The Spurs learned how to beat the Thunder from a surprising team

Following the long-lived Golden State Warriors dynasty in the late 2010s, the NBA has been without a back-to-back winner for several years. But by the hand of the marvelous Sam Presti and a little bit of help from the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder have arrived to become the NBA's next dynasty.

The Thunder dominated their way through the 2024-25 regular season and carried their success to the NBA Finals to face the Indiana Pacers. In a matchup that seemed doomed for Indiana, the high-flying Pacers took the series to seven and nearly beat the Thunder. Had their star, Tyrese Haliburton, not gone down, who knows what could have happened.

As the Thunder have once again been destroying the competition this season, many fans have given up. However, they didn't realize the Indiana Pacers had unlocked the key to beating the Thunder. The Spurs, coming off two straight victories against OKC, have evidently taken notes.

The Spurs learned from the Pacers

Throughout their entire run, the Indiana Pacers were blitzing teams as we have never seen before. With their run-and-gun style, their offense was making things incredibly difficult for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the Thunder have a boatload of strong perimeter defenders, they can't handle speed.

When you play aggressively and quickly against the Thunder, they have no idea what to do about it. Their defense thrives in the half-court, and once you take that away from them, they crumble. Further, the Thunder struggles with heavy ball movement. If you are able to mash up their defense with screens and consistent passing, you can create an advantage.

Defensively, the Pacers brought the havoc that the Thunder. When this happens, you quickly realize how poor of an offensive team the Thunder are in the half-court. Their offense entirely revolves around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and if he's not impactful enough, they are screwed. While Jalen Williams has his moments, he doesn't have the motor to carry an offense.

The Spurs have the perfect roster to beat the Thunder

Much like the Pacers, the Spurs are equipped with the right players to beat the Thunder. Last season's Pacers had two things in particular that stood out against the pack: multiple ball-handlers and wings with size.

With De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, the Spurs have three ball-handlers that can make plays happen. It has become difficult for the Thunder to contain multiple guys who can handle the rock. San Antonio can efficiently dish the ball around the court and avoid making the crucial turnovers the Thunder thrive on.

The Spurs can also match up with size against OKC. Every single one of the guards and wings can go head-to-head against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet provide size against the Thunder's big men. Between these two teams, there isn't a single mismatch to take advantage of.

Above all else, both the Pacers and Spurs believe they can beat the Thunder. Neither team has ever been scared of them, and this has been a considerable advantage. Every player on both squads was ready for the challenge and not afraid to get in the face of anyone.

With these ingredients, the Spurs hold the recipe to holding back the Thunder from reaching a second consecutive finals. While there is still a lot of basketball to be played, the Silver and Black look exceedingly capable of preventing a Thunder dynasty.