I’ve said before that one of my favorite things about being editor-in-chief of this website is reaching out to the writers that cover other teams and having conversations with them. The Fraternizing with the Enemy series is one of the things of which I’m most proud from my tenure at PtR. So when I say that I very nearly took this series off, you’ll understand what a big deal that is.
See, running this website has brought me not only a lot of joy since 2010, but also a lot of friendships. Of those relationships that have developed over the years, none have been more important to me than the one that grew between J.A. Sherman and me. J.A. used to run Welcome to Loud City when it was a part of S.B. Nation, and we met as fellow blog managers. We frequently Fratted together, and even did so through the Western Conference Finals of 2014 which Spurs fans remember fondly and Thunder fans less so.
As time went on and he left the sports blogging world, he became one of my closest friends. Last year, at the age of 49, he died. I don’t currently have the words to express what losing him has meant to me. Those of you who have experienced the loss of someone close to you know how foundation-shaking a thing it can be.
I wrestled with the idea how best to honor him, and finally settled on continuing the series. I reached out to one of his former contributors, Cray Allred, who currently runs the excellent Daily Thunder and has agreed to accompany me as our teams battle it out on the court. Please enjoy and discuss, but also remember my friend. His family misses him terribly, and so do I. This is for him.
Cray:
Nice to meet you, J.R.! I actually used to write and podcast a bit for J.A. at Welcome to Loud City (rip). Great guy.
12 years ago, but it seems like yesterday. The Spurs battles from that era were some of the best (i.e. most grueling and miserable until they were over) for Thunder fans. I still have nightmares about Derek Fisher guarding Tim Duncan in the post in 2014. And I bet Anthony Edwards’ in-game congrats in Game 6 didn’t wash away your memory of KD hugging his family in the final moments of the 2012 G6. Or maybe you’re a more well regulated fan than I am lol.
J.R.
I’ll admit that I’d completely forgotten Durant’s 2012 celebration. Candidly, 2014 put a lot of negative memories to rest. In some ways, it does seem like yesterday. And in other ways it’s been long enough that it feels like forever. The DeMar DeRozan years. The Dejounte Murray years. The misses in the draft like Lonnie Walker and poor Josh Primo. Tearing down the team meant losing Derrick White and Jakob Poeltl; bottoming out meant learning to actually pay attention to the lottery. Not much fun.
Nightmares aren’t fun either, so I’m sorry that last year’s championship didn’t cleanse your subconscious of the trauma that the Beautiful Basketball Spurs inflicted on you and your fanbase. That’s the thing about zero sum games like professional sports. There’s no ultimate celebration for thee without misery for me. And it’s not just a single me. Every title-clinching team leaves a collection of bitter opposition fans in its wake.
It’s hard to remember, in the midst of our fond memories of victories last, that every series we remember with nostalgia is a painful memory for up to four different communities — and speaking of painful memories, the loss of J.A. Sherman is something I’m still dealing with. He had become one of my closest friends, and I miss him terribly and daily. The time I was fortunate enough to spend with him is both a source of joy and pain, but I’m so glad you knew him too, and this conversation helps me to not focus on that loss.
Which brings me to the series, and what now seems like the inevitable clash of these two young teams that has all of the markings of an epic (and potentially annual) conflict. What do you think of the series? What are you looking forward to and what concerns you?
Cray
I suggest we dedicate this article to J.A. He was the rare sports media member, able to voraciously follow every play and story without losing his positive, good-natured outlook. We could all stand to be a little more like him when yelling at the TV, muting our @s, and writing from the rollercoaster that every fanbase rides.
As for the series, my Thunder optimism has provoked the “blind homer” label from a loyal reader. I know the Spurs are capable of reaching OKC’s level in the very near future. I know Oklahoma City looked just as spooked as the rest of the league when struggling against Victor Wembanyama and the talent orbiting him in their matchups this regular season. I know Wemby might be the most inevitable force of nature the sport has ever seen. (Is he still growing? Please tell me he at least stopped growing.)
But I know the Thunder are in a historic tier of excellence in their own right. Specifically, their defense has become one of the most relatively dominant of all-time, as has their lead bucket-getter. If a reigning champ was ever built to withstand an alien invasion, it’s the basketball team in Oklahoma City.
If healthy.
That’s my main concern for the conference finals: that Jalen Williams’ fourth return from injury this season will not be shortlived like the others. OKC needs his size and rim pressure on the mix in order to hold up against Wemby on both ends. Ajay Mitchell has been a revelation, and there are plenty of bright spots throughout the postseason roster I could point to for the Thunder hopeful. But only JDub adds the kind of perimeter and paint force on the level of SGA and Chet Holmgren.
As for the matchup dynamics, I think the biggest game-by-game swings will come from corner shooting volume (San Antonio’s bread and butter, which OKC de-emphasizes in their defensive scheme) and midrange proficiency (Shai’s all-time bread and butter, which only doubles and triples have been able to slow thus far in 2026).
What do you think? Should I feel like the Spurs are more of an existential threat than my interpretation of the numbers has convinced me?
J.R.
I don’t think it’s my place to try to dial up your fear of San Antonio. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, my Fraternizing partners have been very upfront about their doubts as to whether they could keep pace with the Spurs. So your confidence is not only refreshing, but well-founded, I think. I’ve never thought it was wise to put too much faith in regular season success when trying to predict how a postseason series would go. As a result, I’m trying to maintain my balance in the face of so many people I respect picking the Spurs, or at least calling the matchup even.
The Western Conference Finals is a reality now, but at the beginning of the season it was just dream, and a remote one at that. I feel a bit like I should be thankful for how far the team has come, but what kind of fan can satisfy themself with nearly making the finals? No, fanatics are never satisfied. Which means we have to get our hands dirty and dive into the nitty gritty.
But where to begin? How about Wemby’s dislike for Holmgren! What does it mean to you that there’s some unfulfilled animosity brewing under the surface before the games even get underway?
Cray
I can relate to your capacity for greedy discontent. The Thunder vaulted into the 1 seed two years ago, way ahead of schedule. Pushing Luka and the Mavs, the eventual Finals representatives from the West, to six games was way beyond our expectations for OKC. And it felt awful. As soon as you can sniff title contention, you stop counting moral victories. (Not to mention those 2012 Thunder, who appeared primed to leave San Antonio and the rest of the league in the dust. We know how that worked out.)
I’m a total hypocrite when it comes to Wemby and Chet. I love the rivalry, and I enjoy it getting as petty and charged as possible. It wouldn’t feel like Thunder/Spurs if everyone seemed to be having a good time. But I still find Wemby’s disdain for Chet to be pretty annoying since it’s never felt provoked by Holmgren, let alone reciprocated. Maybe Chet starts to take it more personally this time around. That might be a good thing for OKC, since he’s been far from his best against San Antonio of late.
One thing to track is SGA tiptoeing into the petty wars. Known for his class, SGA has developed a routine of avoiding verbal spats and sticking to the high road *during* the series, only to flex at the opponent after besting them. See: Dillon Brooks and the Los Angeles Lakers. If he pulls out this win, you can expect Shai to finally trade a barb or two with Wemby on their budding MVP and championship rivalry about which Victor has been much less bashful.
All that is to say, I think the animosity between our fanbases will be raging in the very near future. There is no way out of this postseason without us locked into another very bitter feud in place for the years to come. And this time around, the algorithms are here to make it even nastier.
Aside from Wemby, I expect to be most tormented by Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell. They’re both gamers I’ve been admiring from a distance up until now. Are you worried about any Thunder players outside of Shai driving you insane?
J.R.
Two words. First word. First syllable. Sounds like “Eww.” Second word. First syllable. Sounds like “Fort.”
I don’t think that there’s anyone I’m more primed to dislike than Lou Dort, and it’s not a new thing because I’ve had a decades-long dislike for guys that are a danger to the health and well being of their fellow players. It started when I was a kid watching a game with my day and I was so upset at the player who was killing our team with these baseline jumpers. He kept getting open and simply refused to miss.
I finally blurted out, “Someone kick him in the knee!” and my dad had a talk with me about what we do and don’t do as fans. It was a lesson in sportsmanship and mutual respect. About playing hard but also recognizing that it’s better to take your lumps and learn from it than it is to give in to your worse instincts and lash out, endangering the career and livelihood of your fellow competitor.
That lecture is something that guided me as a student athlete, and it guides me as an editor-in-chief. Every writer on PtR called out Wemby’s shot at Naz Reid’s neck as being unjustified. I was horrified that Vic was about two inches below what might have shattered the dude’s jaw.
So when I see a guy that’s not just going to the edge of what the refs will allow (never the line that I think should be the limit for a player) but into the realm of what could take an opponent out of a game, I get uncomfortable.
So here are my questions: is Dort’s reputation earned, or does he get a bad rap? Am I right to be concerned that he could injure one or the Spurs, or has that threat been blown out of proportion?
Cray:
Wow, most other fans LOVE Sweet Lu.
Jokes aside, I get it. Dort is the Thunder most prone by far to actual, outright flopping. And he lost the benefit of the doubt with many after tripping Nikola Jokic this season. He’ll be scrutinized even more closely as a result of taking such a blatant action out in the open. So I wouldn’t call his rap sheet unfounded. (And props to you for holding Wemby to the same standard.)
While he’s even admitted to crossing the line, I do think his reputation as a goon or even an enforcer is overstated. (Jaylin Williams has a lot more fun doing the latter.) No one who has seen his multitude of finishing fails would accuse him of masterful body control that could mask constant dirty intent. Referees are always trained on his matchup, and he racks up a small fraction of the uncommon fouls that other boundary-pushing, sly defenders like Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks are notorious for. If he were as sneaky and capable as his reputation, he would be capable of more than standing in the corner on offense. He’s guilty of more reckless hustle plays than cheap shots, though that’s little consolation if your favorite player is at the bottom of the pileup.
What I think is underrated: Dort’s genuine, elite on-ball defense. It’s not just driven by his physicality; he’s not just good because he fouls. He’s thrived through the changing winds of what refs call too much or too little over the years. And he isn’t the one turning halfcourt into football. Opposing offenses run him through a gauntlet of screening collisions to free their best scorers from Dort’s ball denial. Of course they’d rather he let up when facing the first, second, or seventh pick of a possession; his coaches don’t, and that’s why he’s got a starting gig in the NBA.
But when his dreads go flying on one end after he brushes your big’s shoulder, followed by an ugly, swished moonball after the ball swings his way on the other end…I get that the Dort experience is annoying at best.
With the conference finals almost underway, here’s to a healthy series free of any dangerous swinging limbs. I hope De’Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet join Jalen Williams in flipping from questionable to active when Game 1 tips later tonight. Strength for strength, I’m ready to find out who’s got whose number.
Kurt Helin
Raphielle Johnson
