The San Antonio Spurs are going back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014 after dethroning the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 Saturday night at Paycom Center. The Spurs will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center.

Victor Wembanyama is the Western Conference Finals MVP after averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 3 assists.

Wembanyama was visibly emotional after the Spurs Game 7 victory, embracing his Spurs teammates. He will now have the opportunity to lead the Spurs to their sixth title in franchise history and first in over a decade.

“Winning the Larry O Brien (trophy), it’s a childhood dream, having a real tangible shot at winning it, at realizing a dream,” Wembanyama said in the postgame conference.

“You work all these hours we put in for these types of emotions. I want to win so bad, it’s like my life depends on it,” Wembanyama added.

Julian Champagnie scored 20 points and knocked down 6-for-10 from the 3-point line. Stephon Castle had a solid all-around game with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. DeAaron Fox had an efficient night after struggling with his shot throughout the series, with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting.

San Antonio held a 40-38 rebounding advantage over Oklahoma City and controlled the offensive glass in the second half, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds. The Spurs had several key offensive putbacks when the Thunder were trying to mount a comeback down the stretch.

The Spurs led by as many as 14 points early in the 1st quarter before the Thunder fought their way back.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his best game of the series, leading Oklahoma City’s offense with 35 points and nine assists on 12-of-21 shooting. However, he received little support from his teammates, as the Thunder’s other four starters combined scored just 35 points. San Antonio swarmed Gilgeous-Alexander throughout the game with traps and double teams, forcing his teammates to make plays.

“They were just the better team tonight from start to finish. Every time we tried to take control of the game, they had an answer,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in the post-game press conference

Thunder starting guard Jalen Williams missed Game 7 with a left hamstring injury that hampered him the entire postseason. Oklahoma City needed more from All-Star forward Chet Holmgren, but he struggled with 4 points and 4 rebounds on 1-for-2 shooting in 33 minutes. In the series, Holmgren averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and shot under 30 percent from the 3-point line.

Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell missed most of the series after suffering a groin injury in Game 3. He averaged 15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and shot 46 percent from the field during the postseason before his injury. Oklahoma City missed Mitchell’s scoring ability, with Williams also injured.

Late in the first half, Oklahoma City managed to take a four-point lead, 53-49, but San Antonio closed out the half on a 7-0 run to take a three-point lead into halftime.

With about 6:30 remaining in Game 7, the Spurs led by 6, and Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein stole the ball with a chance to lay it in and pull Oklahoma City within 4. However, Spurs backup center Luke Kornet came from behind to block Hartenstein’s layup attempt. On the other end, Spurs guard Stephon Castle knocked down a pull-up jumper to swing momentum in the Spurs’ favor and extend to an 8-point lead with a little over six minutes remaining.

A few minutes later, with the Spurs leading 104-95 and the shot clock winding down, Dylan Harper drained a contested three-pointer over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to extend the Spurs’ lead to 107-95 with 3:44 remaining.

In the final minutes, the Thunder trailed 107-101 after scoring the next six points and needed a defensive stop. After a Spurs miss, Stephon Castle scored off an offensive rebound to give San Antonio an 8-point lead with 59.1 seconds remaining.

With about 40 seconds remaining, a pass intended for Wembenyama was intercepted by the Thunder. San Antonio played solid team defense, forcing Oklahoma City forward Kenrich Williams to miss a contested three with 28 seconds remaining.

The Thunder got the offensive rebound, and Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox fouled before they could get another three-point shot up. After Cason Wallace missed a deep 3-pointer on Oklahoma City’s final possession, the Spurs secured the rebound and the Game 7 win.

San Antonio will now look ahead to a Finals matchup with the New York Knicks. The Knicks earned their first trip to the NBA Finals in 1999 by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Their last Finals appearance ended in a five-game series loss to San Antonio.

The Spurs and Knicks split their two regular-season meetings, with San Antonio winning 134-132 December 31 and New York earning an 114-89 victory March 1. The team also met in the NBA Cup Final on December 16, when the Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113.

Game 1 of the Finals is Wednesday, June 4, in San Antonio at 7:30 p.m. at Frost Bank Center.

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