Spurs' biggest advantage over Thunder lies in what went right for OKC

So, the Spurs stole home court from the defending champions two nights ago, and plenty believe Oklahoma City will bounce back in Game 2. I wouldn't be so sure. When examining this matchup, the most concerning part for the Thunder going forward has nothing to do with what went wrong for them in Game 1. It's about what went right.

OKC got several things they usually need to win playoff games, and the Silver and Black still walked into Paycom Center and controlled most of the night like a narcissistic best friend. That's not the kind of realization Oklahoma City wants settling into the back of their minds this early in the matchup after losing the regular-season series so badly.

The Thunder actually played pretty well in multiple areas

Mark Daugneault's players did a tremendous job of limiting the Spurs' transition opportunities. San Antonio loves to push the pace; they'll do it off of turnovers, misses, and sometimes even made buckets. There's immense speed and athleticism on this team, and the guys thrive in space, so reducing their chances of getting easy shots is key to any opponent's game plan.

The Spurs did a horrendous job of taking care of the ball. Oklahoma City turned them over all night and punished them for it, scoring 28 points off those turnovers. Stephon Castle had 11 of them. Yet that didn't affect his confidence one bit, and he made a strong impact on the game. Sloppiness usually swings momentum toward a veteran home team. That never really happened in Game 1.

Of course, we can't forget about Alex Caruso. Coach Mitch Johnson and his staff clearly decided to force OKC's defensive specialist to beat them on offense. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 12 assists because he was unselfish with the basketball when he was crowded, and Caruso cashed in on eight threes. He scored 31 points. That's another undeniable success from their game plan.

It doesn't stop there. They shot 38% from three as a team, and Jalen Williams looked sharp in his first game back from injury. For a guy who hadn't played in a while, he settled in quickly and gave OKC another legitimate creator on offense. Add all of that together, and then realize that the Thunder still couldn't seize control of the game for any meaningful stretch. That should concern them deeply.

Spurs left plenty on the table in Game 1

From San Antonio's perspective, they didn't even come close to playing their cleanest offensive game. They didn't shoot well from three (30%), Castle turned the ball over too much, and De'Aaron Fox was sidelined with ankle soreness. His absence forced Mitch to give a rookie his first-ever postseason start, and Dylan Harper responded with a ridiculous double-double, seven-steal masterclass.

Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama spent the night demonstrating to everyone why he's the best basketball player in the world. The towering French Mind Flayer put up historic numbers, but the stat line undersells how much pressure he puts on a defense possession after possession. OKC spent much of the game reacting to him because they're unable to dictate terms consistently.

That's scary for the Thunder. There isn't some obvious disaster they can point to from Game 1 and confidently say, "Well, that won't happen again." They did a bunch of things well on both sides of the floor. And still, the Spurs spent most of the night stiff-arming their rival like a Derrick Henry touchdown run. What makes anyone believe tonight will be much different?

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