The image will endure long after the box score fades.
Not the one of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holding his second consecutive MVP trophy before tipoff. Not the standing ovation from Paycom Center. Not the confetti graphics splashed across the jumbotron celebrating another masterpiece season from the face of the defending champions.
No, the image that will linger is this one:
Shai, head down at the free-throw line, staring into a forest of limbs while Victor Wembanyama drifted through the paint like a horror movie villain who never actually has to sprint to catch you.
That was the real story of San Antonio’s stunning 122-115 double-overtime victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Not just that the San Antonio Spurs stole home-court advantage.
Not just that Wembanyama authored one of the greatest playoff stat lines in modern NBA history with 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks.
And not just that Oklahoma City’s nine-game postseason winning streak finally died.
The story was far more unsettling for the Thunder than one loss in May.
San Antonio exposed the blueprint.
And for the first time in these playoffs, the league’s MVP looked solvable.
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