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I’ve come to a firm conclusion: Entrust the San Antonio Spurs the access to Saint Nick's workshop. Put Castle in command of present construction. Let De’Aaron Fox deliver gifts into chimneys, from any range he’d like. Devin Vassell can decorate the Christmas cookies. Harrison Barnes has the army of helpers managed. And, of course, the sleigh's vehicle must promptly be altered for a taller, thinner pilot so that the immense Wembanyama can drive it comfortably.

The remarkable San Antonio squad have defeated the OKC three times in a 14-day span, and in doing so have reinvigorated this NBA season. I now have increased confidence in the Spurs’ ability to provide happiness to the public than any holiday legends of old.

A Grim Beginning

It seemed bleak for a while there. The Thunder might have won the title in June, but began this season in increasingly daunting form. They notched 24 victories in their initial 25 contests (the sole defeat was a unlikely 20-point rally). In the majority of those games, Williams, their next best player, was on the bench recovering from wrist surgery. Gilgeous-Alexander, their premier player, seldom had to play in crunch time. The Thunder defeated the Sacramento Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some predicted to be a plausible contender, fell by 29; their offensive genius Luka Doncic looked like he was competing with ten men. The Phoenix Suns’ valiant opening earned them a narrow defeat, by just four points. When they met again 12 days later, the Thunder won by 49. This game knocked all the remaining leaves off the trees and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City seemed poised to dominating every team in its path, even the Warriors' legendary regular season record of 73-9.

Debating Their Approach

The Thunder do not employ a overly appealing style of basketball. They adeptly leverage the officials' quandary over which infractions to call (a constant whistle interrupts the rhythm of the game, an inconsistent one allows players escape punishment for blatant violations), often leading to SGA shooting foul shots after calls that would be best ignored, while personified pest Alex Caruso seems to have total license to do anything he likes on the defensive end. Some claim to enjoy, SGA twisting his body to invite small contact from defenders; I can only presume those same people also like being struck hard in a sensitive area. That’s not to mention imposing figure Luguentz Dort launching off his feet and into opponents after plenty of suspiciously light touches. This tactics enables critics to harbor the notion that in a world with flawless officiating, the Thunder would be a average team. Genuine hoops purists know it’s far more exasperating than integral to the Thunder’s success, but the widespread frustration is sufficient to nudge some fans who might otherwise be uncommitted into supporting Oklahoma City’s defeat.

Dominance can be impressively clinical to watch, but a historically great 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? In the end you remember that the intrigue is the point. The Thunder were draining the season of suspense, accumulating leads on other teams in the table as well as on the court.

Enter the Spurs

Through the first half of the first quarter of the first San Antonio vs. OKC game this season, San Antonio was down 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 mortal. Each member of their starting lineup deserves considerable credit for that, but this is Wembanyama's team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this man on their team that’s seven-foot-five and takes up a lot of space on the court,” Jalen Williams stated, with some exasperation, when asked what made the Spurs such a tough out. The Thunder’s professional beanpole, 7'1" Holmgren, is the biggest player on the floor in most games, at liberty to grab rebounds and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s smaller, crude, and even timid. Victor's disregard for Holmgren is obvious in how he exults each time Chet misses a free throw, as though he’s scored a major victory; the way he fouls him with a bit of added intensity; the way he told reporters he does not view Holmgren a competitor. (There is indeed no argument over which player is more talented.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to jump out from the pantry, taunting, when he reaches up for a bite to eat.

A Christmas Statement

Wembanyama and the Spurs made their most conclusive statement yet on Christmas, defeating the Thunder by 15 on their home court. San Antonio took the customary early punch well yet again, regrouping to pile 41 points on the league’s best defense in the first quarter. De'Aaron Fox easily found the small holes in that defense to the total of 29 points. The Spurs even held SGA to a career-low 22. He tried to compensate by whipping passes to uncontested teammates behind the arc, but they failed him by clanking almost every single attempt.

A Thunder supporter would say that enough of those long-range shots will go in in a rematch to produce a win or a more competitive loss, but I found the failed attempts indicative of a weakness. Off the foundation of his fluid stepback jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander is the steadiest scoring engine in the league. He is difficult to guard and nearly unguardable to stop. But even he can’t bear an offense entirely on his own. The Spurs put him under enough pressure that he had to delegate more than usual, and his supporting parts struggled under the increased burden. Dort and Caruso are good for the sporadic three-pointer, but relying on them to hit the long shot is the least desirable situation the Thunder want to be.

Shifting the Balance

The Spurs’ rise couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Not only have they decisively cemented themselves as championship threats – but they’ve enabled fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|