Timberwolves screwed the Thunder by teaching Spurs dangerous playoff lesson

Someone tell the Thunder not to expect a relaxed Spurs team in Game 2 tonight; expect another dogfight. The Silver and Black dropped Game 1 to the Timberwolves in the second round and then blew Minnesota's doors off two days later. Anthony Edwards and Co. were complacent, seemingly satisfied with stealing one win on the road. That mentality cost them, and San Antonio won't make the same mistake.

The Spurs keep proving that they're the apex predators

The difference between regular predators and apex predators is hierarchy. Hunting others doesn't preclude one from being hunted themselves as a predator, but there is no animal or beast alive that hunts the apex predator. Think polar bears and tigers, or in this case, Godzilla or King Kong.

The Spurs are monsters when they're on their A game. Try as you might, they'll never allow you to feel like you have an insurmountable upper hand on them. They're too talented, fierce, and driven. Their reliance on each other is that of a veteran ball club, increasing the density of their defensive shell. It's incredibly difficult to penetrate, and that's by design.

OKC is a great team. Nobody is doubting that. You don't luck your way into 64 wins and sweep the first two rounds of the postseason. However, it's pertinent to keep in mind how much success San Antonio had this year as well. This team won 62 games and kept OKC on their toes down the last week of the campaign.

Game 1 proved that, although the regular season doesn't always matter, sometimes it does. They had the same issues Monday night that they had in those December losses. Solving the riddle of Victor Wembanyama just isn't easy. He's too tall, quick, intelligent, and relentless. The combination makes playing flawless offense against him an impossible task.

Spurs built a defensive machine that teams struggle to figure out

The Spurs then added dogs on the perimeter to the ones they already had. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper teamed up with Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie to pressure ball handlers, funneling them to the black hole the Alien creates by existing near the paint.

Wemby's unique abilities give San Antonio a higher ceiling defensively than any other team in the league, and that includes OKC. They may have finished the regular season with a higher rating on that side of the floor, but I don't think anyone watching this postseason believes there has been a more suffocating defense than Mitch Johnson's.

That effort shows up at home and on the road, and it's why they've only lost one game since the playoffs began when Wembanyama plays at least 15 minutes. Count on it to be there early in Game 2. The Spurs will look to tighten their hold on the series. Not relinquish it. The Timberwolves taught them the dangers of relaxation, and if San Antonio has shown us anything, it's that they're fast learners.

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