Wembanyama defeats the defending champion, leading San Antonio Spurs back to the NBA Finals after 14 years

The skill of the 2.24-meter "extraterrestrial" enables the Spurs to subdue the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals series, thereby making a comeback to the NBA Finals after a long hiatus.

Victor Wembanyama continues to assert his leadership role, playing a major part in the San Antonio Spurs' 111-103 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals NBA 2026 on the morning of May 31 (Vietnam time), thereby securing a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

The game lived up to the tense nature of a do-or-die showdown. The Spurs led 80-77 after three quarters and built several safe leads, but the Thunder kept fighting back. The turning point came midway through the fourth quarter when Luke Kornet made an excellent block on Isaiah Hartenstein's close-range shot, preventing OKC from cutting the deficit to just four points. Although he played only six minutes and scored two points, that defensive play by Kornet is considered one of the decisive moments of the game.

Wembanyama scored 22 points, continuing to be the driving force in the Spurs' offense. Alongside the French star, Julian Champagnie also delivered an outstanding performance with 20 points, most of which came from accurate three-point shots. Stephon Castle contributed 16 points, De'Aaron Fox added 15 points, while Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell all made important contributions on the offensive end.

Winning on the road allowed the Spurs to cap off a remarkable journey against the defending champions. Notably, San Antonio also started the series with a victory in Oklahoma City and ended the matchup in the same fashion to officially dethrone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates.

On the Thunder side, SGA continued to shine with 35 points and 9 assists. Cason Wallace scored 17 points, while Jared McCain and Alex Caruso each had 12 points. However, the absence of Jalen Williams due to a hamstring injury caused the home team significant difficulties during the decisive stages.

"This feeling is hard to put into words. It's extremely special. But we are not done yet. We want to win four more games.", Wemby shared.

This defeat means the NBA will continue to have a new champion for the eighth consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Spurs are on the verge of capturing their first title since the golden era with Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, etc., in 2014, opening a promising new chapter under the leadership of the "alien" Wembanyama.

Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart) will take place at 7:30 a.m. on June 4 (Vietnam time).