Thunder-Spurs Rivalry About More Than Big Man Battle

The two young powers in the West are set to battle for a trip to the NBA Finals.

Jan 13, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s conference finals matchup is set, and the series could be the first of many in this budding rivalry.

On Monday night, the Thunder will be back in Paycom Center for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, who took care of business in Game 6 in Minnesota to punch their ticket. After beating the Thunder 4-1 in the regular season series, the Spurs have been the team that has given the defending champions the most trouble this season.

Of course, the playoffs can be a different animal, and the Thunder know what they need to do to get back to the NBA Finals. While there are numerous storylines for this series, the talk will likely begin with the battle of Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.

The focal point of this rivalry when the two began their rookie seasons a couple of years ago, Holmgren and Wembanyama have blossomed into two of the best two-way bigs the league has seen in recent history. While their battle should be a fun one, this Thunder-Spurs matchup will be about much more than them.

As Wembanyama has ascended into the upper echelon of the league, he’ll also be featured against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a battle of superstars. Considering Gilgeous-Alexander is still at the top of the mountain and will receive his second MVP trophy ahead of Game 1, his quest to remain the best will also be an intriguing storyline this series.

Ultimately, this rivalry and matchup won’t simply be about which one or two stars can separate themselves, but it will almost certainly be about which team’s supporting cast can perform best under playoff pressure. Considering the Thunder have been in this situation before, their role players should be more than ready for whatever situations may come in one of the most anticipated postseason matchups in years.

Although the Spurs’ lack of postseason experience hasn’t hurt them yet, there are plenty of small mistakes that young teams often make that could be costly against the Thunder. Given that the battle of Wembanyama and Holmgren will still take center stage at points throughout the series, it will be crucial for players on each team to not get caught up in that matchup and continue to provide what their team needs.

Rivalries are a great part of sports, and the NBA is in need of one like this. While Wembanyama and Holmgren will be going back and forth all series, the Thunder-Spurs matchup will be decided by more than just the epic big man battle.