The San Antonio Spurs went into Oklahoma City for a winner-take-all Game 7 and walked out with the Western Conference crown, beating the defending champion Thunder 111-103 on Saturday to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
Victor Wembanyama, named the Western Conference finals MVP, finished with 22 points and seven rebounds and was one of seven Spurs in double figures. Julian Champagnie poured in 20 points — 18 of them on three-pointers — while guard Stephon Castle added 16 and De'Aaron Fox 15 as San Antonio took control late on the road.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was visibly emotional as he collected the Magic Johnson Trophy, and he struggled to put the moment into words.
"Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true, even though we're still hungry. We want more," Wembanyama said. "This feeling, I can't explain it. It's so powerful."
He repeatedly turned the focus to his teammates after a series in which the Spurs had to win on the defending champions' floor.
"They don't even know how much I love them. They're just incredible. Everybody stepped up tonight," he said. "I love these guys."
Asked what it meant to win the conference and its MVP award in the same series in which he had watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collect the league MVP trophy before Game 1, Wembanyama refused to make it personal. "This doesn't mean anything but the fact that we're a team," he said.
And he made clear the Spurs are not satisfied with simply reaching the Finals. "It means everything. We want four more. We're not done."
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson praised both the opponent and his team's resolve.
"Oklahoma City is a hell of an organization, and what a series," Johnson said. "Words like competitiveness, resolve, togetherness, execution. Give a damn about the word experience."
Johnson said the Spurs leaned on the familiarity built over a season-long rivalry, including their last six games against the Thunder, heading into Game 7. "We didn't know — you have to go do it. But we've played this team 12 times now, and we played them our last six games, and we know what we're made of and what we're built," he said. "We had to go out and execute it, and they did that."
The win sets up a 2026 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks — a rematch of the 1999 Finals, when the Spurs claimed the first championship in franchise history against an eighth-seeded New York side. It is the Knicks' first Finals appearance in 27 years and the Spurs' first since their 2014 title.
For Oklahoma City, a 64-win season and a bid to repeat ended at home, with the Thunder unable to close out a series they had led. For San Antonio, a young core built around Wembanyama has arrived ahead of schedule — and, by their captain's own admission, they are not done chasing more.
