As history seems to suggest, the race for MVP may not be the only thing OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will beat Victor Wembanyama in here during these final stages of the 2025-26 campaign.
As per the findings of NBA Base, this upcoming face-off between the Spurs and Oklahoma City marks the 11 time in the league's nearly 80-year existence where the reigning Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year will be going head-to-head in the postseason.
According to these findings, the MVP has come away successful seven times in such instances.
This 70.0 percent success rate should serve as somewhat of a confidence boost for Thunder fans coming into the series, as OKC was bested by Wembanyama and the Spurs in four of five matchups throughout the regular season.
Of course, as Wemby alluded to following San Antonio's Game 6 win over the Timberwolves on Friday, their dominance against the defending champs during the regular season doesn't necessarily hold much, or any weight, heading into the conference finals, saying, "it's going to be a whole different series."
Though the Thunder will actively be trying not to have recent history carry on over into this highly anticipated, best-of-seven series, advancing the MVP vs. DPOY record to 8-3 in head-to-head playoff matchups will absolutely be at the top of their to-do list.
Thunder set to get Jalen Williams back for Western Conference Finals
Recent reporting should only make the odds of Oklahoma City heading to their second straight title-round even higher than they already were, as the team revealed on Sunday evening that they are set to have Jalen Williams return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The All-NBA forward has been sidelined since the second half of their Game 2 quarterfinal series against the Phoenix Suns, where he got off to a hot start with 19 points in 23 minutes of action before going down with a left hamstring strain.
Sadly, this was far from the first time Williams has been hobbled by a health-related ailment this season, as he was held to just 33 games due to two right hamstring strain flare-ups and an extended rehabilitation process following offseason wrist surgery.
Fortunately, due to the elite depth of the Thunder and, in turn, their absolute domination over their first two playoff opponents in the Suns and Lakers, respectively, J-Dub was able to take things slow with his recovery and, by the time round three's series opener tips off, will have had just under a full month of rest under his belt.
As seen during last year's championship round, where he posted 23.6 points per game and dropped 40 points in a pivotal Game 5, and even in the limited games he played this season, where the All-Star and All-Defensive talent averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor, Williams is a tremendous on-court producer for OKC.
Clearly, his addition to this currently undefeated Thunder squad should be viewed as a major boon heading into their showdown against the second-seeded Spurs.
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