Victor Wembanyama lost the MVP race to Shai Gilgheous-Alexander, and with the proper motivation, he might be able to prove the voters wrong.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokic were the finalists for the 2026 NBA MVP Award. For the second year in a row, the Oklahoma City Thunder's superstar took home the honors.
On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs will clash with the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Simply winning the series won't be enough for Wembanyama to prove to voters that they made a mistake. Instead, he and the Spurs will have to totally shut down SGA.
Given their track record this season and the fact that Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't at his best in the last series, there's a very real chance that the Spurs could send a clear message.
How Spurs Can Slow Down the Two-Time MVP
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged an impressive 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from deep.
In the most recent series, a clean sweep against the Los Angeles Lakers, the now two-time MVP posted 24.5 points on 47.1 and 33.3 percent shooting splits.
Granted, the Thunder didn't need him to be at his best to easily cruise past the Lakers, but the same can't be said for the Spurs. In the regular season, San Antonio went 4-1 against OKC, holding SGA to 29.5 points in his four appearances. In those games, he shot 50.6 percent from 3 and a pathetic 19 percent from deep.
With Wembanyama clogging the paint, Gilegous-Alexander will need to make some magic on the perimeter. Unfortunately for him, the Spurs already demonstrated their superstar-stopping strategy in the second round against Anthony Edwards.
By swarming him with double teams, the Spurs can force him off the ball or into tough shots. Keep in mind the topic of this article: it's not about winning the series, it's about destroying Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP case.
SGA does have plenty of supporting players around him who can make great plays, so if the Spurs double him, that leaves a man open. However, if the Spurs keep him to a subpar showing while Wembanyama continues to dominate the Thunder like he did in the regular season, voters could find themselves looking foolish, no matter who advances to the NBA Finals.