The most anticipated series of these NBA Playoffs has lived up to the hype and then some.
Through six games, these two teams are dead even. Even with San Antonio Spurs facing elimination in Game 6, it was clear this series was always going seven, as they led wire-to-wire in a 118-91 blowout.
These two potential dynasties in the making have similar profiles: young, elite defensively and led by a player with the potential to end their career as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the doorstep of joining Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players to ever win back-to-back MVPs and NBA Championships in the same two seasons.
However, his reign over the league may be cut short almost immediately by the prodigy that is Victor Wembanyama, who in the first playoff run of his career, is already making the case that he is the best player in the world.
Wembanyama does not have the hardware or championships that Gilgeous-Alexander does, but the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year has been the best player in this series so far.
Can Wembanyama declare to the NBA world that he is already the face of the league in just his third season, or will his breakout season be a footnote in Gilgeous-Alexander’s history-making run to his second title?
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First Pick: San Antonio Spurs +3.5 over Oklahoma City Thunder
Rundown: Admittedly, I have picked the Spurs in each of the last four games in this series. However, Game 7 is not the time to back down.
The Thunder’s injuries have been a preeminent storyline in this series, and after Jalen Williams unsuccessfully attempted to play through his injury in Game 6, he and Ajay Mitchell are both ruled out for Game 7.
While OKC seems to be able to manifest elite defenders out of thin air off their bench, the biggest impact of these injuries is offensively, where the ball-handling burden on Gilgeous-Alexander increases massively in absence of his two backcourt running mates.
While Gilgeous-Alexander’s most dominant traits since his rise to super stardom have been his consistency and efficiency, he has been neither consistent nor efficient in this series against this elite Spurs defense.
The combination of having the best defender in the league roaming behind elite, physical guard defenders makes San Antonio the team most equipped to guard Gilgeous-Alexander’s drives to the basket.
Add on to that that the back-to-back MVP has shot just 26% from beyond the arc in this series, and you’re going to get maybe the worst series of his career as a superstar.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 24.3 points per game on 37.9% shooting from the floor.
While Wembanyama has had a couple of down games in this series, when he’s been aggressive and had his guards healthy to get him the ball in the spots he’s comfortable with, he’s been excellent.
The Frenchman understood the gravity of facing elimination in Game 6, and came out with a 20-point first half to help the Spurs amass a massive lead, his fifth 20-point half of the postseason.
The Spurs will get the better end of the duel between MVP candidates, and with OKC’s depth suffering from injuries, expect that to be enough for San Antonio to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts with guard Stephon Castle (5) in the second half during game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center.
Second Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs – Under 212
Rundown: The play through most of this series has been the over, with it going 4-2 over six games, but the under has hit twice in two of the last three games as both defenses have begun to tighten up the longer the series extends.
Through the regular season, these defenses were ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in defensive rating, and the Spurs have rocketed up to the top spot in defensive rating in the postseason.
Game 7s can typically be on the lower-scoring end as nerves ramp up, and with the Thunder offense being hamstrung by injuries and the Spurs’ relative inexperience in big games, there’s potential for both offenses to come out cold tonight.