Witness the resurgence of a classic rivalry. Decades of history, unforgettable moments, and a promising new era await basketball fans.
This past meeting between two Texas powerhouses is nothing new for anyone familiar with the NBA. They’ve had literally hundreds of matchups throughout the decades.
From Tracy McGrady scoring 13 points in 35 seconds to stun the entire NBA world, to James Harden getting blocked by Manu Ginobili —— real fans remember the highs and lows that this matchup has brought.
But this is becoming something different. It’s a new era.
We saw different iterations of the Gregg Popovich lead Spurs face up against Yao Ming and T-Mac, but if we’re being honest, it was a little underwhelming.
Those teams never even saw each other on a playoff bracket, despite consistently finishing near each other in the standings.
Harden and the Daryl Morey built Rockets did get to face San Antonio in the playoffs, but I think most Houston fans would prefer to remove that from memory. The 39 point drubbing sent Harden and his team home after losing 2-4 in the series.
We shockingly have to go back 30+ years to find a great playoff matchup between these teams: when the 1995 MVP met the reigning DPOY and Finals MVP in the Western Conference Finals. When David Robinson got torched by Hakeem Olajuwon, on route to Clutch City’s back to back championships.
Now, I won’t get ahead of myself, considering Sengun hasn’t won a playoff series, and Wemby hasn’t even made the playoffs yet —— but this new age Rockets/Spurs rivalry still has potential to be the best competition since the 90’s. It doesn't hurt for it to be another matchup between superstar big men in 2026.