Thunder pursue third straight NBA Finals

The Big Lead on May 20 framed the Western Conference finals around two facts: San Antonio had just taken Game 1 in double overtime, and Oklahoma City was still chasing a third straight NBA Finals berth. That combination explains why the series has drawn outsized attention. The Thunder are the defending NBA champions, and NBA.com’s playoff bracket shows they reached the 2025 Finals after winning the title that year against Indiana. Game 1 gave that storyline a dramatic opening. Fox Sports listed San Antonio’s 122-115 win over Oklahoma City on May 18 as a double-overtime result at Paycom Center, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 41 points. The Big Lead described the game as “absolute cinema,” using the finish to frame Wembanyama as the central obstacle to Oklahoma City’s attempt to extend its Finals run. ### How close are the Thunder to a third straight Finals trip? Oklahoma City is not there yet. NBA.com’s 2026 West finals page shows the Thunder and Spurs tied 1-1 after Oklahoma City won Game 2, 122-113, on May 20. The “third straight” part comes from the Thunder’s recent history. Basketball-Reference and NBA.com records show Oklahoma City won the 2025 NBA Finals, which means the club had already reached the championship round in 2025. The current conference finals appearance gives the Thunder a chance to make the Finals again in 2026, for a third consecutive season, if they beat San Antonio. ### Why did Game 1 become the center of the conversation? May 18 produced the kind of game that tends to reset a series. Fox Sports’ game page shows San Antonio winning 122-115 in two overtimes, and NBA.com later said the opener became the most-watched Game 1 in Western Conference finals history. Victor Wembanyama drove much of that attention. Fox Sports credited him with 41 points in the opener, and The Big Lead’s article centered on whether he can carry San Antonio past the defending champions. The site used the late-game sequences and highlights from the opener to argue that the matchup is now being defined as much by Wembanyama’s ceiling as by Oklahoma City’s pedigree. ### What did Oklahoma City do in Game 2? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander answered in Game 2. The Athletic’s live coverage reported that he scored 30 points in Oklahoma City’s 122-113 win on May 20, leveling the series at one game apiece. NBA.com’s series page said Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and it described Oklahoma City’s defensive work on Wembanyama as a key adjustment. Through two games, NBA.com lists Wembanyama averaging 31.0 points and 20.5 rebounds, while Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 27.0 points and 10.5 assists. ### Why is Wembanyama central to this matchup? Wembanyama is central because San Antonio’s path is built around his ability to bend a series on both ends. The Big Lead’s premise was that he is the major factor in whether the Spurs can get through Oklahoma City. The first two games support that framing. NBA.com’s series leaders page shows Wembanyama leading San Antonio in points, rebounds and assists through two games. That kind of across-the-board production has turned the series into a direct test of whether Oklahoma City’s depth and experience can withstand a player capable of posting dominant scoring and rebounding lines every night. ### What happens next in the series? Game 3 is set for May 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio, according to NBA.com’s playoff schedule. Game 4 is scheduled for May 24, with Games 5 through 7, if necessary, running through May 30. The next checkpoint is straightforward. Oklahoma City can move two wins from the Finals with a road victory in Game 3, while San Antonio can reclaim control of the series behind Wembanyama on its home floor.