Victor Wembanyama had to take the court after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP he wanted — and he made a bold declaration that he belongs in the conversation as the greatest player in basketball.
There is a long series ahead of us, but Wembanyama could puff his chest out proudly on Monday night. He unequivocally made his case, dominating Game 1 on both ends. He became the seventh player to have a 40-point, 20-rebound game in the conference finals or later, per Stathead, and he did it in a career-high 49 minutes. He pushed himself beyond any limits he had ever tested before, and dominated.
The Spurs had a great game plan that they executed well for most of the night. In the first half, they let Wembanyama play zone and dared the Thunder’s weak links to make 3s. Alex Caruso had one of the greatest games of his career, but everyone else flopped.
The Thunder played better in the second half, and Gilgeous-Alexander was able to finally find his way to the rim, even when Wembanyama was doubling him. But the Spurs’ playmaking to find shooters worked so well, and their guards, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, stepped up well in De’Aaron Fox’s absence with ankle soreness.
Their crunch-time offense had some major vulnerabilities, but Wembanyama broke loose in the end and made some epic plays to win Game 1. It should be a long series, but Wembanyama showed that it’s gonna be his to rule.
