With all apologies to the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s the series we’ve been waiting for all season.
On Friday, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Timberwolves, 139-109, to close out the Western Conference semifinal series in six games and set up an epic conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Lakers in their second-round series.
The Thunder (64-18, first in Western Conference) and Spurs (62-20, second in Western Conference) were the clear two best Western Conference teams all regular season and have been just as dominant in the playoffs. Oklahoma City is a perfect 8-0 during the postseason, and its closest victory was a five-point margin in the second-round series-clincher on Monday against Los Angeles.
San Antonio hasn’t been perfect, but it’s pretty close, going 8-3, its three losses by a combined 10 points. The Spurs’ wins, meanwhile, have come by an average of 21.1 points per game.
What happens when two unstoppable forces collide? We can’t wait to find out. Before the Western Conference Finals tipoff on Monday, here are five things we’ll be monitoring in the clash of titans.
Thunder rust?
Oklahoma City’s reward for steamrolling through the NBA quarterfinals was a week layoff, but whether that’s a positive or not remains to be seen. It didn’t impact the Thunder in Round 2, which began eight days after they dispatched the Phoenix Suns. Oklahoma City easily won Game 1 against the Lakers shooting 53.5 percent in the first half, including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc.
But San Antonio, which went 4-1 against Oklahoma City during the regular season, is a completely different challenge. And as the Thunder rested at home this past week, the Spurs were building momentum, winning the final two games of their second-round series against the Timberwolves by 59 points.
Impact of Jalen Williams’ return
While there’s a potential negative to having a week off, Oklahoma City will benefit from a healthy Williams, who hasn’t played since Game 2 of the first round after suffering a hamstring injury. That the Thunder haven’t needed him yet speaks volumes about the team’s depth — second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, who played sparingly last season, has blossomed in an increased role — but how quickly Williams reintegrates could be a determining factor in which team advances to the NBA Finals.
The 2022 first-round pick averaged 16.5 points per game against the Spurs during the regular season (four games). In three losses, Williams shot 38.3 percent, compared to 60 percent in the Thunder’s 119-98 win. Head coach Mark Daigneault might not have the luxury to wait for Williams to find his footing. The 2025 All-Star needs to make an instant impact, or Daigneault will have to rely on the group that got him this far.
SGA’s free-throw attempts
For the third year in a row, Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in free throws, making 7.9 per game. The 2025 MVP’s ability to draw fouls can be as devastating as it is frustrating for opponents, and the Spurs know that firsthand. It’s no coincidence that in Oklahoma City’s 21-point rout of San Antonio during the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander got the line often, finishing 11-of-13 on free-throw attempts. He attempted just 17 free throws in three losses despite 47 of his 64 shot attempts coming from inside the arc. The Spurs must play that same style of disciplined defense to recreate those regular-season results.
Are young Spurs ready for the moment?
As mature as San Antonio and MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama have played this postseason, it’s easy to forget it’s a young group that — outside of backup forward Harrison Barnes center Luke Kornet — is light on playoff experience. Just a season ago, the Spurs were nowhere close to the postseason, finishing 13th in the West at 34-48. Usually, teams make a gradual climb from non-factor to title contender, but San Antonio is looking to expedite the process.
Even Oklahoma City needed a couple of years with its core, making the play-in tournament in 2023 then losing in the West semis the following year before winning the 2025 championship. It’s funny to think of the Thunder as a veteran group, but they are compared to the Spurs. That may end up making a huge difference.
Control of the paint
In San Antonio’s lone loss to Oklahoma City during the regular season, it shot just 48 percent at the rim, per Dunks and Threes. In four wins, the Spurs shot 73 percent (81-of-111).
The Thunder have an elite rim protector in power forward Chet Holmgren, who is averaging 1.8 blocks per game during the playoffs. Center Isaiah Hartenstein (7-foot) also has a pair of multi-block games.
Per Cleaning The Glass during the postseason, the Spurs have attempted shots at the rim at the third-highest frequency, shooting 68.7 percent, which ranks eighth. The Thunder have made 76.2 percent of their baskets at the rim (third-best), but those attempts only make up 27.5 percent of their shot profile.
San Antonio has been stringent close to the basket, holding opponents to a league-low 55.5 percent at the trim, while Oklahoma City’s defense ranks third (61.1 percent). Whichever team asserts its will should soon find itself four wins away from the 2026 NBA title.
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