You can probably go ahead and pencil in the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Spurs as the top two teams in the West next season, in whatever order. That's a safe bet to make, not just because that's how things happened in 2025-26, but because of how much better they are than their competition. ESPN predicted it would go that way in 2026-27, with San Antonio sitting atop the West.
They predict that the Spurs (62-20) would sit two games ahead of the Thunder (60-22), with the Nuggets coming in well below both teams at No. 3 with a 51-31 record, which is questionable, but that's a different conversation.
If you're reading this, you probably think that the Thunder will finish as the best team in the conference for the third straight year, but other than that, it's hard to argue with ESPN's prediction. Knock on wood, but unless bad luck strikes either team to the point where it's impossible to change their outlook, OKC and San Antonio will sit atop the standings.
ESPN predicts Thunder will finish second in West
The Thunder and Spurs already had a rivalry going on before the 2025-26 season began, but the focus was on Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. Unfortunately, after how the latter looked in the playoffs, that's not much of a rivalry anymore, but there's a bigger spark now, anyway.
San Antonio is much better, and much sooner, than many people thought, and the conference finals proved it when the Spurs knocked out the Thunder in Game 7. And that's how the WCF could look over the next few years, that is, if we're lucky enough. It's A++++++ basketball.
ESPN probably ranked San Antonio above Oklahoma City because the Spurs currently have the upper hand, but the loss also gave the Thunder extra fuel. It also helps that OKC isn't dealing with the pressure of being the defending champion, though that's certainly not a bad position to be in.
Coming up short of where they finished in 2025 should make the desire to win even greater. Then again, you could say the same about the Spurs after they lost 4-1 in the NBA Finals against the Knicks. And that's part of what will make the OKC-San Antonio matchups even more fun next season.
We're officially less than two months away from the first one, as the Thunder will travel to San Antonio on opening night, Oct. 20.
Of course, it won't be all about OKC and San Antonio all season long, as for both teams to finish at the top of the West, they'll have to take care of business against the rest of the conference. Anything can happen in an 82-game season, but in this case, anything may not pertain to a team other than the Thunder or Spurs finishing in the top two spots, and hopefully, in that order.
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