Spurs punched Thunder back by doing exactly what fans have been begging for

The Spurs just got their revenge in blood tonight. After being forced to empty the bench early in Game 3 from a deficit too tall to overcome, the Silver and Black returned the favor by blowing the Thunder out 103-82. Victor Wembanyama responded exactly how you'd expect a superstar to. He was aggressive early, scoring 22 points on 17 shots in the first quarter, and finishing with 33.

His points were critical to the win, but this team got back to playing the kind of defense fans had grown accustomed to. There were too many double teams and traps in the first three games, and it was driving fans crazy. Tonight, the Spurs got back to playing guys straight up. That's what won them the game.

The Spurs remembered who they are defensively

The key for San Antonio for this series was always going to be about how they approached the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander question. For most teams, SGA poses an intense problem, but there's a distinct difference between those terms. While the rest of the league has to choose between letting Shai or his teammates eat, the Spurs have to make no such choice.

Mitch Johnson's stable is sturdy enough to contain OKC's horses, and that includes the newly crowned back-to-back MVP. They did it in the regular season by defending him straight up. There was never a need to change that strategy because it was effective. You don't fix what was never broken.

The Spurs started the Western Conference Finals by defending the Thunder like they were Allen Iverson's 76ers or Derrick Rose's Chicago Bulls. Those teams were heavily reliant on their stars to score or create opportunities for the role players. Their other guys couldn't really generate offense with consistency. That's not who OKC is.

The Thunder have a bevy of players who can shoot the three, score at the rim, and dish the rock for assists. If you want them to beat you and plan on giving them room to pick their favorite attack, they'll beat you. They constructed their roster to survive cold shooting nights from their go-to guy or intense defensive schemes that take him out of the game plan altogether.

San Antonio built their roster in a way that allows them to defend even the most talented of teams straight up because they have dogs up and down the rotation who can hold their own in one-on-one situations. That defensive versatility has been just as key to the Spurs' success this season as anything else, and remembering that at the perfect time led to a much-needed Game 4 win.

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