On Tuesday night, the OKC Thunder enacted their revenge on the up-and-coming Spurs, handing them a 119-98 defeat out in the Sooner State.
The victory comes on the heels of three straight losses to San Antonio back in December, sparking media attention around what could possibly be the NBA's next big rivalry.
The Spurs have also leaned into the conflict, with star player Victor Wembanyama always seemingly throwing shade OKC's way.
Amidst the drama, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a heavy dose of reality on their young counterparts with one cold line -- "This wasn't our Super Bowl."
While many viewed this game as a must-win for OKC to show that they could compete with the Wemby-led squad, Shai was quick to remind everyone who the top dog is.
The comment serves as a testament not only to how the Thunder view the Spurs, but also how they view themselves. It's clear that, even though the Spurs have had their number up until this point, OKC still puts itself in a completely different tier than everybody else in the league - including San Antonio.
Jalen Williams echoed SGA's sentiment in his post-game interview when he was asked whether or not he thinks these four games are the beginning of a rivalry.
"If you have to ask if it's a rivalry, it probably ain't one," Williams said.
Williams also gave credit to San Antonio for consistently forcing the Thunder to play a full 48 minutes of basketball. Even though he gave credit where credit was due, he refused to acknowledge the Western Conference competitors as anything other than another team eagerly awaiting their shot at dethroning the champs.
Thunder are crystal clear on where their focus lies
While the Spurs have their matchups against OKC circled on a calendar, the blue and orange have just been treating them as any other team in the league: unimportant and in the way of their repeat aspirations.
This type of laser focus has been on display all season and in every interview, with mantras like "get better every day" and "win each possession."
With complete team buy-in to these values, the Thunder are giving the rest of the league a blueprint for the mindset that leads to winning championships. Whether or not other teams choose to follow is another story.
One thing that's for certain is that the Thunder, led by their two All-Stars in SGA and J-Dub, have been locked in from the get-go, and their recent downplaying of a supposed Western Conference threat serves to remind the rest of the league that every other team is still beneath them.