KAT called it.

The Knicks and Spurs will be facing off in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, and fans have spotted an eerily accurate prediction from Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of his Knicks debut two years ago.

Prior to the October 6, 2024 preseason matchup at the Charlotte Hornets, Towns arrived at the Spectrum Center wearing a retro 1999 Finals tee featuring Tim Duncan and Latrell Sprewell.

And 27 years later, Towns and his teammates will get their own shot at the Spurs after San Antonio beat the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday.

Towns’ prophetic fashion choice resurfaced on X on Saturday as fans shared their stunned reactions.

“IT WAS WRITTEN,” one wrote.

“Holy s— this is insane. Script Writers cooked on this one,” another added.

And a third said: “He knew everything from the beginning.”

Towns and the Knicks will hope their meeting with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs goes better than the last Finals meeting between the two franchises.

In that series, the Knicks lost in five games and failed to reach 80 points three times as Duncan won Finals MVP.

The Finals will tip off on Wednesday with San Antonio hosting Games 1 and 2.

From an international prospect perspective, no NBA Draft is ever complete without a prospect from the ever-colourful Mega Basket in Serbia. Mega Basket has run under many guises in the past due to sponsorship reasons; Mega Leks, Mega Bemax, Mega Soccertbet, Mega Mozzart, Mega MIS, and now Mega Superbet.

Regardless of the ever-changing name, there are two things that are consistent with this club: their pink jerseys, and their contribution of talent to the NBA Draft. Over the years, players who have been selected from Mega Basket include Ivica Zubac, Goga Bitazde, Nikola Jovic, and one Nikola Jokic.

The Atlanta Hawks themselves have made two acquisitions from Mega Basket: Alpha Kaba in 2017, and more recently Nikola Djurisic by way of a draft-night trade with Miami, though neither played for the Hawks in an NBA game. Djurisic has since returned to Mega Basket since being waived by Atlanta earlier this year.

Only three of the 17 Mega Basket’s draft selections have been selected in the first round: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Bitazde, and Jovic. However, it is unclear if Mega Basket will have another first round selection in 2026. 19 year old Italian center Luigi Suigo is the focus of today’s scouting report.

Suigo will hope to become the latest of a respectable crop of players who will be selected wearing Mega Basket’s famous pink attire and has produced a solidly productive season. Suigo averaged 8.5 points per game on 55.8% shooting on 6.4 field goal attempts, 30% from three on 1.8 attempts, 63% from the line on 1.1 attempts, five rebounds, two offensive rebounds, 0.8 assists, one block, and 2.8 fouls in 18 minutes per game in 32 games played, starting 20 of them, per RealGM.

Perhaps most critically when it comes to evaluating Suigo as a prospect are his official physical measurements at the recent NBA combine, which have only added to the intrigue that surrounds him. Suigo measures at a towering 7 foot 2.75 inches in bare feet, a 7-foot 5.5-inch wingspan, a standing reach of 9 foot 6 inches, while weighing at 289 pounds. Before even touching a basketball, this is elite size and, depending on the skill that surrounds it, could see Suigo drafted inside the first round.

Let’s take a look at the footage, and see, indeed, what level of talent and potential surrounds Luigi Suigo’s elite physical frame. Suigo wears the number 19, though you’re not likely to see it as the number coloring clashes with the colourful jerseys. However, given his size, it’ll be hard to miss Suigo.

Offense/scoring

Shooting nearly 56% from the field, Suigo was efficient on the attempts he did manage to see, and he didn’t see too many, averaging six field goals per game. Given his size, three easy sources of offense for Suigo include pick-and-roll, a target at the rim to aim for, and offensive rebounding for second chance points.

On the screen, Suigo rolls to the rim with pace and finishes ahead of the defender, who has no chance to block from behind:

On the screen above the break, Suigo rolls to the rim where his elite size means there’s no defending him at the rim, and he finishes with the dunk:

Again on the screen up-top, Suigo rolls to the rim but displays more finesse and patience this time as he waits for the defender to leave his feet before finishing at the rim:

This time on the pick-and-roll, Suigo finishes over the top on the alley-oop at the rim, showcasing his athleticism:

This seems like a good time to transition to Suigo as an arial/lob threat at the rim, where his size and athleticism makes him a good target for his teammates.

After some lax defense allows Suigo to stroll inside, he provides an easy outlet for the alley-oop finish:

After his teammate breaks down the defense on the drive, Suigo is positioned perfectly at the rim for an easy alley-oop:

You can see instances where Suigo’s sheer size allows him to finish opportunities that otherwise may not be possible, such as this alley-oop thrown behind Suigo, who manages to extend to guide home the basket:

Here’s another play which exemplifies Suigo’s size advantage as he runs in transition, receives the ball in the paint, and he is simply able to extend over the outstretched defense for a basket:

Trailing the play in the paint, Suigo is on hand to collect the pass back where he finishes at the rim:

On the switch created on the pick-and-roll, Suigo is an easy option inside with the mismatch, and he finishes at the rim:

Suigo’s size also allows him to cause issues on the offensive glass and can also be an easy source of points.

Off of a miss from a teammate at the rim, Suigo is on hand to collect the offensive rebound where he keeps the ball above the defenders in the paint and finishes at the rim:

After being unable to guide the alley-oop home after the pick-and-roll, Suigo grabs his own miss and finishes at the rim:

Off of a missed shot, Suigo follows the ball through and gets ahead of the opposition to stick back the offensive put-back dunk:

Off of a missed jumpshot this time, Suigo boxes out his opponent, and converts the offensive rebound put-back dunk:

Again, Suigo’s size means that as long as the ball bounces the right way, there’s often not a lot the opposition can do to keep him off the glass, in this case Suigo scores the second chance at the rim:

Suigo’s size means, similar to converting alley-oops which are behind him, he can reach back to a greater degree than other players, in this he does so to guide home the offensive rebound:

This ability to crash the glass can also result in drawing fouls and free throws:

These next two plays that Suigo made inside the arc that don’t fall in the category of pick-and-roll/alley-oops/offensive rebounding that are worth looking at, but they showcase Suigo’s offensive potential.

Faking off the three-point line, Suigo operates off the dribble and steps into the long jumpshot:

Receiving the ball on the out of bounds play, Suigo spins out of the fake dribble hand-off and drives all the way to the rim for the dunk:

More of those types of plays would open up a lot offensively for Suigo. As would successful three-point shooting, which alludes Suigo right now, but 30% is a foundation to build on right now. Here are some of the looks Suigo made to get an eye-in for his shot:

Suigo also did a good job with his screen setting or using his body otherwise to carve out space for his teammates. We’ve looked at some of these in pick-and-roll scenarios where Suigo has finished at the rim or with an alley-oop but let’s look at additional scenarios.

On this screen, Suigo opens up the space for a three-pointer for his teammate which is converted:

On this play, Suigo sets the screen to create separation and then is able to carve out additional space to fend off the shot blocker, allowing for a finish at the basket:

Here, the down screen set by Suigo opens the space for a three-point attempt. Even after the airball, Suigo is able to collect the offensive rebound:

Another screen on the perimeter allows for an opening for a three-point attempt:

There were a couple of possessions that concerned me, especially for a big-man. Sometimes, Suigo’s hands let him down, and he allows the ball to bobble about and lose control:

Passing/playmaking

Suigo averaged 0.8 assists per game, so there isn’t too much to say here, but a couple of noteworthy moments passing the ball.

On this play, Suigo is credited for the assist on the dribble hand-off and sets a screen to help open space for a made three:

After the pick-and-roll, Suigo receives the ball and delivers a great overhead pass, only for the shot to be blocked:

On this play, Suigo does well to realize his surroundings and when he receives the ball he shifts the ball over to the open man for a three-point attempt:

This time off the dribble, Suigo drives inside and delivers an intuitive drop-pass at the rim for an assist as his teammate finishes the play:

Defense

There’s quite a bit to discuss here, and while I’ve been positive on Suigo as a whole up to this point, defensively is where there are a number of concerns to be had relating to Suigo as an NBA prospect. Ultimately, I’d be extremely worried that he’d be too slow in the NBA defensively to stay on the court.

Mega Basket often had Suigo show/hedge on screens, but Suigo simply doesn’t have the mobility to do this and recover consistently; one way or another he ends up too far behind the play. We looked at Momo Faye recently, and while he may not enter the draft this year, he demonstrated how to successfully utilize his mobility to hedge on pick-and-rolls. Suigo cannot do this. When he shows on this screen, he cannot get back quick enough to the pick-and-roll big, who scores at the rim while Suigo is too far behind:

On this play, Suigo switches to the ball-handler briefly, and he cannot get back to his man on the three-point line:

Again, Suigo shows on the screen, and he cannot get back to the three-point shooter on the screen, in this case, former NBA player Donatas Motiejunas, who hits the three:

A similar play is run again, but this time Motiejunas dives to the rim with the ball, and Suigo is unable to keep up and Motiejunas dunks at the rim:

On the pick-and-roll, again the ball is delivered to the big on the roll, and Suigo is unable to keep up with the play, which eventually ends with a basket at the rim:

On the screen and re-screen, Suigo shows on the ball-handler but when the ball is delivered to the roller Suigo is again unable to get back with the play and the shot block attempt is unsuccessful:

Suigo doesn’t fare too well on switches; he’s just too slow to keep up.

On a switch on a pick-and-roll, Suigo is too slow to keep up with the switch, who gets an open shot off:

On another switch, Suigo is too slow to be able to live with the switch, and on the layup attempt he’s called for the goal-tend:

Suigo is also foul prone, and his lack of mobility is one contributing factor towards this, as well as others.

On the switch, Suigo is called for the foul on the bump:

On another switch, Suigo commits another foul on the drive, leading to free throws:

Suigo is called for another foul on the drive from the outside, leading to more free throws:

Suigo is just not mobile enough to be able to face-guard like this and get away with; he cannot keep up on the drive.

On another drive, Suigo’s lack of mobility means he cannot maintain the guard, and he commit the foul on the drive:

Suigo is active going for block attempts, but he can get these wrong at times, which can also contribute to his foul trouble.

On the rotation trying to block the shot, Suigo makes contact from behind and commits the foul on the shot, plus the make:

Suigo mistimes this block attempt badly, misreading the situation at the rim, smashing clumsily into the offensive player, and the basket is scored, plus the foul:

On a late rotation, Suigo does well to recognize the danger and makes the right read/rotation towards it, but commits the foul on the follow-through, leading to free throws:

On the pick-and-roll, Sugio shows on the drive and when the ball is delivered to the roll-man — his man — Suigo commits the foul on the block attempt at the rim:

There were other defensive moments that were not ideal when watching Sugio; these don’t fit into any particular category, but were moments that weren’t ideal.

On this play, Suigo is beaten by a standstill up-and-under move:

On this next play, Suigo squanders a good defensive position between himself and the baseline, and loses position underneath the basket where Suigo is beaten and concedes at the rim:

Right, that’s the negatives out of the way when it comes to Suigo’s defense. Not to glaze over these before moving onto the positives; these are glaring weaknesses that could really harm Suigo’s defensive upside and limit his NBA ceiling. If you’re exploited over and over again defensively, or too slow to operate defensively, eventually your game-time is just going to disappear.

Moving to positives now, Suigo’s size and length contribute to defenders thinking twice as they get into the paint.

On this drive to the rim, Suigo rotates and his vertical challenges forces the pass out away from the rim:

On another drive to rim, Suigo picks up the drive and his size is a likely contributor to the pass-out to the three-point line:

Suigo’s size also helps him contest shots to a high degree, such as on this drive where Suigo doesn’t even move to impact the shot; he just raises his hands and it’s enough to force a wild shot:

Coming off of the screening action, Suigo steps up to the three-point line and contests the three-point shot, which results in an airball:

Inside the paint after the pick-and-roll, Suigo’s size and length helps him put up a good contest on the hook-shot, which is missed:

On the rotation, Suigo steps up in the paint to contest a runner, and helps contribute to the miss:

Suigo’s rotations can be effective, and beyond contesting/blocking shots, such as the rotation at the baseline on this play, which prompts a pass that leads to a turnover:

And, of course, Suigo’s size/length helps him blocks shots.

On the drive, the ball-handler tries to finish around Suigo, who is on-hand to block the shot at the rim:

When Suigo steps up in the paint — and the ball delivered behind him — he recovers and blocks the shot from behind at the rim:

In closing…

Luigi Suigo will naturally draw interest from NBA teams as his physical profile and measurements are elite for a prospect, especially one who just turned 19 earlier this year. Already, Suigo has a good physical frame and excellent physical tools. Suigo has elite size, and length, which is put to good use on both ends of the floor.

Let’s discuss Suigo further. Offensively, Suigo’s is most effective right now in pick-and-roll, as a lob threat, and on the offensive glass. The latter is the most likely to immediately translate, followed by his danger as a lob threat, and lastly pick-and-roll. None of these skills are elite as yet but there’s certainly enough for an NBA team to begin with in terms of development, plus the potential for more physical growth from Suigo. Suigo’s hands can be a concern at times but, overall, he put his physical tools to good use on the offensive end. Suigo is also a good screener, and this can certainly be immediately utilized.

As a three-point shooter, Suigo is a developing threat, and pick-and-pop scenarios would seem to be a good focal point for continued development. Realistically speaking, Suigo’s NBA effectiveness on the offensive end is going to be largely dependent on how effective he can shoot from three. If he was to become a consistent three-point shooter, then Suigo truly offers something unique in the NBA: elite size to combine with shooting. The rest — pick-and-roll, lobs, offensive rebounds — are helpful, but if Suigo is to truly succeed in the NBA, the shooting must emerge.

Defensively, Suigo’s lack of lateral quickness is a real concern. NBA teams will be smart enough to not do what Mega Basket did so often, which was to put Suigo in situations where he hedges/shows on pick-and-rolls — he’s just not going to be able to keep pace in any such scenarios in the NBA. Even excluding these scenarios, I think there’s reasonable cause for real concern that at 7-foot, 3-inches in shoes and 289 pounds, Suigo may be run off the floor defensively in the NBA.

Perhaps a team who runs a bit more zone could hide this weakness, but one-on-one it’s going to be difficult against fours who play as fives, and the more athletic fives in the league. A big, for example, such as Onyeka Okongwu would have no issue running rings around Suigo. Suigo has good moments blocking shots and contesting shots — these are aspects his elite size allows him to do quite well, but he struggles to shift defensively and is foul prone.

Suigo is going to require time to further develop, but you can certainly see the vision an NBA team may be enamored by: elite size, shooting potential, and a shot blocker. The road to get there is going to take time, but perhaps a team like Denver would be better suited to take such a gamble and by the time Nikola Jokic concludes his Nuggets-career.

Let’s take a look at what other draft experts/outlets have concluded in their own evaluations of Luigo Suigo.

Suigo is listed 32nd overall as part of ESPN’s ‘Best Available’ list, while ESPN’s mock draft projects Suigo at 39th overall. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic does not have Suigo mocked inside the top-60. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports mocks Suigo as high as 22nd overall to the Sixers, with this to add on Suigo:

As for this choice, finding a center to play behind Joel Embiid needs to be prioritized. Embiid simply cannot be trusted to stay on the floor. Suigo has said he wants to be the Italian Wemby and, at 7-foot-3 with passing feel and shooting touch, you can see why a teenager might put that out into the universe. Suigo lacks the handle and self-creation chops to ever be the best player on a team, but his dynamic skills as a passer, shooter, and lob threat layer cleanly on top of baseline center duties as a screener, finisher, and rim protector. Becoming the Italian Marc Gasol is a more realistic goal, and would be a dream fit alongside Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for many years to come.

This type of range and team makes sense for Suigo; it really is an upside swing for a team who has a cornerstone center. The Sixers make more sense for this reason, so the projection of team certainly fits. We didn’t touch on passing as much; in the games I watched of Suigo I thought these moments were fleeting but there were a couple of instances where Suigo’s passing was intriguing. As regards lack of handle and self-creation, it’s just not realistic to expect a handle or prowess off the dribble, though there were a couple of flashes of Suigo putting the ball down on the floor and making plays. I don’t think this is a selection you make to be ‘the best player on a team.’ It’s a additive selection which you hope blossoms alongside your young talent.

O’Connor also listed his perception of Suigo’s strengths and weaknesses:

STRENGTHS

Interior finishing: He rolls hard in ball screens, has good hands for lobs in traffic, and even if he’s not able to finish with dunks or layups right at the rim, he displays fantastic touch on hook shots.

Offensive rebounding: He shows a real nose for the ball on the boards, skying over defenders to extend his arms and grab the ball at its apex. He averaged 2.1 offensive boards in under 20 minutes per game this season and displayed a great feel for going right back up with it, except for the occasional instances he’d bring it down. On defense, he boxes out and has equally strong instincts on the boards.

Playmaking feel: Suigo hits cutters from the elbows, whips skip passes out of the post, and patiently handles doubles before delivering the ball with either hand. At the next level he’ll be useful in handoffs since he can execute plays or adjust and find the second option. And if his shooting skill catches up, he becomes a major threat.

Perimeter skill: He made 34% of his catch-and-shoot 3s with Mega. He looks extremely comfortable back-pedaling behind the line into the corners and wings, and pick-and-pops at the top of the arc. Even though he moves slowly, he even has a bit of a handle to attack closeouts and get to the rim.

Defensive upside: He’s a quick processor as a defender with the size, length, and effort levels to someday become a tremendous paint protector. He takes good angles as a help defender, rotates with awareness, and takes satisfaction in getting stops.

Let’s pause here for a moment. All of this so far checks out based on what we’ve examined, minus the superlatives on playmaking. As O’Connor notes, Suigo does possess a good read on the defensive end and does see some plays develop in front of him and rotates accordingly; sometimes he’s just not quick enough to do anything about it. Let’s continue.

CONCERNS

Offensive rawness: As promising as his skill-set is, he’s still not yet a reliable shooter. He’s still not yet a dominant roller to the basket, in part because he doesn’t set strong screens. So while the path is there for him to become a great talent on offense, he has a long way to go.

Perimeter defense: He moves fluidly for his size, but his movements are all quite slow. He could struggle defending in space on switches, hedging pick-and-rolls, or even getting back down the floor to stop a break. He’ll need to get stronger while also getting quicker.

Defensive discipline: He reaches for dribbles and tries to block too many shots when he should just use his size to deter drivers from getting into the paint. For now, he looks like a foul magnet early in his NBA career.

‘Getting stronger while also getting quicker’ is going to be challenging already at 289 pounds. If Suigo is too slow to move effectively defensively, it’s going to be an uphill battle. He could develop a great shooting touch, and it may still not be enough to hang around in the NBA if he’s stuck in mud.

Kyle Mann of The Ringer projects Suigo 30th overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Mann had quite a bit to add on Suigo:

STRENGTHS

• Just turned 19 years old in late January and already very physically developed. Humongous presence in the paint at 7-foot-3, with a wingspan pushing 7-foot-6. Solid build in his upper and lower body. Could stand to define and add more muscle, but has wide legs and midsection, to the point that he can already dish out strong contact in the paint and on screens. Needs some runway to really hit full speed. Not a remarkable leaper, but with a path to jump, he can surprise with his ability to go up and get the ball on a lob.
• The optics of Suigo’s perimeter shooting are slightly out of sync with the results. He has a pretty impressively effortless shooting motion for a player his size that is close to one motion, with minimal dip toward his waist off the catch and a release point that’s well above his head. The arc of his ball is high, and he has a nice coordinated rhythm to his catch-and-shoot looks, with a soft follow-through. He clearly has touch. That said, he stopped just short of real consistency—he hit on 34.3 percent of his 70 catch-and-shoot attempts from 3 last season. But all in all, he doesn’t seem like he’ll be easily neglected by defenses. Seems like this is where a lot of the ambition in his game is rooted, because he looks more schooled and technically polished in the pick-and-pop game than anywhere else.
• Did well playing physically in the pick-and-roll and didn’t mind really establishing contact with his ball handler’s defender. Read the defense’s coverage response to the handler and chose his roller opportunities well. Huge target as a screener and difficult to navigate because of his solid build. Had a ton of roll gravity in the Baltic’s ABA League because he didn’t have many peers in terms of size. Has surprisingly soft hands when catching high or low passes and a good catch radius.
• His offensive game is largely uncomplicated in that he’s either catching and shooting or rolling to the rim for something easy. Has soft overhanded touch near the basket. Still posted an impressive 73.1 percentage at the rim.

An elite shooting figure at the rim as reported by Mann; 73% is nothing to sniff at. Let’s continue:

WEAKNESSES

• Can be a little spacey within the flow of the game. Will need to pay attention to more than one thing at a time, as the game will be much faster and more athletic in the NBA. Needs some time to learn how the power of his size and his positional wagering affect what players choose to do (or, more importantly, not do) in the paint. Can get jumpy toward drivers and chase a blocked shot or can get vertical prematurely and end up out of position, when in reality he could simply stunt toward players and dissuade them without creating an easy look for lurking offensive players cutting to the basket.
• We see only rare glimpses of self-creation at this point. Has brief stints of attacking one-on-one if he’s caught a roller pass and has to make a quick move. Will also reel off the occasional post-up or maybe a move off an offensive rebound. Probably doesn’t have to be a craft savant to survive inside but will need to sharpen a handful of basic moves.
• Looks like a coordinated athlete when he’s running at full speed in transition, but he’s not twitchy in the half court. His hips can be a bit lumbering in side-to-side shuttling situations, as well as when he’s flipping them and retreating back to his defensive assignment. Can get out over his skis against faster players in open space (most players his size do) or if he meets a ball handler at the level of a screen. Still learning what types of movements in relation to offensive players can put him in overextended and vulnerable positions. This isn’t a severe indictment so much as a likely indicator of his coverage capability. 
• Needs work owning his space and protecting the ball when he’s in traffic. Doesn’t always leverage that impressive frame of his by playing through the chest of the defender or powering through arms to finish. Would at times leave his feet too early from outside the restricted area and make himself smaller and easier to contest.
• It’s hard to know exactly what to make of these colossal traditional 5s who have modern skill sets. Recent success stories can skew expectations. There could be a splash of “look at what Aday Mara just became” powering the interest in Suigo. He’s said that he’d like to be the “Italian Wemby,” but there just aren’t many players at that height who can sit down and mirror offensive players on the ball who are a foot shorter than them. “Italian Clingan” might be more attainable? In all likelihood, selecting Suigo at this stage would be a two- or three-year developmental bet, not unlike the one that the Blazers made by selecting Yang Hansen 16th in 2025. Overall, I think he will need to be taken by an organization with a strong developmental track record, but there are raw materials to mine.

Mann concludes by comparing Suigo’s ideal developmental trajectory to that of Luke Kornet:

Suigo is a bit of a throwback, but not in the way you’d expect. The NIL era of college basketball has changed scouting dynamics quite a bit. No need for a plane ticket: Young and talented international prospects are coming over and playing in the NCAA in droves. Suigo could very well follow that path, but there’s a lot of interest in bigs at the tail end of the first round and in the early second round, and he could be in line to capitalize. The massive Italian teenager spent the past year in Serbia playing for Mega, which has been an international prospect factory over the past decade-plus. Suigo boasts impressive mobility for a player his size and is eager to hoist shots from deep. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him follow Luke Kornet’s trajectory in the league, starting off as a stretch 5 before becoming a more classic at-rim finisher and rim protector as he navigates the paint with more nuance. His numbers don’t quite bear that potential out yet, but there are flashes of playmaking that teams might be keen to develop. His movement skills, at his size, scream first-round flyer, even if his passing and perimeter competencies are largely theoretical at this point. 

This type of trajectory would be an enormous success for both Suigo and the team who makes the selection, but everyone would appear to be in agreement: it is going to take time to see any potential return on Luigi Suigo, but if Suigo can improve his mobility defensively, develop his three-point shot, and maintain and improve his foundation inside the arc (pick-and-roll, lobs, offensive rebounding), then it is possible Luigi Suigo may prove a steal near the end of the first-round.

Throughout the Western Conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs hoped that Victor Wembanyama could work enough magic while he was on the court to make up for the Oklahoma City Thunder annihilating them while he was off of it. Late in Game 7 on Saturday night, the Thunder must have been licking their chops. Wembanyama picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. The Spurs led by six at the next break in play, a lead that could disappear in minutes with Wembanyama’s backup, Luke Kornet, on the floor. But there was no choice – Wembanyama checked out rather than risk fouling out.

Immediately, Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein picked off a pass and bolted down the floor to lay the ball in. That would have cut the Spurs’ lead to four, but more importantly may well have set into motion a trend we had seen throughout the series: When Wembanyama sits, the Thunder feast.

Instead, Kornet – a competent but limited player – soared into the air with Hartenstein and blocked the ball into the backboard with an almighty thud. The Spurs recovered the rebound, and Stephon Castle’s short jumper ballooned San Antonio’s lead to eight. “Four-point swing – that might be the play of the game right there,” Reggie Miller said on the broadcast.

After a Thunder turnover, Kornet made way for Wembanyama. Kornet’s fourth-quarter stint lasted just 54 seconds, but he’d done his job. Then the Spurs’ talented, youthful core did theirs to complete a 111-103 win that proved experience isn’t always crucial in the NBA playoffs.

Though the Spurs and Thunder are headlined by extraordinary stars in Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, playoff basketball is about depth. For most of the series, the Thunder won that battle. Their superb bench sometimes outscored their starters. Such is the wealth of talent in the Thunder roster that their second-best player, Jalen Williams, and a vital offensive engine, Ajay Mitchell, sat out games with injuries, and at times they were barely missed. But in Game 7, only Gilgeous-Alexander was on song. He outscored the rest of the Thunder’s starters on his own, 35-31. By the fourth quarter, he was exhausted. The Thunder got 14 fourth-quarter points from Cason Wallace, but nobody else could meaningfully chip in. They were undone by what is usually their biggest strength.

Related: Spurs beat reigning champions Thunder in Game 7 to set up NBA finals date with Knicks

The Spurs, in contrast, got vital contributions from everybody: Kornet’s block. Keldon Johnson hit two three-pointers. Dylan Harper took a long three over Gilgeous-Alexander, ill-advised at first glance, and nailed it. De’Aaron Fox splashed a tricky three-pointer. So did Julian Champagnie, who made six of 10 for the game after struggling to find his shot for most of the series. Wembanyama played the final few minutes foul-free; with his teammates lightening his burden, he never really had to take a risk.

Big picture, it’s shocking to see the defending champions eliminated. Oklahoma City won 24 of their first 25 games this season – even without Williams – and there were murmurs that the NBA should just give them the trophy already. The Spurs weren’t even considered contenders at first, but three wins over the Thunder in December corrected that belief and revealed cracks in the defending champions. This result is what those games suggested was possible.

You could still make the case that, fully healthy, the Thunder are the best team in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander was generally poor this series; and when he finally stepped up in Game 7, his teammates regressed. Chet Holmgren was invisible enough to make ghosts jealous; he’ll hope that invisibility lasts so he can evade the media pile-on that’s sure to come. And despite all that, the Spurs had to win a tight, tricky Game 7 on the road to win this series. The Thunder’s defense remains the gold standard, a whirling mass of swatting hands and waving arms that ventures right up to the line of what will draw a referee’s whistle and no further. They will be back next season, probably healthier and better.

Many will be glad to see them depart the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander’s proficiency for drawing fouls has never been popular, but fans’ distaste for his methods has amplified this season. ESPN’s Jay Williams did a segment on Gilgeous-Alexander’s habit of falling over in the pursuit of fouls. Earlier in the series, Hartenstein pulled Castle’s hair under the basket, which somehow went unpunished. Other teams try to manipulate foul calls, but none as consistently, shamelessly, precisely, annoyingly, or successfully as the Thunder. They play effective, unpopular basketball, and even if everyone on Earth teamed up to chant “FLOPPER!” at them they would still carry on with their tactics.

But there’s no denying their greatness. They came closer to repeating as champions than anybody since the peak Golden State Warriors. Wonderful basketball teams in the 2025 Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers have tried and failed to beat the Thunder in a Game 7. The narrative of the Spurs-Thunder rivalry was powered by Wembanyama’s evident disdain for Holmgren, his craving for Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP award. If winning the championship is the Spurs’ dream, beating the Oklahoma City juggernaut was their desire.

When the buzzer sounded, Wembanyama shouted and cried, biting his fist like he wanted to eat it, and clawing at his head like it was too small to contain the ensuing burst of joy. The New York Knicks are up next in the NBA finals. They’re better rested than the Spurs, did well against them in the regular season, and are on an 11-game winning streak. But right now, with the embers of Game 7 still warm, it’s hard to imagine anything in the finals that could matter more than this.