New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- 45 left in Game 7, the defending champions trailed by twelve in their own building, and the Paycom Center had gone quiet enough to hear the San Antonio bench. Victor Wembanyama had 22 points and seven rebounds, numbers that look almost modest until you account for everything they prevented. The Spurs had led for roughly 92 percent of the night. Oklahoma City cut it to six inside the final two minutes and got no closer.

That was May 30, 2026. San Antonio won 111-103, took the series 4-3, and ended a season in which Oklahoma City had won 64 games, swept two playoff rounds, and looked, for about six weeks, like the most complete team of the decade. It was also the seventh playoff series between these two franchises acr...