NBA: *** 2025-26 NBA Thread ***
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Did the Spurs just clinch the NBA Title? Taking game 1 on the road without one of their best scorers is quite a feat. And OKC has no answer for Wemby. SGA isn’t getting his 15 free points from fouls. The series just titled heavily in their favor.
Oh, and the East doesn’t matter.
Oh, and the East doesn’t matter.
Odds are probably better than 50% that OKC wins either game 3 or 4 in San Antonio
Maybe. But I haven’t seen a defense do that to OKC. Game 2 will need some significant strategy changes for OKC and how SGA runs the offense.
Oh, and maybe they shouldn’t have Caruso cover Wemby. That feels like a mismatch.
I was suprised at the ability of Caruso to guard Wemby. An MVP caliber player should have eaten that mismatch alive.
But his raw talent and size took over eventually.
But his raw talent and size took over eventually.
That was one of the best basketball games I've ever seen. Those are two of the better teams the NBA has had in recent years. I just hope Wemby can stay healthy all series and we can get 6 or 7 games.
I saw a clip online of someone showing the NBA to their girlfriend and she didn't believe Wemby was real. Thought he was just an AI generation of a basketball player. There are times during the game when that seems more realistic than what he does.
While SGA was bad, that was salvaged by a complete fluke night from Caruso to keep that game close, especially early on. The OKC guards as a whole were good (SGA stinker offset by a once in a lifetime Caruso performance). The series all comes down to the OKC front court and it sure seems like Wemby is in their heads in a big way.
Chet is a great player, but he's so physically weak that he's just not that effective against basically the only guy who completely neutralizes his length. Against the Spurs this year he's shooting 37/29/82 and averaging 10ppg/8rpg versus season averages of 56/36/79 and 17ppg/9rpg. He's got to get something figured out and then Hartenstein was a no-show.
Personally hoping to see Wemby continue to put on a show. Much rather see him in the finals than SGA and OKC.
Chet is a great player, but he's so physically weak that he's just not that effective against basically the only guy who completely neutralizes his length. Against the Spurs this year he's shooting 37/29/82 and averaging 10ppg/8rpg versus season averages of 56/36/79 and 17ppg/9rpg. He's got to get something figured out and then Hartenstein was a no-show.
Personally hoping to see Wemby continue to put on a show. Much rather see him in the finals than SGA and OKC.
As much as I hate to admit it, Caruso is a quality NBA player on both ends. He is a solid defender, I thought he might have got some All Defensive team votes? Might be misremembering.
Crazy they had him on a guy a foot taller than him at times. He is a good player all around though.
Ya. I get that he is an elite defender. But it was still suprising that Wemby allowed Caruso to push him around.
I also think Caruso got away with a lot of fouls.
I also think Caruso got away with a lot of fouls.
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They have Caruso guard bigs all the time because he’s strong and physical to offset the height difference. OKC has him guard Jokic too. That allows Chet to roam and rim protect, since he’s not a very physical post.
SA winning Game 1 was easy money. The team coming off a long break often drops Game 1 versus a team who played more recently in a competitive series. I fully expect the Thunder to win Game 2 convincingly.
That said, SA really has OKC’s number this year. OKC is now 1-5 against them this season. Wemby’s D neutralizes SGA’s mid range and throws their whole offense off. And while Caruso often guards other C’s, he didn’t put up much resistance against Wemby last night.
EDIT Hot Take: I also think SA plays better without Fox now. Harper and Castle are legit. Fox is a D liability and has a history of disappearing in big moments.
I knew Caruso could be physical enough with him, but I was confused why there were so intent on running the pick and roll against it. You already have a matchup Wemby should be able to exploit, why not just post him up?
I can't imagine San Antonio had done much game-planning for Caruso to guard him. That's why it's probably so good to have gotten that game. They'll have a better plan for Game 2 and I can't imagine OKC will stick with that assignment.
