The San Antonio Spurs will take on the OKC Thunder for the fourth time this season on Tuesday, and the Spurs know that pressure is only building as the season wears on.
The San Antonio Spurs are a perfect 3-0 this season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, beating them at home, in OKC, and in Las Vegas in the NBA Cup semifinals.
At this point, the Spurs have already cemented themselves as the biggest threat to the Thunder repeating as NBA champions, and will remain as such, no matter the outcome of Tuesday's game.
Fans can argue that there's really no pressure on the Spurs. Even if they lose, they're still 3-1 against the best team in the NBA. What else is there to prove? Well, the Spurs barely beat the Boston Celtics and lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Physicality has been an issue for them as of late, and the Thunder brings plenty. It's not about beating the Thunder. It's about overcoming the playstyle the Thunder bring to the floor.
How Spurs Are Prepping for Thunder
The Spurs beat OKC by two, 20, and 15 points. In all three games, Victor Wembanyama came off the bench, and it took a masterclass for him to propel the Spurs over the top in the first game. Of course, the next two games would easily go in the Spurs' favor, although they know not to take that for granted.
"I think it's a new ball game," said Harrison Barnes. "But I think you only have to look at these last two games to realize where we're at in the season. We're playing two good teams, and it comes down to the wire in both games, extremely physical. That's the stretch that we're in right now."
The Spurs allowed the Wolves to overcome a 19-point deficit in their most recent game, so closing out quality opponents remains a struggle. As they prep for OKC, they're aware that any slip-up could allow the Thunder to peel off a run.
"These games, they show you how good your focus is," Barnes added. "When we talk about execution down the stretch, when we talk about can we get to our spots, when we talk about getting two stops in a row, these are the games."
While the Spurs don't have much to prove to fans, the league, or the media, they have something to prove to themselves: an ability to outplay teams billed as better than them, and making sure that they remain polished no matter what kind of start the game gets off to.