The defending champions are out. In one of the most anticipated Game 7s of a Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Sunday night at Paycom Center, booking their place in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.
It was a series that had everything. Spurs took game one away. OKC responded with two wins, the Spurs took game four, the Thunder reasserted themselves in Game 5, San Antonio blew them out in Game 6, and then came Sunday, a deciding game in front of a hostile crowd that the Spurs handled with a composure that belied how young this team actually is.
Victor Wembanyama was predictably central to the win, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and a block, going 60% from three and spending long stretches of the game making OKC’s halfcourt offence look completely ordinary. But it was a complete team performance. From Julian Champagnie, who caught fire from deep when the Spurs needed it most, going 6-of-10 from three for 20 points and finishing with a plus-16, the best on the floor, to Stephon Castle contributed 16 points and 6 assists, De’Aaron Fox who was sharp at both ends, finishing with 15 points and 3 steals, and Dylan Harper added 12 on an efficient night. Keldon Johnson remembered he was the 2025/26 sixth man of the year, and there’s no forgetting the most decisive block of the game from Luke Kornet on Isaiah Hartenstein.
For OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave everything he had. The MVP finished with 35 points, 9 assists, and 3 steals, shooting 57% from the field in a performance that was individually excellent and collectively not enough. Chet Holmgren, who has been a disappointment throughout this series, continued that trend in the biggest game of the year — finishing with just 4 points in limited minutes, a performance that will fuel the offseason conversation about what OKC need around SGA. The Thunder were out-rebounded on the offensive glass, gave up 19 fast break points to San Antonio’s 7, and never found a way to take control of the game. A late push cut the deficit, but the Spurs held firm, winning the final quarter 31-26 to close it out.
The series result (Spurs 4-3 Thunder) means OKC’s title defence ends in the conference finals, a painful conclusion for a team that finished the regular season with the league’s best record. For San Antonio, it is a different kind of statement. The Spurs were the second seed. They just beat the number one seed in seven games on the road in a decisive game. Nobody is calling them underdogs anymore.
They will need to carry that mentality into the NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks are waiting. The Knicks swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning all four games comfortably, advancing to the Finals for the first time since 1999. Jalen Brunson and company have been the Eastern Conference’s most dominant team in the playoffs.
Wembanyama was named Western Conference Finals MVP for his performance in the seven-game series, a fitting recognition for a player who anchored San Antonio’s defence and consistently delivered in the moments that mattered most. At 22 years old, he becomes one of the youngest players ever to win the award, and he now takes that momentum into an NBA Finals that tips off June 4 against the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
The matchup sets up as a fascinating tactical contest. San Antonio’s length, pace, and Wembanyama’s unique defensive ability against New York’s halfcourt execution and Brunson’s composure in big moments. The Spurs are favoured at 64.4% according to current projections, but the Knicks have spent this entire postseason proving projections wrong.
The NBA Finals begin June 4. After a Western Conference Finals that went the distance and an Eastern Conference series that was one-sided but emphatic, the stage is set.