With roughly 35 games left on the schedule for most teams, the playoff picture is still taking shape - but make no mistake, the race for the Larry O’Brien Trophy is already heating up. And while the Oklahoma City Thunder still sit atop the standings, the air of invincibility they carried early in the season has started to fade.
At one point, it looked like OKC might flirt with the 2015-16 Warriors' legendary 73-win mark. But then December happened - and so did the San Antonio Spurs. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs handed the Thunder not one, not two, but three losses in a two-week stretch, knocking OKC down a peg and reminding the league that even the best teams can bleed.
The Thunder still boast the league’s best record, but since those losses to San Antonio, they’ve dropped games to the Suns, Hornets, Heat, Pacers, and Raptors. That’s not exactly the resume of a team steamrolling its way to June. The title is still theirs to lose, but the cracks are showing - and the Spurs were the first to widen them.
More importantly, those wins did more than just dent OKC’s armor - they launched San Antonio into a new tier of legitimacy. The rebuild?
That’s yesterday’s news. The Spurs have arrived, and they’re not just a fun young team anymore - they’re a legitimate threat.
Some are even calling them a dark horse to take it all. But as the saying goes in boxing, styles make fights.
Just because San Antonio seems to have OKC’s number doesn’t mean they’ll breeze through the rest of the West.
Case in point: last night’s gritty comeback win over the Houston Rockets. The Spurs were down at the half, and during the break, Charles Barkley offered a sharp bit of analysis on why San Antonio might match up better with the Thunder than with teams like the Rockets or Nuggets.
“That’s an easier matchup for them,” Barkley said about facing OKC. “When they have Hartenstein out there, he’s a liability on the offensive end, so their guards can pressure, pressure, pressure and funnel everything to Wemby.”
Barkley’s point? Against OKC, the Spurs can lean into their defensive strengths - let their guards get aggressive and trust Wembanyama to clean things up at the rim. But against centers like Alperen Sengun or Nikola Jokic, it’s a different story.
“When they play against Sengun and the Joker, they’re gonna occupy Wemby,” Barkley continued. “And then their team gets really, really small when he has to stay out of the paint.”
Now, calling Isaiah Hartenstein an offensive liability might be a bit strong. He’s a solid contributor, averaging 11.2 points and 3.0 assists per game - but he’s not the offensive hub that Sengun or Jokic are.
Those two not only score, but orchestrate. They draw defenders, read the floor, and make everyone around them better.
And that’s where things get tricky for San Antonio.
Wemby is already a nightmare matchup - a 7'4" unicorn with elite timing, touch, and instincts. But players like Sengun and Jokic can neutralize some of that by pulling him away from the basket and forcing him into uncomfortable spots.
Jokic, in particular, is the ultimate problem-solver. He’s not bothered by length the way most are - he just adapts.
Interestingly, Wemby hasn’t gone head-to-head with Jokic yet this season. The Spurs did win their only matchup with Denver so far, a 139-136 shootout - but Wembanyama didn’t play in that one.
Last season, when the two did face off on back-to-back nights, Jokic barely blinked: 43.5 points, 13.5 boards, and 9.5 assists per game in the two-game split. We’ll get a clearer picture soon - the Spurs and Nuggets are set to meet three more times in the final month of the regular season.
As for last night, the Spurs’ win over Houston was more than just another tally in the standings. It was a statement - especially after the Rockets had beaten them just a week prior by holding Wemby in check.
This time, San Antonio adjusted, clawed back, and closed it out on the road. That’s the kind of growth you want to see from a team trying to make a deep postseason run.
And make no mistake - the Western Conference playoffs are shaping up to be a gauntlet. If the standings hold, the Spurs could have to go through two of the Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets - and that’s before even mentioning the Lakers, Timberwolves, or Suns. There are no easy outs in this bracket.
So the question remains: is it already Wemby’s league? The talent, the impact, the moments - they’re all pointing in that direction.
But the playoffs are where reputations are made, and the West won’t hand anything over without a fight. We’re about to find out just how ready this Spurs team - and their generational star - really are.