first two opponents. After going down 2-1 against the Hawks in the first round — with those losses coming by a total of two points — they dominated the next three games. Then they swept the 76ers. The Cavs went through the Raptors in seven games without winning a road game. Then they outlasted the Pistons, winning Games 5 and 7 on the road.
How did the season series go? The Knicks went 2-1. One New York win came on opening night. The other happened on Christmas Day. The Cavs won in late February after the trade for James Harden.
What’s the best storyline? The Knicks are trying to achieve their mandate of making the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Cavs are just the type of nobody-believes-in-us team that normally thwarts New York in its quest.
What’s the big hurdle for the Cavs? Consistency. And not their struggles from the previous three years. Cleveland had wild swings in its first two postseason series. That includes ups and downs from their four major guys, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Harden. Their role players, meanwhile, are all over the place.
What’s the big hurdle for the Knicks? Keeping this level of play going. What they’ve displayed in the last seven playoff games is something nobody in the East can touch. How do you keep that focus and consistency? Integrating OG Anunoby off a hamstring injury could take some time. Can Karl-Anthony Towns continue his high-level facilitating?
Key component for the Cavaliers: Guarding Jalen Brunson. The Cavs have personnel (Mobley and Allen) to throw different defensive looks at Towns. Despite a small amount of success, however, the idea that Dean Wade is going to stick on Brunson seems optimistic at best.
Key component for the Knicks: Keeping Mitchell and Harden from getting hot. Anunoby will defend one of them. Josh Hart will see time on them. Mikal Bridges was brilliant against Tyrese Maxey. New York has to cut off scoring binges from this Cleveland backcourt.
Who is the favorite? Knicks are -300 to win. Cavs are +240 to win, per BetMGM.
What’s the prediction? Knicks in five.
Pelican chief
Mosley lands in New Orleans
Yesterday, the New Orleans Pelicans announced they’ve hired Jamahl Mosley as their next coach. You may remember that the Magic fired Mosley after they lost to the Pistons in the first round. The Pelicans, who fired Willie Green 12 games into the season, have been reportedly interested in Mosley since November.
Mosley fits the defense-first mentality that New Orleans lead executive Joe Dumars prefers. In Mosley’s five seasons in Orlando, the Magic finished 17th, 16th, second, second and 11th in defensive rating. Twice under Green, the Pelicans finished in the top seven in defensive rating, but they’ve been in the bottom half of the league in six of the last eight seasons. Dumars needs to bring in more defensive help, but Mosley can usually extract that out of players.
The remaining questions for the Pelicans under Mosley are:
What’s going to happen with Zion Williamson? He has two years left on his deal.
Will the Pelicans trade Trey Murphy III to bring in a haul of players and/or assets?
How much of this roster even fits into what the Pelicans want to build?
Do rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears play enough defense to fit what Mosley wants?
Are the Pelicans going to retool into a quick turnaround, or do they have the patience to build for the long term?
When are the Pelicans going to get better uniforms?
Is Mosley going to have an assistant coach to handle his biggest blind spot, which is a good offensive system?
I don’t know what should happen with Zion at this point (he’s extension eligible!), but I love the idea of Murphy being a main guy for them. I think he could be a second guy on a very good team. It feels like Dumars has a lot of reshaping of his roster to do. Reminder, he won’t have a first-round pick to use this year to help do it.