Stephon Castle backed up his words on Thursday night. After saying the San Antonio Spurs felt they were better than the Oklahoma City Thunder, he finished Game 6 with 17 points and a game-high nine assists as the Spurs pushed the series to a decisive Game 7.
The timing mattered because the Spurs had just been looking at a 127-114 loss in Game 5 when Castle was asked about what the team had been saying while watching film. His answer was blunt: “As a group we all want this. It’s right there in front of us and we feel collectively that we’re better than this team.” He then delivered the kind of play that gives those words weight, helping San Antonio recover and keep its season alive.
Castle’s numbers have been central to that push. He entered Game 7 averaging 18.3 points and 7.8 assists in the series, production the Spurs needed with De’Aaron Fox not at 100 percent. Earlier this postseason, Castle also set a Spurs record by becoming the youngest player in franchise history to score at least 30 points in a playoff game, another sign that the rookie has been carrying real responsibility in a high-pressure series.
There is still a gap between confidence and completion. San Antonio said it believed it was the better team even after losing Game 5 by 13 points, and it answered that claim with one strong night in Game 6 rather than a finished series. The Thunder get Game 7 at home on Saturday in Oklahoma City, and the winner will move on to face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
Castle has already given the Spurs a response that matches the moment. Now they have to prove it one more time, on the road, with everything still to decide.
