Sitting atop the NBA throne, the Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten used to opposing teams throwing their best punches at them. It comes with the territory of being an all-time team. The rest of the league has circled their matchups against the reigning NBA champion.

And for the first time in over a month, the Thunder were on the wrong side of a final score. They had a 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals. Anytime OKC loses, the entire NBA world celebrates.

Missing 12 games, Victor Wembanyama ensured he’d be back for this matchup — even if it meant under restricted minutes. The 21-year-old has lived his entire life under a national spotlight. So this wasn’t anything new for him.

When Wembanyama checked in, the entire game’s dynamics changed. He was a plus-21 in 21 minutes off the bench. Always taking his matchups personally against Chet Holmgren, the seven-footer showed why many regard him as one of the NBA’s five best players.

The Thunder and Spurs may be far apart in terms of talent and experience, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes that the rivalry could be reignited sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, there’s a good chance. They are young, really good, have a lot of talent, play the right way. They play a good brand of basketball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But yeah, definitely it’s a possibility. I’ve noticed that anything can happen in a couple years. So, yeah, it’s definitely a possibility. Not a hundred percent but definitely a possibility, for sure.”

As Gilgeous-Alexander alluded to, NBA teams can quickly ascend from rebuilds to contenders. Look at the Thunder. Wasn’t that long ago when they were one of the worst teams. But because of the reigning MVP’s historic rise, they’ve been at the top of the league for two years.

The Spurs have that franchise-altering talent in Wembanyama. The pieces around him have grown up, too. De’Aaron Fox is a nice veteran presence who can still put up 20-plus points. Stephon Castle has taken a Year 2 leap. Dylan Harper shows potential.

But even if the talent gap is wide for this season, the animosity between the Thunder and Spurs was fully displayed in front of the NBA world. Wembanyama knows OKC is the team to beat this season and for the foreseeable future. It feels inevitable that both will clash in the playoffs — sooner or later.