Spurs Stunned in Game 4: How Sga's Masterclass Flipped the Western Conference Finals

An essential feature on Spurs Stunned in Game 4: How Sga's Masterclass Flipped the Western Conference Finals, covering expert perspectives.

San Antonio entered Sunday night smelling blood. Their Game 3 romp had energized the entire city, sparking talk that Wembanyama’s ascension to the Finals was happening well ahead of schedule. The energy inside the arena was deafening during the opening introductions. Flags waved, legends sat courtside, and the home crowd expected a repeat performance of San Antonio's dominant interior display.

The Thunder felt that suffocation early. Oklahoma City missed five of their first seven shots, looking rushed against San Antonio’s lengthy defensive switching. But rather than panic, head coach Mark Daigneault called an early timeout at the 8:14 mark of the first quarter to reset the spacing. From that moment on, the Thunder stopped attacking straight downhill. They began setting high inverted ball screens 28 feet from the hoop, forcing San Antonio’s perimeter defenders to fight over screens while keeping Wembanyama caught in deep drop coverage.

That single adjustment altered the tempo of the entire evening. The Spurs wanted a chaotic track meet fueled by live-ball turnovers and transition lobs. Oklahoma City dragged the game into the mud, methodically grinding out half-court sets and dictating the terms of engagement.