OKC Thunder, San Antonio Spurs Poised to be Rivals

The NBA has more talent now than ever before. The game has grown globally and the eye balls are adding up with their new media partners. The only thing the league is missing is good old fashioned rivalries. Healthy sports hate. Games that everyone across all 30 fanbases will circle on their calendars to sit down and enjoy, being assured that the two teams in that tilt will show up with physicality, intensity and produce a high profile game.

As soon as Dec. 23, the league will no longer be missing that rivalry X factor. Will not longer be forced to rely on the nostalgia of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers clashes, a good uniform matchup but very little passion at play during current day games.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are the new rivalry that will soon run the NBA and engage every single basketball fan in the world.

Credit to Adam Silver, his league office has been on this since the day Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was drafted sticking the Thunder and Spurs on NBA Rivalry week in the aftermath. However, now, both teams are ready.

Saturday's 111-109 Spurs win in vegas over the Thunder is the top contender for Game of the Year. The intensity, the physicality, playoff level defense and the trash talking was second to none.

Wembanyama couldn't stop slyly dissing, out right trash talking and flexing on Oklahoma City before, during and after this contest. That is great for the NBA, that should bring a smile to Silver's face, that should force every basketball fan to tune in on Dec. 23 to see this game again then again on Christmas Day a tentpole day in the association. He talked the talk and walked the walk as a dominating force on the floor against this juggernaut of a Thunder team.

The Bricktown Ballers will have an answer, a counter for this loss, but these two teams are just getting started. Both built around young cores, with young superstars and teams built to be duking it out for the right to win the West as if this is a John Wayne movie in the 1950s.

These high stakes games with the world watching their stand alone bouts as they did on Saturday, as they will on Christmas and in the many future playoff series these two are posied to play will teether these teams together for this entire era of basketball. Will become a staple on the calendar and will become the next great NBA rivalry.

Nico Harrison isn't here to mess it up this time. The Thunder could've had this with the Luka Doncic-led Mavericks, but that ended on Feb. 1 last year. Now, get ready for this generations Celtics-Lakers.