#377: The Thunder-Spurs chess match! Knicks back in Finals
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Why is the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and Spurs considered a chess match?
Thinking Basketball Podcast. My name is Ben. Welcome back. And we are recording on a Wednesday. Normally record on a Tuesday. But what we had to do was we had to actually wait to see what happened in Game 5. We were going to record and then we were like, wait, Game 5 is about to happen at the Western Conference Finals, which is the best series of the 2020s. Probably easily one of the best series of the 2020s. I think as of recording right now, the Thunder are up three games to two. We're going to talk about that. At some point, we're going to acknowledge that the Knicks have won 26 straight playoff games by an average margin of victory. Actually, the Knicks, who have won, what is it, Cody? 11 straight playoff games to make their first NBA finals of the, forget the 2020s, of the 21st century. First time since 1999 when they had the Latrells pretty well. Allen, Houston, Marcus can be run.
To the finals before they lost to the, wait, is this in my notes? The Spurs. They played the Spurs in the finals and lost in five games. So we will acknowledge that at some point, but in all seriousness about the Knicks, after 11 playoff games, they have the largest margin of victory, I believe, of any other team ever after 11. It doesn't make sense. They played more than 11 playoff games. Something is very impressive there. Either way, we'll get to that. We're going to talk about the Western Conference Finals. Where would you like to begin? How are you doing? Are you even able to speak, given the basketball that's being played in the southwestern United States right now?
Well, first of all, you can't bring up the 99 Knicks and Marcus Camby without me lamenting about what happened to jump shots, Ben. Like, everyone has these perfectly curated jump shots when they're out there. Jump shots, yes. You know, squaring up, and they got the perfect follow-through and everything else. Marcus Camby, man, the amount of times that I was in the gym with my buddies, and people would go, Kobe. I'd be like, Camby! And you, like, throw it over your head. You gotta... You've got to move that elbow over. If anyone's never seen Marcus Camby shoot, I would recommend the YouTube. When we did our 25 Peaks of the 21st Century, Marcus Camby was the kind of guy I'm like, I wonder if he'll get a passing shout at some point. It wasn't even close, but he's the kind of guy I was hoping would get a passing shout because I love some Marcus Camby. What a guy. What a defensive menace out there. Anyway, what are we talking about? We're talking about, do you want to start with the Knicks or do you want to start with the West?
Let's start with the West, please. It's top of mind. And here's what happened. So the Spurs won game one in a double overtime classic that just had this speed and intensity and hit like just heavyweights just hitting back at each other back and forth until we go to the first overtime until we go to the second overtime. The Spurs, the Thunder look like they're on the mat. They come back. The Spurs look like they're on the mat. They come back. Wemby's hitting 40 footers. He puts up the 41.24 rebound game. And then everyone is like, well, that's that could be it. The Spurs could be winning the next 10 championships. That could be it. Then the Thunder win game two. And everyone's like, that's it. The Spurs are cooked.
The Spurs are in real trouble. They can't win another game. Then the Spurs win game four and everyone's like, well, how is Oklahoma City ever going to win another basketball game? I'm just saying maybe we should be on slightly more even keel with our reactions to one game. Because in this series, especially in this series, Cody, I think my favorite thing at a high level about this series is we are going into game six. We are still in the middle of a chess match. We have not reached an adjustment equilibrium yet. So in game one, Mark Dagnall, the genius who wears little white hoodies on the sideline for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he's a genius. Listen, listen, listen, listen. This is my argument here, okay?
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Why is the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and Spurs considered a chess match?
0:07–11:51
2
How did Mark Dagnall’s game‑plan adjustments impact the Thunder’s defense against Wembanyama?
11:51–26:05
3
What specific offensive action did the Thunder run repeatedly in Game 5 to limit Wembanyama?
26:05–40:07
4
Why did the Thunder’s bench performance (Caruso, Wallace, etc.) become a decisive factor?
40:07–55:06
5
How did the Knicks achieve a 26‑game playoff winning streak and reach the NBA Finals?
55:06–1:08:42