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I’ve come to a firm conclusion: Give the Spurs the control to Father Christmas's toy factory. Assign Castle in control of toy assembly. Permit Fox deliver presents into chimneys, from whatever range he’d like. Vassell can design the holiday treats. Harrison Barnes has the legion of elves handled. And, of course, the sleigh's transport must immediately be altered for a taller, thinner pilot so that the looming Victor Wembanyama can pilot it comfortably.

The remarkable San Antonio squad have toppled the OKC three times in two weeks, and in doing so have reinvigorated this basketball campaign. I now have greater belief in the team's ability to provide excitement to the masses than any holiday legends of old.

A Dire Start

It appeared grim for a while there. The Oklahoma City might have secured the NBA championship in June, but commenced this season in even more foreboding form. They secured 24 wins in their initial 25 contests (the sole defeat was a fluky 20-point rally). In the bulk of those games, Williams, their star supporting player, was on the sidelines healing from wrist surgery. Gilgeous-Alexander, their premier player, hardly ever had to play in the final period. The Thunder defeated the Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some expected to be a credible rival, lost by 29; their offensive genius Luka Doncic appeared as if he was facing ten men. The Phoenix Suns’ gallant opening earned them a close loss, by just four points. When they faced off again 12 days later, the Thunder triumphed by 49. This game knocked all the remaining leaves off the trees and started winter 10 days early. Oklahoma City appeared able to dominating any opponent in its path, even the Warriors' historic regular season record of 73-9.

The Nature of Their Game

The Thunder do not employ a overly appealing style of basketball. They skillfully leverage the officials' dilemma over which infractions to call (a consistent whistle breaks the rhythm of the game, an absent one allows players escape punishment for blatant violations), often resulting in Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after calls that would be best ignored, while personified mosquito swarm Alex Caruso seems to have free rein to do whatever he likes on defense. Some profess to appreciate, SGA twisting his body to invite slight touches from defenders; I can only imagine those same people also like being kicked hard in a sensitive area. That’s not to mention man-mountain Luguentz Dort flying off his feet and into opponents after many questionably slight touches. This chicanery allows detractors to cling to the idea that in a world with flawless officiating, the Thunder would be a middling team. Genuine basketball heads know it’s far more exasperating than fundamental to the Thunder’s success, but the general frustration is enough to push some fans who might otherwise be indifferent into supporting Oklahoma City’s defeat.

Dominance can be coldly thrilling to watch, but a historically great performance tends to inspire reduced amazement the more times it repeats. How many times does anybody really want to watch one team beat another by 35? Eventually you remember that the uncertainty is the point. The Thunder were sucking the season of intrigue, running up leads on other teams in the table as well as on the floor.

The San Antonio Response

Through the first half of the first quarter of the initial Spurs-Thunder game this season, San Antonio found themselves behind by 16 and seemed poised to go the identical path as every other team. Instead, they have wrought hell upon the Thunder ever since.

Against the Spurs, the Thunder look mortal. Each member of their key players deserves significant credit for that, but this is Wemby's team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this man on their team that’s seven-foot-five and occupies a lot of space on the court,” Williams said, with some exasperation, when asked what made the Spurs such a hard team to beat. The Thunder’s tall defender, 7'1" Chet Holmgren, is the tallest player on the floor in most games, able to secure boards and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s smaller, less refined, and even tentative. Wembanyama’s contempt for Holmgren is obvious in how he celebrates each time Holmgren misses a free throw, as though he’s hit the jackpot; the way he fouls him with a bit of added intensity; the way he told reporters he does not view Holmgren a peer. (There is indeed no debate over which player is superior.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to burst out of the cabinet, talking smack, when he stretches for a bite to eat.

Holiday Domination

Wembanyama and the Spurs made their most definitive statement yet on Christmas, defeating the Thunder by 15 on their home floor. San Antonio withstood the inevitable early punch well yet again, recovering to drop 41 points on the league’s stingiest defense in the first quarter. Fox effortlessly found the miniscule holes in that defense to the tune of 29 points. The Spurs even held SGA to a year-low 22. He attempted to make up for it by whipping passes to wide-open teammates behind the arc, but they disappointed by bricking almost every single attempt.

A Thunder believer would say that a sufficient number of those long-range shots will go in in the future to produce a victory or a more competitive loss, but I found the misses symptomatic of a issue. Off the foundation of his effortless stepback jumper, SGA is the steadiest scoring weapon in the league. He is tough to guard and nearly unguardable to stop. But even he can’t carry an offense solely on his own. The Spurs put him under such intense scrutiny that he had to delegate more than usual, and his role players struggled under the greater burden. Dort and Caruso are good for the periodic three-pointer, but relying on them to hit the outside shot is the least desirable situation the Thunder want to be.

Shifting the Balance

The Spurs’ rise couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Not only have they decisively cemented themselves as championship threats – but they’ve let fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|