The Thunder just reminded everyone why they’re still the NBA’s top dogs

Alta Sports3 days ago · 420 views

The Thunder just reminded everyone why they’re still the NBA’s top dogs image

Photo: Oklahoma City Thunder

By Rafael Bandayrel

For 15 minutes, the San Antonio Spurs made it feel like the Western Conference Finals was about to swing completely in their favor.

The crowd was electric. The momentum was overwhelming. The Spurs opened Game 3 on a stunning 15-0 run, feeding off the energy of a hostile home environment as the Oklahoma City Thunder suddenly looked rattled.

Then Oklahoma City responded like a true championship contender.

The Thunder stormed back to defeat San Antonio, 123-108, on the road to seize a crucial 2-1 series lead, and in the process, reminded the entire league why they still sit atop the NBA hierarchy.

OKC passed championship test

Young teams are supposed to panic in moments like this.

They usually get overwhelmed by playoff pressure after disastrous starts. However, the Thunder calmly absorbed the Spurs’ early onslaught before completely taking over the game.

That response said more about Oklahoma City than the final score itself.

Championship-level teams are not defined by perfect performances. They are defined by how they react when things go wrong.

And after falling into a 15-0 hole at the start of the game, the Thunder did not look emotionally shaken.

They simply tightened defensively, trusted their depth, and slowly buried San Antonio with wave after wave of contributors.

Bench difference

The biggest storyline from Game 3 was impossible to ignore. Oklahoma City’s reserves obliterated San Antonio’s bench, 76-23.

That is not just winning the depth battle, but overwhelming a playoff opponent.

Much of the pregame buzz centered around Filipino-American rookie Dylan Harper, who returned to San Antonio’s lineup after exiting Game 2 early.

But another Fil-Am guard ended up stealing the spotlight entirely.

Jared McCain delivered one of the best playoff games of his career, exploding for 24 points to spearhead Oklahoma City’s devastating second-unit attack.

Every time the Spurs threatened to regain momentum, McCain answered.

And he had plenty of help.

Jaylin Williams added 18 points, Alex Caruso chipped in 15, while Cason Wallace continued his excellent postseason with 11 points of his own.

The Thunder’s depth simply wore San Antonio down.

Shai brought order to chaos

As dominant as the bench was, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still controlled everything offensively.

The back-to-back MVP finished with 26 points and 12 assists, dictating tempo whenever the game threatened to become chaotic.

That is what separates great players from true superstars.

The Spurs wanted Game 3 to become emotional, frantic, and unpredictable.

But SGA refused to let that happen.

Dominating defensively

The offense will grab headlines, but Oklahoma City’s defense may have been even more impressive.

The Thunder held San Antonio to just 31 percent shooting from beyond the arc while contesting nearly every clean look the Spurs generated.

On the other side, Oklahoma City buried 44 percent of its own threes, creating the type of efficiency gap that is almost impossible to survive in modern playoff basketball.

That balance between elite defense and relentless offensive depth is exactly why the Thunder feel so dangerous.

Even when one area struggles, another part of the roster immediately compensates.

After dropping a grueling Game 1, it briefly felt like the Thunder may have finally met their match.

The Spurs looked fearless. Victor Wembanyama looked unstoppable. Harper ahead of schedule.

But the last two games have shifted the tone of this series again. Oklahoma City still looks like the deeper, steadier team.

Game 3 was not just another playoff win.

It was a reminder that despite San Antonio’s rise, the road to the NBA Finals still runs through the Oklahoma City.

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