Thunder, Spurs Enter Series With Parallel Elite Records When Superstars Play

Opposing teams haven't been able to touch the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs when their respective superstars are on the floor.

Dec 23, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The 2026 Western Conference Finals are projected to be one of the most closely contested series in recent NBA history, with the league's two best records squaring off in a best-of-seven series before the NBA Finals even begin. The league's defending champions, led by the expected back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, will face Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs in their first taste of playoff basketball.

In fact, this series is the first since the 1998 NBA Finals, where the Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls defeated the Karl Malone, John Stockton-led Utah Jazz, that consists of two teams with 62-plus wins, as OKC won 64 games and San Antonio won 62 games in the regular season.

Both teams are barrelling into the conference finals on fire, with the Thunder still holding an unbeaten 8-0 record through their first two series. The Spurs have lost three games in the first two series, but still have looked hard to match with their superstar on the floor.

The record backs it up as well. Since February began, the San Antonio Spurs are 34-3 when Wembanyama plays 20 or more minutes; the Frenchman has played under that mark in two of the Spurs' three playoff losses.

On the other side of the equation, Oklahoma City has been even more dominant with Gilgeous-Alexander in the lineup in the same timeframe. When the Canadian guard has appeared in a game for the Thunder since Feb. 1, they have a 28-1 record. The one loss was a 119-109 loss to the Boston Celtics on March 25 in Boston.

In a battle of trends, Oklahoma City slightly has the upper hand, but the Thunder will need more than just Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP impact if they want to make a second consecutive finals appearance. The Kentucky product did an exceptional job of drawing pressure towards him and allowing his teammates to take control of the advantages during the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, but that must happen against a more difficult defense this round.

Head coach Mark Daigneault highlighted Gilgeous-Alexander's poise and consistent impact on both ends during the second round series, despite not scoring at the level he typically does.

"Remarkable poise and maturity by him,' Daigneault said. "I wanted to point that out because impact takes on different faces and his impact was all four games."

OKC has perhaps its biggest challenge yet in the conference finals, with almost every trend pointing towards one definition: two dominant forces colliding on the biggest stage.