The San Antonio Spurs are down 1-2 in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Thunder's second unit has given San Antonio an absolute walloping.

Despite boasting the Sixth Man of the Year in Keldon Johnson, one of the best backup bigs in the NBA in Luke Kornet, a proven champion in Harrison Barnes, and one of the league's best rookies in Dylan Harper, the Spurs' bench has been outscored by the Thunder through three games, 183-64.

Those 183 points are the most in the first three games of a Conference Finals in NBA history. Conversely, the Spurs' 64 points were led by just two double-digit performances, both by Johnson. Other than that, there hasn't been a single noteworthy bench game for the Spurs.

Chet Holmgren inadvetantly explained the difference between the Spurs and Thunder.

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When Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the starters sit, the Spurs are treading water, hoping at best that they won't let a lead slip away.

When the Thunder pull their starters, they expect their second unit to keep the good times rolling, not just stay afloat. Not only do they get fresh legs and newfound aggression, but they also get a chance for the starters to sit.

The Spurs, meanwhile, only see their bench as a chance for Wemby to get a breather, not as a way to pull ahead.

"You just continue to cycle fresh legs on people and just continue to wear them down over time," outlined Holmgren. "I think it's a huge advantage to have. Mark understands that, so he's leaning into it, and I think it's been really good for us. At the end of the day, we're not just putting fresh legs out there to wear people down. The dudes that are going in the game are dudes. They can go. They can go get a bucket. They can go make plays on the defensive end. They're amazing basketball players, so they're out there because they're amazing basketball players, and then it also just kind of aids in the fact that we can kind of cycle fresh legs out there."

The Spurs have fallen victim in this series to brilliance from Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, and Jared McCain. Meanwhile, the Spurs don't have a single bench player with a positive plus/minus this series.

If the Spurs want to stand a chance, the second unit needs to realize that they are a weapon, not just a shield, and their job is to pile on and carry momentum, not just fill gaps while the starters sit.