Followers of the defending NBA Champion Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have been left a lump of coal on Christmas Day. The San Antonio Spurs stated “bah humbug” to OKC as they traveled into hostile territory and nonetheless pulled out their third win in opposition to the Thunder this season, once more in blowout style.
The Spurs’ NBA Cup win over the Thunder was thought of a fluke by many. The second win in San Antonio had some excuses in-built, because the Thunder have been undermanned and enjoying the second sport of a back-to-back. This Christmas win in Oklahoma Metropolis is indicative of a development – an alarming one for the remainder of the NBA. The reigning MVP and OKC guard, Shai Gligeous-Alexander, stated it finest:
“You don’t lose to a crew thrice in a row in a brief span with out them being higher than you.”
At present, the Spurs are higher than the defending champions. It’s exhausting to have another takeaway from this latest stretch than that. It doesn’t imply they are going to be higher within the Playoffs, or are a shoo-in for the NBA Finals, however presently, they’re higher than the Thunder, and may be the most effective crew within the league proper now.
Only a yr in the past, San Antonio was nearer to the worst within the NBA than it was the most effective. So what modified? Quite a lot of the Spurs’ success has been because of the power of their guard trio. De’Aaron Fox was nothing wanting elite on Christmas, scoring 29 factors, attending to the paint at will, and nailing three triples. Stephon Fortress has the physicality to face up to OKC’s defensive strain and hassle them on the opposite finish. Dylan Harper has been so spectacular in his rookie season. His poise by no means falters even within the face of probably the greatest perimeter defenses in NBA historical past.
On prime of the personnel adjustments, there was a serious mindset shift in San Antonio. This isn’t a crew enjoying just like the plucky younger group with an “ah shucks, we’re simply completely happy to be right here” mentality. The Spurs have an actual killer intuition to them. They appear to be they need to personally dominate the Thunder in each side of the sport. From prime to backside, there’s a larger sense of urgency on this matchup than in a number of the different video games.
At 23-7, the Spurs have the third-best file within the NBA. They’re a sport behind the Detroit Pistons and a pair of.5 behind OKC. They’re using an 8-game profitable streak into a house stand in opposition to the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks. There’s a universe the place San Antonio has the most effective file within the league earlier than the tip of the calendar yr. It’s time to formally begin speaking about this crew just like the contenders they’re.
