With just a couple minutes left in the fourth quarter, it felt like the Oklahoma City Thunder had a comeback within reach. They were rallying on the back of their superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and they had pulled the game close multiple times after trailing by double digits for much of the bout.
Yet the San Antonio Spurs ultimately fended them off, and the Thunder's championship defense came to an end on a May night in Oklahoma City. The team was cordial and professional during their exit interviews, but one thing was clear.
This was not the way anyone wanted or expected the season to end.
Now, Oklahoma City must face some difficult realities this offseason. With extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams kicking in, there are some harsh second-apron penalties looming if they don't shed salary. The first items on the agenda, in all likelihood, will be the team options for Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort.
Dort struggled throughout the series, failing to make a serious defensive impact and remaining highly inefficient on offense. But Hartenstein, after a questionable effort in Game 1, was arguably the team's most impactful player over the course of the series.
If there's one winner from the Thunder in this defeat to San Antonio, it's I-Hart.
Isaiah Hartenstein undeniably proved his value in the Thunder's playoff defeat
Let's start by acknowledging that it will be difficult for Oklahoma City to retain Hartenstein this offseason. Unless he's willing to scrap his team option and extend at a lower annual value in exchange for long-term security, the Thunder will be hard-pressed to keep his salary on their books for the start of next season.
But Hartenstein, in the adjustments he made against Victor Wembanyama, proved just how important he is to this iteration of the Thunder. Of course, there's no truly stopping Wembanyama in the paint. But Hartenstein was able to limit him with his physicality, holding the superstar to less than 30 points in five out of the seven games of the series.
Oklahoma City must now consider San Antonio as their greatest obstacle to returning to the summit. Letting go of the one player who helped you limit their star over the course of a seven-game series would be a tough pill to swallow.
But on a broader scale, Hartenstein also proved his value ahead of an offseason where he'll potentially hit the open market. His box score numbers have never been all that eye-popping. This season, across 47 games, he averaged 9.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 62.2% from the field. His suitors in free agency, were he to get there, would likely be highly dependent upon his particular fit.
But in a league now scrambling for answers for San Antonio, Hartenstein just proved the value he would bring to any team in need of a center.
It's not like Hartenstein was in a bad or inflexible spot prior to the Western Conference Finals. But he's now granted himself a relatively enviable position as he enters perhaps the most pivotal offseason of his career.
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