Spurs return to Western Conference Finals to face Thunder in historic 2026 playoff clash
San Antonio advances for first time since 2017, setting up a rare matchup of two teams with 62-plus regular-season wins
The San Antonio Spurs have secured their place in the 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals, marking their first appearance in the series since 2017. The team is now set to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in a matchup scheduled to commence on Monday night, representing a significant moment in the league’s current playoff landscape.
This series is historically notable as the first instance this century, and only the seventh in NBA history, where two teams with 62-plus regular-season wins face each other in the playoffs. The Thunder, the reigning NBA champions, enter the series as favourites, having maintained an undefeated 8-0 record through the first two rounds of the postseason.
Despite the Thunder’s dominance in the early playoff stages, the Spurs enter with momentum from the regular season, where they became the only team to win the season series against the defending champions. San Antonio won four of five games against Oklahoma City during the 2025-26 regular season, a performance that statistical models suggest offers marginal value, assigning the Spurs a 33.8% chance of victory compared to the Thunder’s 32.3% implied odds.
The Spurs’ current roster is defined by a young core led by 22-year-old star Victor Wembanyama, alongside Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper. Wembanyama has established himself as one of the league’s premier defensive players and a potent offensive force. Head coach Mitch Johnson is tasked with guiding this new wave of talent, operating under the basketball operations leadership of former head coach Gregg Popovich, who now serves as president of basketball operations.
The franchise’s institutional history provides a backdrop to this return. The Spurs have won five NBA championships, all achieved under the guidance of Gregg Popovich, with their most recent title coming in 2014 against the Miami Heat. Since that victory, the team has not advanced past the Western Conference Finals, having been swept by the Golden State Warriors in 2017. As of May 2026, San Antonio ranks fourth all-time in playoff wins in franchise history, with 40 playoff appearances and a Western Conference Finals record of 31-34.
