This was a moment that nobody expected. At the start of the season, the San Antonio Spurs were seen as a borderline playoff team, possibly a play-in squad. Now, just seven months later, the Spurs are Western Conference champions. In the last game of a hard-fought series with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs went into enemy territory and convincingly took Game Seven 111-103.
The WCF victory was an emotional experience for this young Spurs squad, led by the 22-year-old phenom,
Victor Wembanyama, and early-20s stars like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. In a short period of time, this team has come so close to the pinnacle of the league. They’ll need four more wins to get there. San Antonio is a -200 favorite to win the NBA Finals on FanDuel.
The Spurs outdueled the Thunder with defense. Wembanyama kept them out of the paint with his paint defense. San Antonio’s perimeter defenders were able to keep OKC’s supporting players at bay, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off for 35 points. On the other end, the Spurs knocked down big shot after big shot to fend off the Thunder on their way to victory.
Spoiler alert: every Spur got a good player grade in Game Seven! We’ll dive into why below. As a quick reminder, player grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
Victor Wembanyama
42 minutes, 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 7-for-15 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, +7
It wasn’t Wembanyama’s most dominant performance of the series, but it was just enough to propel his team to victory. He led the Spurs in scoring once again, with some big shots from deep. Wembanyama hit spot-up jumpers and a huge step-back three late in the game to pad the Spurs’ lead.
The most impressive aspect of Wembanyama’s performance is what he didn’t do. With about 7 minutes left in the game, Wembanyama picked up his fifth foul. That’s a lot of time to play an aggressive team while being on the brink of fouling out. Wembanyama finished the game not only fending off the Thunder at the basket, but also played under control in the final minutes to make sure he remained in the game until the final buzzer. It showed a huge amount of maturity on Wembanyama’s part to finish out the game as he did.
Grade: A
De’Aaron Fox
36 minutes, 15 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-12 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, +3
Fox struggled with an ankle injury for most of the WCF. It affected his speed to the basket, the strength of his jumper, and his overall scoring prowess. He looked much healthier in Game Seven. Fox hit some big three-pointers off the dribble and got the mid-range game working on his way to 15 points. When the Thunder tried to switch him onto SGA, he held his own as well as San Antonio’s other defenders. It was a gutsy performance from the veteran guard. Now he will have three full days to rest and heal before facing the New York Knicks in the Finals.
Grade: A–
Stephon Castle
36 minutes, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, 4 fouls, 7-for-15 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +1
Every time the Thunder would make a run, it felt like the Spurs had a response. Castle was behind a lot of them. He followed up the best defensive play of the game (more to come on that) with a mid-range jumper that gave the Spurs the cushion they needed to win. It wasn’t his best defensive game, and he once again struggled with turnovers, especially late in the game. However, Castle gave the Spurs a lot of the energy and force that they needed, especially when the score got close.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
38 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 6-for-10 threes, +16
Whatever Champagnie asks for in extension talks this offseason, he deserves. The Spurs wing was fantastic in the WCF and played a huge role in them closing the series out in Game Seven. Any time the ball found an open Champagnie, it felt like it was going in. He was 6 of 10 from three, hitting big shot after big shot. He played a strong defensive game while making some big rebounds down the stretch. His shooting altered this series in a major way. San Antonio will need him to stay hot in the Finals.
Grade: A+
Devin Vassell
33 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-14 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, +/- 0
Ironically, Vassell struggled a bit in Game Seven despite being one of the Spurs’ most consistent performers in the series. The moment most people will remember from him in this game was the dunk as the clock wound down, and the catharsis that came along with it. His jumper was off for the majority of the game after hitting a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer early in the game. The Spurs will need his jump shot and defensive effort against the Knicks.
Grade: B
Dylan Harper
27 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 5-for-8 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, +9
Harper looks like he is completely back to full health. His late explosion for a missed dunk over the top of the Thunder late in the game was a sign that his youthful legs are feeling good, and was probably the only silly mistake he made in the game. His shot-making was fantastic in Game Seven. He hit a pair of three-pointers and some tough mid-range jumpers. Harper seems to be getting better as the playoffs go on. This has been a truly special run for a 20-year-old guard.
Grade: A
Keldon Johnson
16 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 4-for-8 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, +6
Johnson showed up when the Spurs needed him in the fourth quarter. He hit two big threes and had a clutch offensive rebound and put-back. It was the type of energetic performance the team needed from a role player late in the game to come away with the victory. It was a great moment for Johnson, after he had struggled to contribute for most of the playoffs.
Grade: A
Luke Kornet
6 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 0-for-3 shooting, +1
Kornet made the biggest play of the game, and that’s why he gets a perfect grade. After Isaiah Hartenstein swiped the ball away from the Spurs, Kornet chased him down like LeBron James in the 2016 NBA Finals, met him at the rim, and blocked the dunk. I’m not kidding when I say it is probably the most impactful block in the NBA Playoffs since LeBron’s chasedown.
Grade: A+
Harrison Barnes
3 minutes, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, -5
Mitch Johnson went with a shortened rotation in a must-win game. Barnes played just three minutes and failed to register a statistic.
Grade: Incomplete
Carter Bryant
3 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-for-1 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +2
Bryant played limited minutes, but had an awesome hanging finish over the top of the Thunder defense in his short stint.
Grade: Incomplete
