Spurs are bringing back the one thing the NBA has been missing

With the reemergence of the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA has yet another potential contender. What sets the Spurs apart is that they seem to

Basically, they aren't afraid to embrace the competitive aspect of the game and seem to have a clear rivalry with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a result. That gives the league a glimmer of hope with those two teams seemingly poised to form the NBA's next great rivalry.

They should certainly hope so, with ESPN's Tim Bontemps weighing in on the Spurs and Thunder.

"They're bringing the culture back that I like," a second East executive said. "Some people might think it's corny, but I love it when [Wembanyama] goes crazy when Chet [Holmgren] misses a free throw. They're really going all in on rivalry and competitiveness. They will be fighting it out with Oklahoma City for the next few years."

After all, the NBA has seemingly done a great job of turning fans off to the game. From questionable rules to poor officiating and making it difficult to find where games are streaming, they could use some help.

San Antonio could help the league by creating a must-see matchup that fans will clamor to watch.

The Spurs are bringing back rivalries the NBA has been missing

The Thunder are a potential dynasty in the making, though they are unofficial villains of the NBA, with them seemingly disliked bymost baksetball fans. From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's foul baiting to Lu Dort and company seemingly mistaking football for basketball on defense, the Thunder can be a tough watch.

Contrast that with the Spurs, who play an ethical brand of basketball complete with a trio of elite slashers and a 7'4" dinosaur-sized human. I'm admittedly biased, but I know which team I'd rather watch.

Imagine those two teams going at it in the Western Conference Finals. There's nothing like an intense series being played by two teams that don't like each other. The NBA has historically had plenty of those rivalries, but they have been few and far in-between with the increase in player movement.

The NBA should lean into a Spurs and Thunder rivalries

Try as the league might, they don't have anything near what the Spurs and Thunder could end up being, even with NBA Rivalry Week. Having a week devoted to rivalries feels forced.

I'd instead propose that the NBA alter the schedule for teams that actually have rivals so that they play more games against one another. For instance, rather than having the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers play only twice, they should play four times.

The same could be done for the Spurs and Thunder, who will actually play five times this season thanks to the NBA Cup Game. That would be ratings gold, increase familiarity between the two teams, and build anticipation for a possible playoff matchup. You're welcome, NBA.

All told, with the Spurs seemingly on a playoff collision course with OKC, they will soon have a chance to add to that rivalry and see which team is the best.