The OKC Thunder have undoubtedly discovered their biggest threat to a championship repeat, and, to much surprise, it's the Spurs.
After starting off the year with a 23-2 record, Oklahoma City has split their last six games, with all three of their losses coming against San Antonio.
A Christmas Day drubbing served as their most recent experience of defeat at the hands of Victor Wembanyama and company, as the Thunder lost by a final score of 117-102.
While this ongoing losing streak against San Antonio may have some questioning whether OKC has the ability to best the rising Western Conference club in a seven-game playoff series, in an odd way, it could actually be seen as a positive, for it directly sheds light on what area of play, in particular, they need to fix as they chase their second consecutive title.
Thunder must adjust game plan to get stars cleaner looks against Spurs
The Thunder are one of the most drive-heavy teams in the association, ranking eighth in such play types with an average of 53.7 attempts per game.
Against the Spurs, with the 7-foot-4 wunderkind Wembanyama lurking near the rim, however, this kind of approach to the offense is far from a successful game plan due to his sheer earth-shattering defensive and rim-protecting abilities, which, in turn, have forced Oklahoma City to rely more heavily on the long-range game.
On the season as a whole, the Thunder have fared rather nicely from beyond the arc, cashing home at a sixth-best clip of 36.9 percent. Against the Spurs, however, they've shot a putrid 28.8 percent.
Unfortunately, this lousy production has been a clear result of their struggles as a set-up shooting squad, as they rank a middling 16 in effective field goal percentage with catch-and-shoot sets at 54.6.
When going against long and lengthy perimeter defenders such as Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Harrison Barnes, heavily depending on isolation offense (rank in the 100 percentile) is a recipe for disaster.
These issues are exactly why OKC found guys like Alex Caruso and Lu Dort leading the team in three-point attempts on Christmas with 12 and seven, respectively, rather than their general go-to options in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (six), Chet Holmgren (two), and Isaiah Joe (two).
San Antonio's defense is daring Oklahoma City's less reliable offensive role players to make them pay, and, so far, it's been working wonders.
Moving forward, it's clear that if the Thunder want to improve their chances of beating the Spurs, getting their stars cleaner, better looks at scoring opportunities will be essential.
That means more pick-and-rolls, a higher emphasis on using off-ball screens, and drive and kicks involving their more trustworthy offensive commodities.
The best teams learn through trial and error.
With all the errors that have been found over their three matchups against the Spurs, hopefully, the Thunder have learned their lesson.