Oklahoma City was waiting at home for the Western Conference Finals to begin, and the Thunder had a clear preference in the second round: they wanted the Minnesota Timberwolves to knock off the San Antonio Spurs. That hope was tied to one name more than any other, Victor Wembanyama, and it came with the kind of urgency that turns a playoff series into a bracket problem for everyone else.
The Timberwolves and Spurs were tied two games apiece before Game 5, and the NBA did not suspend Wembanyama despite the elbow he threw at Naz Reid’s head and throat in Game 4, when he was ejected. De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper were in uniform for Game 5, too, and the game quickly took on the feel of a turning point for the series rather than just another night in the second round.
Minnesota tied the game midway through the third quarter, but San Antonio answered with the kind of push that leaves little doubt about who controlled the finish. The Spurs later stretched the margin to 20 and leaned on Wembanyama’s best all-around night of the series. He finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, a line that showed why his presence changes the entire shape of a matchup. He is only 22 years old, but the Spurs played like a team that expected him to carry the load when the game tightened.
That is the part Oklahoma City was watching from afar. The Thunder had already handled a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers team in eight games after the Suns backed into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, and they were now waiting for the next round to start. For them, the Timberwolves schedule was not just a matter of dates. It was the path to a series they would rather see, because San Antonio with Wembanyama is the harder road.
The tension in this matchup is not subtle. Minnesota had a chance to build on Game 4 and instead ran into a Spurs response strong enough to swing the balance back in San Antonio’s favor. Oklahoma City can hope for the upset, but the bigger reality is that the team it wants to avoid may be the one shaping the rest of the West.
For now, the Western Conference Finals remain on hold in Oklahoma City, and the next result in this second-round series carries weight beyond the two teams on the floor. If the Timberwolves cannot finish the job, the Thunder may get the more difficult opponent anyway.
