The San Antonio Spurs are one win from the NBA Finals, and Dylan Harper has helped put them there. After key performances in Game 1 and Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs head into Game 7 against defending champion Oklahoma City needing one more road win to reach the Finals and a matchup with the Knicks.
Harper, the No. 2 overall pick, has been at the center of San Antonio's surge when it has mattered most. He delivered 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists in Game 1, helping the Spurs escape with a seven-point win in double overtime. He followed that with 18 points on 67% shooting in Game 6, a blowout that forced the series back to Oklahoma City for a winner-take-all finale.
Those two games have carried real weight because Harper's playoff output has not been steady throughout the series. He has been vital in two of the Spurs' three wins, but there were stretches in the middle when his production dipped and San Antonio had to lean more heavily on other stars. The shift matters because the margin now is gone. One strong night can send the Spurs to the NBA Finals; one quiet one ends the run.
That is what makes Harper so important going into Game 7. The 20-year-old guard averaged 11.8 points on 51% shooting during the regular season, along with 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game, but the postseason has demanded more of him. Oklahoma City has had little answer for his ability to create via strength, and San Antonio has already seen how disruptive he can be when he is forcing turnovers and turning defense into offense. He has also been playing alongside other star-level guards, including Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox, in a postseason stretch that has featured big contributions from Victor Wembanyama as well.
The Spurs have already shown they can win this series with Harper in control. Now they have to do it one more time on the road, where the defending champions are waiting and the margin for error is gone.
