Why the New York Knicks decided to advance to the finals
After years of falling short, the New York Knicks made it to the NBA Finals. From roster moves to playoff growth, here’s how New York turned years of frustration into a championship run.
This was the first consecutive playoff appearance for the San Antonio Spurs.
On Thursday, May 28th, something new happened. It was the first time the Spurs’ young core faced elimination in the postseason.
This is the first time they’ve gotten away with it and extended the season, and they’ve done it in emphatic fashion.
The Spurs overwhelmed the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, putting them in a must-win situation. Game 7 is then set for Saturday, May 30th in Oklahoma City for a chance to play the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
On Thursday night, all eyes were on the two stars of this series, the Spurs’ Victor Wembaneyama and the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.
In the end, it was Wenbanyama who set the tone early on and took control of the match.
Here are the takeaways from Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder.
Victor Wembaneyama brings Spurs closer to invincibility
In the first minutes of Game 6, it became clear that Wenbanyama was correcting his mistakes from Game 5.
After playing too passively two nights ago, Wenbanyama set his tone early, going 4-of-6 from the floor in the first quarter and 9-of-16 in the first half for 22 points after intermission.
Asked after the game what was different about Wenbanyama from Game 5 to Game 6, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, “I guess it’s just his overall performance.” “It’s probably, from my perspective, it’s probably his will and intent to leave his mark on the game.”
The rest of the Spurs saw Wembaneyama shine, and his defensive and rebounding efforts also buoyed San Antonio. Wenbanyama had five rebounds throughout the first half, which was just one rebound more than his Game 5 total.
However, Wenbanyama made nine 3-point shots. And while he made three of his first four shots, he has to walk a fine line between taking too many perimeter shots. The Spurs are at their best when Wembaneyama is attacking the rim.
He finished the game with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting and added 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and two steals.
When asked what helped him move forward after a difficult Game 5, Wenbanyama said, “Trusting the game plan and discussing tactics with my staff and teammates.”
Frankly, this is his toughest test since he became a star. Gilgeous-Alexander has been consistent over the past two seasons, consistently scoring 30 or more points.
However, this postseason hasn’t been the cleanest for SGA. To be clear, he’s still an impact player, averaging 27.1 points per game in the postseason. The problem was with his efficiency, which led to a drop in production.
On Thursday night, Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, his lowest total for the 2025-26 season, including playoffs.
In fact, the last time Gilgeous-Alexander scored fewer than 15 points was on May 24, 2025, in a loss to the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, where he scored 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s past four games have been marked by his uncharacteristically inefficient play. During that span, he shot just 36.2 percent, making just 25 of 69 attempts.
“Honestly, I don’t really know,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked why he’s having trouble hitting shots. “A lot of the shots I’m shooting, I’ve shot them many times before and have a good feel for them. They just don’t go in.”
“But it’s too late to give up my job, give up my game and myself. At the end of the season, I had to trust it and live or die by it.”
So how will the Thunder move Gilgeous-Alexander as the biggest game of the season approaches?
A lot of that will depend on how Oklahoma City manages the extra bodies and late double teams it throws into Gilgeous-Alexander when the Spurs start attacking in the paint. But Thunder coach Mark Dainot isn’t panicking.
“We were very encouraged because we got him in the last game,” Daigneault said. “Obviously, I don’t think we were that good tonight. I never trust a defense or an opponent. There’s always that. There are times when you think you can do more.”
“Our global approach tonight compared to San Antonio didn’t give us the best chance offensively.”
Dylan Harper shines decisively off the bench
The dynamic rookie has struggled over the past three games, scoring just 18 points on 5-of-16 shooting in that stretch.
In the first half Thursday night, Harper was aggressive and in rhythm, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He finished the game with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The timing couldn’t have been better, as starting point guard De’Aaron Fox went just 1-of-9 from the field and didn’t score a single point in the first half. Fox had five rebounds and seven assists, but San Antonio still needs to score from the point guard position, and there was a lot of energy off the bench, especially Harper, who isn’t afraid to break out in transition.
“When he plays with confidence, I don’t think there’s a better player his age,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said of Harper. “We need him because he’s been a big part of the team all year. When he plays like that, it’s pretty hard for us to win.”
It’s clear that when the Spurs play with aggression and efficiency, can dictate the terms of a series, and can clamp down on defenses to force turnovers, their offense comes alive.
That’s because the Spurs have good speed and can sprint in transition to threaten Oklahoma City’s defense. The Thunder are better in the half court, so any time San Antonio can destabilize the Thunder with their fast-break offense, it’s the Spurs’ best chance to win.
That sparked San Antonio’s third 20-0 run to decide the game.
It’s no coincidence that San Antonio led in turnover contests (12-12), points off turnovers (15-11) and fast break points (18-10) before Oklahoma City took the lead.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 points in the first half, but only reached the goal twice. He finished the game with a season-low 15 points.
Kayson Wallace dropped 11 in the first half on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting (including three depleted triples). He did not score any extra points for the rest of the game.
But Oklahoma City needed one of its secondary stars, Chet Holmgren (10 points) or Jared McCain (13 points), to be more consistent.
Jaylen Williams played although his minutes were limited due to a hamstring injury and was not expected to be a reliable scoring threat. In Game 7, the Thunder can’t afford another offensive night like this, where they scored a season-low 13 points in the third quarter.
