The budding Spurs-Thunder rivalry that could shape the West - ESPN

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SHOUTED as he snatched the ball and flexed, standing on the trophy painted into the lane at T-Mobile Arena.

With the Spurs leading by three points, Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren had just missed the first of a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal on Dec. 13, essentially punching San Antonio's ticket to the final.

Perhaps Wembanyama unleashed some personal animosity in that roar. After all, he has had a frosty competitive relationship with Holmgren since the supremely talented, skinny 7-footers first met in the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup championship game, where Wembanyama's French squad lost to Team USA.

Regardless of any individual grudge, this was a win worth celebrating for the Spurs. They had snapped the defending champions' 16-game winning streak in the most high-stakes game of the Wembanyama era, an indication the young Spurs were already a force to be reckoned with despite nobody on the roster having ever played a playoff game in a San Antonio uniform.

Keldon Johnson queued up Miley Cyrus' «Party in the USA» minutes after the victory and blasted it in the locker room on his portable speaker. As the Spurs celebrated an NBA Cup final berth, the Thunder were already looking forward to their three rematches with San Antonio over the next month, starting with a home-and-home on Tuesday in San Antonio and Christmas Day (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder, which followed up becoming the second-youngest NBA championship team ever with a record-tying 24-1 start, appear to be a developing dynasty. The Spurs, however, have all the elements to emerge as a real rival: a star-studded young core, geographical proximity, history between the franchises