The wait is over for the San Antonio Spurs. The Texas franchise secured its return to the NBA Finals after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in the seventh and final game of the Western Conference finals, played at the Paycom Center. The victory allowed the Spurs to eliminate the defending champions and advance to the title series, where they will face the New York Knicks.

The classification was led by Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, who contributed 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 41 minutes of action. At the end of the match, the 22-year-old could not contain his tears after leading a team that was down 2-3 in the series and managed to complete the comeback with two consecutive victories.

San Antonio showed a solid collective performance. In addition to Wembanyama, six other players finished with double figures in scoring. Julian Champagnie added 20 points with six triples, Stephon Castle had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while De'Aaron Fox contributed 15 points. Dylan Harper added 12 points and both Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell finished with 11 each.

On the Oklahoma City side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the offensive effort with 35 points and nine assists. Cason Wallace added 17 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Jaylin Williams had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Jared McCain and Alex Caruso contributed 12 points each. The absence of greater production from Chet Holmgren, limited to four points and four rebounds, weighed on those led by Mark Daigneault.

A series defined by intensity and perimeter

The meeting had constant changes of pace. The Spurs started with an early 27-13 lead, although the Thunder reacted before the break thanks to the prominence of Gilgeous-Alexander. Despite this, a favorable finish allowed San Antonio to go to the locker room with a three-point lead.

The difference widened again in the third quarter. The visitors built a 16-2 run that included a triple by Wembanyama to make the score 76-65. Oklahoma City resisted and managed to stay close for much of the second half, boosted by the contribution of its bench.

In the final minutes, the Spurs found one of their main weapons in outside shots. The team led by Mitch Johnson opened the last period with a series of triples that stopped the home team's comeback attempts.

The Thunder got within six points with two minutes remaining, but were unable to complete the reaction. With the score at 109-103, Oklahoma City had a chance to get even closer, although Gilgeous-Alexander's three-point attempt did not find the rim and ended up sealing the Texan classification.

After the match, Wembanyama received the Most Valuable Player award of the Western finals and made it clear that the team's goal has not yet been achieved.

"We want four more victories, we are not finished. Let's go Spurs," he expressed during the award ceremony.

The Frenchman also shared the emotion he felt after qualifying for the championship. “A child's dreams can become reality,” he reflected.

The Spurs will begin these NBA Finals, which they have not reached since 2014, starting on June 3 against the New York Knicks, who advanced after eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 4-0 sweep.