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I’ve observed ample evidence: Entrust the San Antonio Spurs the keys to Santa Claus’ elf headquarters. Place Castle in command of toy assembly. Allow De’Aaron Fox launch packages into rooftops, from any range he’d like. Devin Vassell can customize the festive biscuits. Barnes has the army of assistants managed. And, of course, Santa Claus’s vehicle must promptly be altered for a taller, thinner pilot so that the immense Victor Wembanyama can operate it without issue.

The remarkable Spurs have toppled the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trio of matchups in a fortnight, and in the process have breathed new life into this league schedule. I now have more faith in the Spurs’ ability to provide excitement to the audience than any festive tales of old.

A Dire Start

It appeared grim for a time. The Thunder might have claimed the title in June, but began this season in increasingly threatening form. They strung together 24 wins in their opening 25 matchups (the sole defeat was a unlikely 20-point comeback). In the bulk of those games, Jalen Williams, their second-best player, was on the bench healing from wrist surgery. SGA, their top player, rarely had to play in the final period. The Thunder routed the Sacramento Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some predicted to be a plausible contender, lost by 29; their offensive genius Luka Doncic looked like he was facing ten men. The Suns' valiant initial earned them a close loss, by just four points. When they faced off again 12 days later, the Thunder won by 49. This game was a decisive statement and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City looked capable of demolishing any opponent in its path, even the 2016 Golden State Warriors’ fabled regular season record of 73-9.

Debating Their Approach

The Thunder do not employ a overly pleasing style of basketball. They adeptly exploit the referees’ dilemma over which fouls to call (a constant whistle disrupts the rhythm of the game, an absent one lets players get away with blatant violations), often leading to SGA taking free throws after calls that would be better swallowed, while personified pest Alex Caruso seems to have total license to do anything he likes on the defensive end. Some profess to appreciate, Gilgeous-Alexander twisting his body to elicit small bumps from defenders; I can only imagine those same people also like being kicked hard between the legs. That’s not to mention man-mountain Luguentz Dort flying off his feet and into opponents after numerous questionably light touches. This tactics enables critics to entertain the notion that in a world with ideal officiating, the Thunder would be a middling team. Real knowledgeable fans know it’s far more irritating than fundamental to the Thunder’s success, but the overall irritation is enough to nudge some fans who might otherwise be neutral into supporting Oklahoma City’s demise.

Dominance can be fascinating in its ruthlessness to watch, but a historically great performance tends to inspire reduced amazement the more times it recurs. How many times does anyone really want to watch one team beat another by 35? Eventually you remember that the intrigue is the point. The Thunder were sapping the season of excitement, running up leads on other teams in the standings as well as on the floor.

The San Antonio Response

Through 21 minutes of the initial San Antonio vs. OKC game this season, San Antonio trailed by 16 and looked likely to go the identical path as every other team. Instead, they have wrought hell upon the Thunder ever since.

Against the Spurs, the Thunder look human. Each member of their key players deserves considerable credit for that, but this is Wemby's team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this man on their team that’s 7'5" and takes up a lot of area on the court,” Jalen Williams remarked, with some irritation, when asked what made the Spurs such a tough out. The Thunder’s lanky center, 7'1" Chet Holmgren, is the tallest player on the floor in most games, free to grab rebounds and reject opposing shots. Next to Wembanyama, he’s short, crude, and even timid. Wembanyama’s disregard for Holmgren is evident in how he celebrates each time Holmgren misses a free throw, as though he’s hit the jackpot; the way he fouls him with a bit of added intensity; the way he told reporters he does not view Holmgren a rival. (There is indeed no debate over which player is more talented.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to burst out of the pantry, talking smack, when he stretches for a bite to eat.

A Festive Declaration

Wembanyama and the Spurs made their most authoritative statement yet on Christmas, routing the Thunder by 15 on their home court. San Antonio took the expected early surge well yet again, regrouping to pile 41 points on the league’s best defense in the first quarter. Fox effortlessly found the tiny holes in that defense to the tune of 29 points. The Spurs even restricted Gilgeous-Alexander to a year-low 22. He tried to offset it by zipping passes to open teammates behind the arc, but they let him down by bricking almost every single attempt.

A Thunder believer would say that a sufficient number of those long-range shots will go in in the future to produce a win or a more competitive loss, but I found the misses indicative of a weakness. Off the back of his silky-smooth stepback jumper, SGA is the most reliable scoring force in the league. He is tough to guard and nearly unguardable to stop. But even he can’t carry an offense completely on his own. The Spurs put Gilgeous-Alexander under enough pressure that he had to delegate more than usual, and his supporting parts broke down under the heavier burden. Caruso and Dort are good for the sporadic three-pointer, but relying on them to make the long shot is the least desirable situation the Thunder want to be.

The New Landscape

The Spurs’ surge couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only have they emphatically cemented themselves as legitimate challengers – but they’ve enabled fans to see the Thunder in {higher definition|sharper focus|