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Knicks' Spurs-Thunder Watch Party Takes a Turn Hours Before Tip-Off

Isaiah De Los Santos|
Game 7 is already full of twists and turns before tip-off as the Knicks watch from afar.
Game 7 is already full of twists and turns before tip-off as the Knicks watch from afar. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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The Knicks have the luxury of sitting back on Saturday and watching another Game 7 take place that they don't have to play in. It's not all easy going for New York, however, as this contest will determine which unique challenge it must overcome in the Finals to break its title drought.

That makes every development before tip-off in Game 7 notable for Jalen Brunson and co., who likely have a preference on who advances. Depending on that stance, guys will either be thrilled or gutted by the news that OKC has already ruled out both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell from playing on Saturday.

On Mitchell's end, this is more of the status quo, as he's missed the previous three contests and hasn't seemed closed to a return. But for Williams, this is a change in his status after he returned to play a handful of minutes for Oklahoma City in Game 6.

Now, there's several impacts -- both positive and negative -- for the Thunder and Spurs that could impact who the Knicks face by Saturday's end.

Good for those wanting Knicks-Spurs Finals

If most in New York's building are rooting for San Antonio to win Game 7, this news can certainly be viewed as a boost to that possibility. One of the paths to Oklahoma City advancing was getting Mitchell back or Williams moving closer to 100% after looking off on Thursday. Instead, it now has to make do without two incredibly important players.

Mitchell (15.1 ppg) and Williams (14.4 ppg) are OKC's third- and fourth-best scorers this postseason. Their absence on its own puts more pressure on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who's already struggled a ton in this series, to carry the scoring burden. It also leaves him relying on a less-strong supporting cast in a do-or-die contest to provide support.

While Alex Caruso has been on fire from three this series, a Game 7 stage has an entirely different feel and regression could hit him (and the team) like a truck. Then there's second-year pro Jared McCain, whose youth is showing as he shoots poorly in a heightened role during this high-pressure series with Mitchell out.

Flawed secondary options like these, plus the two injuries, allow the Spurs to put even more attention on stopping SGA, who is the entire engine of the Thunder's offense. And San Antonio posits to have an easier time when it has the ball with Williams' elite defense not out there, which could end up sealing a 1999 rematch in the Finals.

But also could help Knicks-Thunder finals come true?

All of that said, this could also be interpreted as an addition by subtraction kind of situation that actually helps Oklahoma City and hurts the Spurs, which would also affect the Knicks.

While the Thunder would love to have Mitchell's scoring back, he'd also be a major unknown if he did take the floor in Game 7 after missing the last three contests. There's always a risk the player comes back from injury looking like a shell of himself, in addition to the standard rust that has to be shaken off. That would be a dangerous gamble for OKC to take with its playoff run on the line even if Mitchell was feeling ready to return.

The Thunder saw this first hand with Williams in Game 6. He tried to give it a go across 10 minutes, yet was a clear net-negative for the team with one point, two turnovers and a -18. It benefited San Antonio to have him playing than sitting on the bench given his reduced state, and the fact he was taking minutes away from someone capable of making a more positive impact.

By ruling out both players ahead of time and not going down to the wire, Oklahoma City can also hyper-focus its gameplan on who will step up in their place. This kind of clarity is massive for their Game 7 arrangements. They can fully prepare the other guys and find spots to maximize them, rather than wasting time on different possibilities that hinged on injury question marks.

Given the Thunder's injury problems don't appear to be going away, there is reason for the Knicks to welcome them as their Finals opponent. That outcome may be even more likely now when taking into account the advantages of quickly ruling out Mitchell and Williams.

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Isaiah De Los Santos
ISAIAH DE LOS SANTOS

Isaiah De Los Santos has been in sports media for 10 years, most recently joining OnSI to cover the New York Knicks, New York Jets and New York Yankees. Previous stops for Isaiah include FanSided, SB Nation and SLAM.