"I've seen enough: Give the San Antonio Spurs the keys to Santa Claus' workshop. Put Stephon Castle in charge of toy assembly. Let De'Aaron Fox toss presents into chimneys, from whatever range he'd like. Devin Vassell can customize the Christmas cookies. Harrison Barnes has the army of elves covered. And, of course, Santa Claus's sleigh must immediately be resized for a taller, thinner pilot so that the towering Victor Wembanyama can drive it comfortably."
"The sensational Spurs have felled the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in two weeks, and in doing so revitalized this NBA season. I now have more faith in the Spurs' ability to grant joy to the masses than any holiday legends of old. It looked dire for a while there. The Thunder might have won the Larry O'Brien trophy in June, but began this season in even more ominous form."
"They reeled off 24 wins in their first 25 games (the lone loss was a fluky 20-point comeback). In most of them, Jalen Williams, their second-best player, was on the sidelines recovering from wrist surgery. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their best, seldom had to play in fourth quarters. The Thunder beat the Sacramento Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some expected to be a plausible rival, lost by 29; their basketball savant Luka Doncic looked like he was playing against ten men."
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in two weeks, revitalizing the NBA season. Playful holiday imagery assigns team members festive roles: Stephon Castle for toy assembly, De'Aaron Fox to toss presents, Devin Vassell to customize cookies, Harrison Barnes to manage elves, and Victor Wembanyama to pilot a resized sleigh. The Thunder began the season 24-1 and appeared dominant, with Jalen Williams sidelined for wrist surgery and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander often spared fourth quarters. Those early wins included blowouts over Sacramento and a 49-point rout that suggested historic potential. The Spurs' recent victories exposed vulnerabilities in Oklahoma City's style and officiating advantages.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]