When the Spurs downed the reigning champion OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, they became the overwhelming favorites to take home the 2026 Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Ultimately, however, the New York Knicks pulled off quite an epic upset, besting San Antonio 4-1 in the title round to snap their 53-year championship drought.
During his post-Game 5 presser, star big man Victor Wembanyama voiced his disappointment in how things ultimately played out for San Antonio, and specifically noted that there are "probably 100 games before we can be back in the Finals."
Though technically the fewest games it would take to return to the league's biggest stage is 94, Wemby already having a set number in his head is wildly presumptuous. The fact of the matter is, there's far from a guarantee he'll ever make it back to the NBA Finals again.
Just ask Thunder legend, Russell Westbrook.
Thunder great an example of why a Wemby Finals return isn't guaranteed
Like Wembanyama, Westbrook was in his early 20s when he found himself playing in the NBA Finals with the Thunder. Considering his age, coupled with how young and flush with talent the rest of Oklahoma City's roster was, their 2012 title-round berth was believed to be the first of many to come for the organization.
Even after their 4-1 series loss to the Miami Heat, they were pegged as having the second-best odds of coming out of the West heading into the following season.
Unfortunately for him, that was the last time Westbrook ever found himself in the big game.
Of course, the former Thunder star is far from the only player who seemed destined to get back to the Finals at some point in their career that, in the end, failed to do so.
From Allen Iverson and James Harden (also a member of that OKC team) to Chris Paul, plenty of the game's all-time greats were only able to punch their ticket to the championship round once, despite having odds in their favor countless times to head back.
While Wembanyama and the Spurs certainly should be seen as a threat in the West for the foreseeable future, with several rival conference clubs expected to get even better as soon as next season, including the Thunder themselves, the road to the Finals will become far more treacherous and unpredictable.
With this heightened competition, it's hard for Wembanyama to justify already having a specific game countdown for a return to the championship.
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