Spurs Dethrone OKC in Game 7 — And Why Spurs vs Knicks Is the NBA Finals We All Needed

NBA Playoffs · Western Conference Finals · June 2026

By HooperClass  ·  June 2026  ·  9 min read  ·  NBA

Nobody gave them a chance. The San Antonio Spurs were a No. 2 seed, yes — but they were going to Oklahoma City, facing the defending champions, the team with the best record in the NBA, with SGA fresh off his second MVP. Every analyst, every betting line, every casual fan expected OKC to close it out in six and coast to the Finals.

Instead, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in a Game 7 on the road — bucking heavy odds and dethroning the defending champions to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

Game 7 of this Western Conference Finals became the most-viewed NBA game in the history of social media, reaching a record 2 billion social views. That number tells you everything about the magnitude of what just happened.

How the Series Went — Game by Game

The series averages tell the story of two evenly matched teams: OKC averaged 109.0 points per game, San Antonio 112.7. The Spurs dominated the glass — 46.9 rebounds per game to OKC’s 42.4. And Wembanyama was the best player on the floor all series, averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.

The Spurs started the Western Conference Finals with a win in Oklahoma City — then ended the series the same way. What happened in between was a rollercoaster: the Thunder led Game 3 by 11, the Spurs led Game 4 by 18, the Thunder led Game 5 by 10, and the Spurs led Game 6 by 26 — all those leads holding up with relative ease.

In Game 5, SGA had his highest-scoring game of the series with 32 points and 9 assists, while the OKC defence held San Antonio to just 40.2% shooting. Chet Holmgren put up 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Alex Caruso came off the bench for 22 points to lead the Thunder back and move them one win away from the Finals.

Then Game 7. The Spurs led by as many as 14 in the first half and by as many as 11 in the third, only to see the Thunder come roaring back both times. Going into the fourth it was Spurs 80, Thunder 77 — a back-and-forth battle worthy of the occasion. San Antonio pulled away in the fourth quarter, daring OKC to come back one more time. This time, they couldn’t.

Wembanyama Was Otherworldly

Wembanyama averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across the seven games — putting on a performance that silenced every remaining doubter. He was the best player in this series. Not SGA. Not anyone else. Wembanyama.

In Game 7, he scored 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds — but more importantly, he was the stabilising force that kept San Antonio composed every time OKC made a run. At 22 years old, playing in his third NBA season, he performed like a ten-year veteran on the biggest stage of his career.

Julian Champagnie added 20 points in Game 7, getting 18 of them from three-pointers. Stephon Castle scored 16, De’Aaron Fox had 15, Dylan Harper added 12, and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each finished with 11. This wasn’t a one-man show. This was a team.

Why OKC Fell Short

The Thunder were short-handed, with Jalen Williams sidelined for portions of the series — and his absence was felt. Williams is OKC’s second-best player and their most reliable shot creator after SGA. Without him at full capacity, the Thunder’s offence became predictable and one-dimensional in crunch time.

SGA had 35 points and 9 assists in Game 7 — a brilliant individual performance that ultimately wasn’t enough. When one player has to carry that kind of load in a Game 7, it tells you something about the team’s limitations without their full complement of weapons.

And perhaps most importantly — the Spurs were simply built for this moment. Their depth, their coach, their system. Mitch Johnson had San Antonio ready for every punch OKC threw. The Spurs led for 92% of Game 7, including by 12 points with 3:45 remaining. The Thunder made it a six-point game — but it was too little, too late.

Why Spurs vs Knicks Is the Perfect NBA Finals

Let’s be honest — nobody could have scripted this better. The Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, which they won. The Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999. Two of the most iconic franchises in NBA history. Two of the most passionate fanbases in sport. And a matchup that basketball fans across the world have been waiting decades to see again.

The New York Knicks open as underdogs in their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. But underdogs don’t scare this Knicks team. They knocked out the 76ers after trailing 3-1. They swept the Cavaliers. Jalen Brunson has been the most reliable playoff performer not named Wembanyama in the entire postseason. Madison Square Garden is going to be the loudest building on earth.

Here’s why this Finals is going to be special:

• ▸Wembanyama vs New York — The biggest market in basketball, the brightest spotlight in sport. Wemby on that stage, at 22 years old, with the world watching? This is a generational moment.
• ▸Jalen Brunson’s moment — The point guard who wasn’t supposed to be this good, on the biggest stage of his life, leading the Knicks to their first title in 53 years. If he delivers, it’s an all-time story.
• ▸The coaching chess match — Mitch Johnson vs Tom Thibodeau. Old school defensive grind vs a new-generation system built around the most versatile big man the game has ever seen.
• ▸San Antonio’s dynasty legacy — The Spurs franchise is built on championships. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, Kawhi Leonard. Now Wembanyama. If they win this, it cements Pop’s system — and Mitch Johnson’s coaching — as the gold standard of the modern era.
• ▸Madison Square Garden in a Game 7 — If this series goes the distance and ends at MSG, it will be one of the greatest sporting atmospheres in living memory. The Garden hasn’t hosted a Finals game since 1999. The city is ready.

HooperClass Prediction

The Knicks are underdogs. They’ll be underdogs in every pre-game show, every betting line, every expert panel. And for good reason — Wembanyama at his peak, with this supporting cast, with Mitch Johnson’s preparation, is genuinely the most formidable team left standing.

But playoff basketball is unpredictable. The Knicks have home court. They have momentum. They have Brunson, who has been absolutely unguardable in the clutch. And they have the crowd at MSG, which is worth at least 5 points per game in a building that hasn’t hosted a Finals since the century turned.

Our call: Spurs in 6. Wembanyama is too good, the Spurs are too deep, and their system is too difficult to crack in a short series. But if Brunson goes supernova, if the Garden delivers, and if this thing goes to a Game 7 — all bets are off. Either way, we’re about to watch something we’ll be talking about for decades. 🏀