The San Antonio Spurs have revealed themselves to be the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest threat in the Western Conference, and they've already surpassed one NBA legend.
If the last three matchups between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder don't prove to you that it's the best rivalry in the NBA, I don't know what will. The young Spurs seem to be the only team in the entire league that has the Thunder's number, and there seems to be genuine hatred between the two.
Victor Wembanyama clearly doesn't like Chet Holmgren, and he isn't alone. The Spurs and Thunder are already expected to meet in the Conference Finals, and it could be this generation's defining match-up.
For a brief time in the early 2010s, it looked like Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls would give Lebron James and the Miami Heat fits. Ultimately, Rose's prime ended way too early, and the Bulls could never beat the Heat when it mattered.
The Spurs and Thunder have a similar story, although hopefully there isn't a league-altering injury to sidetrack what could be the hottest feud in all of sports.
"This is a higher level version of what like Bulls/Heat was supposed to be in the Eastern Conference before Derrick Rose's career went sideways," said The Ringer's Zach Lowe. "This is not only a rivalry, it is the rivalry. This is the defining rivalry of the sport right now. And fingers crossed that this is the case for the next five years, because this is so much fun. It's ridiculous."
From the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, the NBA has been defined by rivalries, although those are usually across conferences and result in Finals matchups. Spurs/Thunder will give fans a chance to see meaningful regular-season games with playoff spots at stake.
For the Spurs, this isn't anything new. Their aging Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili went head to head with the Thunder in the 2010s, then led by Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. No bad blood has been lost since then, and even the front offices are at odds.
"They feel like they've been rivals with these guys forever," added Kirk Goldberry. "I mean, Sam Presti has been there. He came from the Spurs in 2012."
Presti's success after learning from the Spurs simply proves that "The Spurs Way" of emphasizing defense and drafting quality talents and personalities works. Both teams had some down years to rebuild, but the premier rivalry out West is back and better than ever before.