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I’ve witnessed sufficient proof: Give the Spurs the authority to Father Christmas's workshop. Assign Stephon Castle in charge of present construction. Permit Fox deliver presents into fireplaces, from any range he’d like. Vassell can decorate the festive biscuits. Barnes has the brigade of elves managed. And, of course, Santa Claus’s transport must at once be altered for a taller, thinner pilot so that the immense Wemby can operate it without issue.

The stunning San Antonio squad have toppled the Thunder in a trio of matchups in a fortnight, and in doing so have re-energized this basketball campaign. I now have a stronger conviction in the Spurs’ ability to grant joy to the fans than any seasonal myths of old.

An Ominous Opening

It appeared grim for a period. The Oklahoma City might have secured the title in June, but commenced this campaign in even more ominous form. They reeled off 24 wins in their initial 25 contests (the lone loss was a freak 20-point rally). In most of them of those games, Williams, their second-best player, was on the bench recovering from wrist surgery. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their top player, seldom had to play in the final period. The Thunder routed the Kings by 31. The Lakers, who some thought to be a credible rival, lost by 29; their basketball savant Doncic appeared as if he was playing against ten men. The Suns' valiant opening got them a close loss, by just four points. When they played a rematch 12 days later, the Thunder triumphed by 49. This game was a decisive statement and ushered in the cold season 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City looked capable of demolishing every team in its path, even the 2016 Golden State Warriors’ fabled regular season record of 73-9.

The Nature of Their Game

The Thunder are not known for a especially pleasing style of basketball. They skillfully take advantage of the referees’ problem over which infractions to call (a constant whistle breaks the flow of the game, an absent one allows players get away with blatant violations), often resulting in Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after calls that would be best ignored, while personified pest Alex Caruso seems to have total license to do whatever he likes on defense. Some claim to enjoy, Gilgeous-Alexander twisting his body to invite slight contact from defenders; I can only assume those same people also like being struck hard in a sensitive area. That’s not to mention physical force Luguentz Dort leaving his feet and into opponents after many debatably slight touches. This chicanery allows critics to harbor the idea that in a world with perfect officiating, the Thunder would be a mediocre team. True basketball heads know it’s far more annoying than essential to the Thunder’s success, but the overall irritation is enough to incline some fans who might otherwise be uncommitted into cheering for Oklahoma City’s demise.

Dominance can be impressively clinical to watch, but a all-time dominant performance tends to generate diminished wonder the more times it happens again. How many times does anyone really want to watch one team beat another by 35? Sooner or later you remember that the uncertainty is the point. The Thunder were sucking the season of excitement, accumulating leads on other teams in the table as well as on the floor.

The San Antonio Response

Through the first half of the first quarter of the first Spurs-Thunder game this season, San Antonio found themselves behind by 16 and looked likely to go the same way as every other team. Instead, they have caused major problems for the Thunder ever since.

Against the Spurs, the Thunder look beatable. Each member of their starting lineup deserves immense credit for that, but this is Wembanyama's team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this guy on their team that’s seven-foot-five and commands a lot of room on the court,” Jalen Williams remarked, with some exasperation, when asked what made the Spurs such a tough out. The Thunder’s tall defender, 7'1" Holmgren, is the biggest player on the floor in most games, free to grab rebounds and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wembanyama, he’s short, unpolished, and even tentative. Wembanyama’s disdain for Holmgren is apparent in how he celebrates each time Chet misses a free throw, as though he’s won the lottery; the way he fouls him with a bit of extra venom; the way he told reporters he refuses to acknowledge Holmgren a competitor. (There is indeed no debate over which player is superior.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to emerge from the pantry, trash-talking, when he reaches up for a treat.

Holiday Domination

The Spurs led by Wembanyama made their most definitive statement yet on Christmas, defeating the Thunder by 15 on their home court. San Antonio absorbed the inevitable early run well yet again, recovering to drop 41 points on the league’s stingiest defense in the first quarter. Fox seamlessly found the miniscule holes in that defense to the total of 29 points. The Spurs even restricted SGA to a year-low 22. He tried to make up for it by zipping passes to open teammates behind the arc, but they disappointed by missing almost every single attempt.

A Thunder optimist would say that a sufficient number of those three-pointers will go in in the future to produce a victory or a more competitive loss, but I found the misses symptomatic of a flaw. Off the back of his fluid stepback jumper, SGA is the most reliable scoring force in the league. He is tough to guard and impossible to stop. But even he can’t bear an offense completely on his own. The Spurs put him under sufficient duress that he had to pass more than usual, and his supporting parts struggled under the greater burden. Dort and Caruso are good for the occasional three-pointer, but relying on them to knock down the outside shot is the least desirable situation the Thunder want to be.

Shifting the Balance

The Spurs’ surge couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Not only have they decisively proven themselves as legitimate challengers – but they’ve let fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|