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The Oklahoma City Thunder are just one win away from another trip to the NBA Finals.The Thunder overwhelmed the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, May 26, in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, 127-114, to seize a 3-2 lead in the series.By no means was this a clean game exemplary of Oklahoma City’s ability, but the Thunder adjusted to San Antonio’s plan to get Victor Wembanyama going, frustrating him to 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting.Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 32 points, though the Thunder had three different players score at least 20.Here are takeaways from Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Spurs:The Spurs need Victor Wembanyama to be far more assertiveAnd San Antonio needs him to work in the paint. Wembanyama loitered along the perimeter far too much to be forceful on offense. Granted, Oklahoma City adjusted its physicality on Wembanyama, but his response to that, for the most part, was to avoid the low block.In Game 5, Wembanyama took just 9 shots in the paint, making four of those. The Spurs have been at their best in this series when Wembanyama’s presence in the paint opens up the rest of the offense.“We’re going to need to,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said when asked if there was more the team could do to get Wembanyama going. “He’s got to take more than 15 shots, even with the free throws. Yeah, he’s going to have to score more than 20 points, for sure.”When Wembanyama settles, it also seems like the rest of his teammates do, too. San Antonio lacked juice throughout the entire game, and it was only when he activated them during an impassioned huddle on the bench that the Spurs showed some fight.“I think they send so many bodies at him it’s hard at times, and I think he just wants to make the right play and wants to win,” Stephon Castle said of Wembanyama. “But yeah, he’s our best player, so we need him to be aggressive. And him being aggressive opens up shots for other guys.”With their season on the line, Wembanyama will need to be the one to spark the Spurs.When Thunder perimeter shots fall, they’re tough to beatIn Game 4, a 21-point Oklahoma City loss, the Thunder hit just 6-of-33 (18.2%) shots from beyond the arc. Tuesday night, the Thunder embraced efficiency from deep and didn’t force their looks. This time, they fell.Oklahoma City hit 14-of-32 (43.8%) from beyond the arc. And while that was only two more 3-point conversions than the Spurs hit, San Antonio had to strafe the rim with 41 attempts to get there.It’s not just the shot making, it’s what it does for the entire offense. That creates better spacing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to attack the rim and it gets role players going.Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein deliver steady minutesAnd steady is all Oklahoma City needs.The pair combined to score 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting (70.6%). They also cleaned the glass, scooping 26 rebounds, nine of which were offensive.This was a good sign, in particular for Holmgren, who had been struggling to score in the series. The Thunder actually started the game poorly, missing some easy looks. Holmgren, however, hit all four of his shot attempts in the first quarter and was a stabilizing force.“He was really good,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Chet has all the tools, and everybody in our building and the league knows that. He’s a hell-of-a player. And as a player you’re going to go through ups and downs. I don’t ever worry about Chet just because I know how much he loves the game, how much he cares and how much he works.”See emotional Knicks fans after historic NBA finals clinch since 1999The Knicks have finally punched their ticket to the NBA finals for the first time since 1999, and die hard fans are absolutely losing it.The longer this series goes, the better it is for the KnicksThe New York Knicks might eventually be underdogs in the NBA Finals, regardless of their opponent. Yet, they’ll have a clear and decisive advantage in at least one area.By the time May wraps up, the Knicks will have played just eight games of basketball in the month. New York entered its decisive Game 4 blowout against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a completely clean injury report.And now the Knicks are afforded the luxury of scouting these two teams from home. All the while, the Spurs and Thunder are expending enormous energy to prevail.“This is up there with the best of them,” Holmgren said when asked where this series ranks on a list of physical ones he has played. “Our last three series last year were all just bloodbaths, both teams just beating each other up, and I’d say this is up there with that.”The NBA season is a grind. These players began their preparations for this season in late September when training camps opened. This added rest will go a long way.And, if the series goes to seven, that’s even better for the Knicks.
