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SAN ANTONIO — This is a wish that can be envisioned, publicized, perhaps rationalized. But above all, in order to be taken seriously, it must be realized. And in the case of Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio, the rivalry that the basketball world desperately craves and anticipates, well that hasn’t happened yet, not now, not three games into the Western Conference Finals. 

And not until the Spurs make it happen. 

Until further notice, the Thunder remain in control and command, bringing more troops, smarter adjustments, better composure and all the plays when it truly matters. 

They’re up 2-1 in the series after swatting away the Spurs’ 15-0 run to start Game 3 and eventually cruised with room to spare Friday in a breezy 123-108 win. The one-game margin in the series might not seem comfortable, at least until context is applied. 

Because here are the unimpeachable details so far: 

• The Thunder have been without Jalen Williams for nearly two games with nagging and recurring hamstring issues; he of course is the former All-NBA player who serves as OKC’s scoring wingman to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
• The Spurs needed not just a colossal performance from Victor Wembanyama to capture their lone win, but his deep 3-pointer to force a second overtime in that win.
• And when the series shifted to their home court Friday, the Spurs were rather flat overall, Wembanyama in particular wasn’t impactful, while Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox are clearly dealing with lingering effects from injury. 

Meanwhile, the Thunder’s strength in numbers once again is devastating. They are reserves in name only, and they outscored the Spurs’ bench by an incredible 76-23. Jared McCain was insane with 24 points and showed he’s much more than a 3-point shooting threat. In this series, the bench totals are 183 for the Thunder — OKC’s subs have scored 50-plus in three straight games — and 64 for the Spurs. 

Conversation can change quickly in these playoffs; we’ve seen it happen many times. It’ll just require more from the Spurs, a young team trying to skip a few steps in its transition into a championship contender and scary enough to pull that off … soon. 

But right now? Against OKC, the defending champions? The only team in this series that has been there and done that already? 

“It’s the first playoffs for me, for us,” said Wemby. “Of course there’s going to be hard trials. That is expected. But now we’re going to see what we’re made of.” 

A rivalry needs to be evenly contested in order to be classified as one. The four wins by the Spurs over OKC during the regular season certainly raised possibilities. But there’s a difference between playing a game on a random February night, and in a best-of-seven series where adjustments can be made and lessons are learned and clues are unlocked. 

It’s a roundabout way of saying rivalries, like trees, need to mature. This one hasn’t. 

From the standpoint of potential, then yes, Spurs-Thunder could someday rank with the greatest in-conference rivalries ever, right with those Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics classics featuring Julius Erving and Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. These rivalries aren’t between teams in separate conferences and therefore aren’t playing for the NBA championship, but that makes it even harsher. Because the loser won’t even get a shot at a title and might be better qualified that the East team that reaches the Finals. 

The ingredients in this rivalry recipe are apparent and real, though. Both teams have a young core, with Kia MVP contenders and depth, the front offices are smartly run, the teams are well coached and there’s no sign of locker room drama. 

And it has spice: A chippy third quarter was prolonged Friday by hard fouls delivered by both teams. Alex Caruso chopped Stephon Castle. When Ajay Mitchell moments later clubbed Castle, pushing and shoving ensued. Next up? Wemby lowered his shoulder into Chet Holmgren, driving the Thunder center into the ground. However, there was no hair-pulling this time; Isaiah Hartenstein, guilty a few nights earlier, kept his fingers away from Castle’s dreads. 

So in addition to being somewhat evenly matched, these teams don’t appear to be fond of each another, precisely the sour flavor a rivalry needs to be fully appreciated. 

The Spurs and Thunder are also stocked with assets to nourish and improve the rosters over the next several years, which could sustain excellence for both teams. These two will think of each other whenever they make a trade and sign a free agent; everything will be done with “how will this help us against them” in mind. 

They will not, however, make deals with each other. Coincidently, OKC president Sam Presti cut his teeth in the Spurs organization decades ago, but you can imagine the Spurs have since told him to lose their number. The Thunder and Spurs will talk trade when hell freezes over … twice. 

In the meantime, it’s up to the Spurs to get this rivalry going sooner rather than later. 

Wemby is dealing with an OKC defense that’s constantly adjusting and making him guess. One minute it’s Caruso, who surrenders more than a foot, guarding him, then a chunky Hartenstein, then a lengthy Holmgren, then a physical Jaylin Williams. Each offer different looks and degrees of sharp elbows. 

He has done so much to bring the Spurs this far, and with the exception of a few lapses has been brilliant for much of this series and the postseason. He feels he needs to reach another level, and quickly. 

“I have trouble making my teammates better right now,” he said. “My shooting has been terrible. I need to be more of a team player. Rebound better, facilitate better.” 

It’s not just Wemby. A bigger issue is the availability and health of Fox and Harper. Fox made his series debut but, after a fast start, appeared to re-injure his ankle. Harper left Game 2 with an adductor injury and Friday labored through 17 minutes, scored just six points. 

“All we can do is just ask as much from them as they can give,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. 

And OKC knows how to rub the Spurs the wrong way. If it’s not Shai getting creative to draw fouls (he went 12-12 from the line Friday), it’s the rough play that’s designed to unravel the young Spurs. 

“There’s no place for frustration,” said Wemby. “It’s annoying, of course, but we gotta use that as energy. They’re physical but the difference in that team is they’re experienced. They may be more smart about it.” 

If the Spurs fail to draw even Sunday, this rivalry might soon be placed on hold. If so, it will eventually be worth the wait. Because this features Shai, a two-time MVP, and Wemby, who might soon have a string of MVPs. It has Wemby’s “ethical” comment from earlier in the season regarding OKC’s controversial style of play. It has the Spurs’ fans who directed “flopper” chants at Shai. And so on. 

The folks who’ll eventually draw the most enjoyment from Spurs vs. Thunder will be basketball fans on the outside. Meanwhile, in San Antonio and Oklahoma City, the stress level will be steep. 

It’s not exactly that way right now, at least not in OKC. There’s a season, right now, that in order for this series to develop suspense, it’s up to the Spurs. 

“We’re going to have to find the answers,” said Wemby. 

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have been here before, down 2-0 and coming home for Games 3 and 4.

But that was against a team – the Detroit Pistons – with much less experience and much less momentum than the New York Knicks, who’ve won nine straight games through the first two of the Eastern Conference Finals. Over their 12 playoff games, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by 18.4 points per game, which would be the best differential in NBA playoff history.

The Cavs have to hope that the series wasn’t lost when they blew a 22-point, fourth-quarter lead in Game 1. And they have to hope that both teams’ shooting in this series will regress (or improve) to the mean … before it’s too late.

Here are three things to watch for in Game 3 on Saturday (8 ET, ABC):

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1. The Cavs need to make shots

According to tracking data, the Cavs have taken higher quality shots in the conference finals than they did through the first two rounds. But while they shot a little bit better than expected against Toronto and Detroit, they’ve shot much worse than expected against the Knicks.

Cavs’ shooting by round

xeFG% = Expected effective field goal percentage
eFG% = Actual effective field goal percentage = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA

The Cavs’ struggles have mostly come from beyond the arc. Based on the quality of their attempts, James Harden, Sam Merrill, Dennis Schröder, Max Strus and Jaylon Tyson should be a combined 18-for-48 (38%) from 3-point range. Instead, they’re 11-for-48 (23%), having missed some great looks:

Most of those great looks have come on the weak side of the floor, because that’s what’s usually left unguarded with the Knicks’ paint-protecting scheme. But the Cavs have also got a couple of good looks for Merrill out of “Spain” pick-and-roll, where a shooter sets a back-screen on the guy defending the initial screener and then pops out to the top of the key:

If this were a best-of-15 series, the Cavs could certainly expect their shooting to come around in time. But it’s best-of-7, and if they don’t start connecting on more open shots in Game 3, they’ll be in a deficit that no team in NBA history has ever recovered from.

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2. Mobley needs to play big

Evan Mobley had a promising first half in Game 2. He made two 3-pointers in the Cavs’ first four possessions, but he didn’t just keep launching 3s. He settled for one mid-range jumper with plenty of time left on the clock, but also bullied Mikal Bridges for a layup and beat Mitchell Robinson off the dribble for a dunk:

But after scoring 14 points in the first half on Thursday, Mobley didn’t attempt a single shot in the second half, also missing both of his second-half free throw attempts.

The Cavs obviously need more from Mobley than that, and it would be preferable if more of his shots came inside. He’s taken just 10 (42%) of his 24 shots in the paint in this series, down from 65% through the first two rounds and 70% in the regular season.

The Knicks have slowed down the Cavs’ interior scoring by collapsing in the paint when they drive or roll toward the basket. But the Cavs could be a little more patient and have their bigs roll into post position against the Knicks’ smaller help defenders. There was a possession like that in Game 1, where Mobley was able to score in the post against Jordan Clarkson:

Mobley will continue to get some open looks from 3-point range, but it’s important that he play big. He’s averaged 14.3 points in the paint or at the free throw line in the Cavs’ eight playoff wins and just 9.9 in their eight losses.

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3. Zoning up vs. Brunson

After Jalen Brunson torched them in the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 1, the Cavs were more aggressive in taking the ball out of his hands in Game 2.

It didn’t work, and the Knicks scored much more efficiently on Thursday (109 points on just 89 possessions) than they did on Tuesday (115 on 109). The ball moved a lot more, Brunson had a career-playoff-high 14 assists, and the Knicks’ other four starters totaled 77 points on an effective field goal percentage of 68.9%.

Now, while the Cavs have shot much worse than expected in this series, the Knicks have shot much better than expected over the entire postseason. Among 68 qualified players through Thursday, Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson all ranked in the top nine in how much they’ve outshot their expected field goal percentage in the playoffs. No other team has more than two players in the top 23.

Given the Knicks’ improved efficiency in Game 2, the Cavs could back to playing Brunson 1-on-1. They could hope that the other guys come back to earth a bit and continue with their “soft” double teams of Brunson, which allow him to see the floor and make easy passes:

Or they could be more aggressive with those double-teams, so passing out of them becomes more difficult. That could lead to more fouls and/or longer recovery distances.

There are no easy answers, but the Cavs need one.

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John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper both played in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, though Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams was ruled out.

All three were listed as questionable but their status was updated 45 minutes before the scheduled start of the Thunder’s 123-108 victory in Game 3.

Williams played in Game 1 after missing the previous six postseason contests with a hamstring injury. The 6-foot-6 wing exited Game 2 with tightness in his left hamstring.

Recurring hamstring injuries in both legs limited Williams to 33 games during the regular season.

Fox, who opened the scoring and finished with 15 points and six assists in 31 minutes, missed the first two games of the series after his right leg was rolled on by Minnesota guard Ayo Dosunmu in San Antonio’s semifinal-clinching victory May 15. Fox finished that game but did not play Monday or Wednesday due to an injury Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said will likely linger as long as they are in the postseason.

Harper, delivering six points off the bench, made his first two postseason starts in place of Fox but exited Game 2 shortly after landing awkwardly and grabbing his hamstring with 4:50 left in the third quarter. His injury was diagnosed as right adductor soreness.

“I can tell you there’s games that people are playing right now that wouldn’t be playing in the regular season, and, so, that’s what I mean by different,” Johnson said. “I think there are levels of competitiveness and urgency and as of right now we’re at the height of that. So, you just try to make sure you keep some of these guys from themselves and their own competitiveness and desire to be out there because, again, their well-being is still the priority.”