{"id":803301,"date":"2026-05-17T17:29:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T17:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/803301\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T17:29:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T17:29:03","slug":"starting-5-cavs-pistons-game-7-tips-on-prime-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/803301\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: Cavs-Pistons Game 7 tips on Prime tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Waiting all weekend<\/strong> for Game 7 to drop\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tonight at 8 ET <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/how-to-watch-game-redirect\/0042500207?partnerRef=NBA&amp;platform=Email&amp;surface=Starting5&amp;lid=b7oj7ohnqgpz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-mce-attribute-name-1=\"\" data-mce-attribute-value-1=\"\" data-mce-attributes-count=\"1\">on Prime Video<\/a>, the Cavs &amp; Pistons battle for the last spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Just before <\/strong>that on Prime? The 2025-26 Kia NBA MVP announcement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need to catch up <\/strong>before an epic Sunday? We got you.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206873\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rim-spin-ezgif.com_.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p>5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0<\/p>\n<p>May 17, 2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Game 7 Primer:<\/strong> Everything you need to know for tonight\u2019s series finale between the Cavs and Pistons<\/p>\n<p><strong>How We Got Here:<\/strong> A game-by-game breakdown of one of the most evenly-matched battles of the season<\/p>\n<p><strong>Defensive Star:<\/strong> A difference-maker all series, Ausar Thompson\u2019s D could swing Game 7 for Detroit<\/p>\n<p><strong>Spida\u2019s Quest:<\/strong> Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs\u2019 push for postseason glory in the post-LeBron era<\/p>\n<p><strong>Spurs-Thunder:<\/strong> The NBA\u2019s next great rivalry takes center stage, as the WCF begin Monday<\/p>\n<p>BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n<p>Game 7 is here\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038921_75_original.jpg\" alt=\"Donovan Mitchell, Cade Cunningham\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tonight in Detroit<\/strong>, one last showdown to decide the series \u2014 and who plays the Knicks in the ECF:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kia MVP Award:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/awards\/2026?lid=lj978u4bsf9n\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NBA Awards season<\/a> has all built up to this moment, as the winner of the 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award will be revealed during tonight\u2019s pregame coverage on Prime (7:30 ET). The finalists are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/strong> (Thunder)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nikola Joki\u0107<\/strong> (Nuggets)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Victor Wembanyama<\/strong> (Spurs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038922_795_original.jpg\" alt=\"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Joki\u0107, Victor Wembanyama\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Up Next:<\/strong> The Western Conference Finals are set, with the No. 2 Spurs taking on the No. 1 Thunder, beginning Monday (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/playoffs\/2026\/west-final?lid=f765k8kvq684\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">8:30 ET, NBC\/Peacock<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038923_141_original.jpg\" alt=\"Playoff bracket\"\/><\/p>\n<p>1. CAVS-PISTONS, GAME 7: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038924_732_original.jpg\" alt=\"Cavaliers vs. Pistons\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tonight<\/strong> (8 ET, Prime), it\u2019s win or go home for the Cavaliers and Pistons again, each playing in their second consecutive Game 7 of these Playoffs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Already the fourth<\/strong> Game 7 of this 2026 postseason, here\u2019s\u00a0what should you know about the deciding game of another series \u2014 and postseason \u2014 packed with twists and turns.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Strong Supply of 7s:<\/strong> For the first time since 2005 &amp; 2006, the Playoffs have featured at least four Game 7s in back-to-back years<\/li>\n<li><strong>Approaching A Record:<\/strong> With three series remaining in the Conference Finals and Finals, one more Game 7 would match the most ever (5) for a single NBA season<\/li>\n<li><strong>Uniquely Qualified:<\/strong> For the first time in 10 years, and only the fourth time ever, two teams meeting in a Game 7 advanced from Game 7s in the previous round<\/li>\n<li><strong>Home Sweet Home:<\/strong> Detroit has never lost a Game 7 in its home gym, with last round\u2019s denial of the Magic keeping the team a perfect 5-0 (6-5 overall)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clutch Cavs: <\/strong>Cleveland moved to 7-2 all-time in Game 7s following its Round 1 win over Toronto at home. On the road, the Cavs are 2-2 in this situation, all-time<\/li>\n<li><strong>Up &amp; Away:<\/strong> There has been at least one Game 7 road winner in each of the last 11 seasons, continuing with the Sixers\u2019 win in Boston last round<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038925_148_original.jpg\" alt=\"LeBron James, Tayshaun Prince\" width=\"720\" height=\"520\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gregory Shamus\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>These two franchises<\/strong> played a mirror-image 7-game series exactly 20 years ago in the 2006 East Semis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The top-seeded Pistons<\/strong>, with much of the same cast from their 2004 championship squad, won the first two games at home. The No. 4 Cavs, led by LeBron James in his postseason debut, then took three straight. Detroit took Game 6 on the road, before limiting Cleveland to just 61 points to win Game 7.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LeBron scored 27<\/strong> of the 61 in 47 minutes of action, while the classic Pistons\u2019 starting five had 66 of their 79, led by Tayshaun Prince\u2019s 20.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The two<\/strong> would meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals the following season, with LeBron\u2019s Cavs advancing. Detroit has only been back once since, with a chance to return tonight.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206874\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Cade3PM-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>At Stake:<\/strong> The Pistons can advance to their first East Finals since 2008, while the Cavs aim to get back for the first time since 2018 marked the end of four straight trips in LeBron\u2019s second stint<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spida\u2019s Game 7s: <\/strong>A winner of two with Cleveland, Mitchell suits up for his fourth career Game 7. He\u2019s averaged 27.7 ppg in those tilts, with 7.0 reb and 2.0 3PM<\/li>\n<li><strong>Endgame Greatness:<\/strong> Mitchell averages the 5th-most points per game (30.2) in potential series-clinching games in NBA history (min. 5 games), trailing only Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Giannis, and Luka<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beard\u2019s Experience: <\/strong>James Harden\u2019s averaged 19.1 ppg and 7.3 ast in eight career Game 7s (4-4) for six teams. Cleveland\u2019s first round clincher snapped his streak of three straight Game 7 losses<\/li>\n<li><strong>Last Game-7 Sunday: <\/strong>Spida logged 22 pts while Harden added 18 in the Cavs\u2019 first round Game 7 against Toronto. Cade went for a team-high 32 in his first-career Game 7 that same day, adding 12 assists to beat Orlando<\/li>\n<li><strong>Series\u2019 Signature:<\/strong> The battle to watch continues to be the Pistons\u2019 defense, ranking third in defensive rating (106.6) in these Playoffs, against a Cavs\u2019 offense that ranks top-3 in the East with 109.2 ppg in 13 games<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038929_855_original.jpg\" alt=\"Donovan Mitchell\"\/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cIt\u2019s gonna take every little bit of energy, effort,\u201d<\/strong> Mitchell said of Sunday. \u201cWe gotta stay collected, stay together. We\u2019re all we got, we\u2019re on the road.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cThe energy, the opportunity<\/strong>\u2026 to do something special and win in front of our home crowd,\u201d Cunningham said of what he\u2019s most looking forward to tonight<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pregame Reads:<\/strong> The Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cavaliers-pistons-game-7-nba-playoffs-19ffe75fa1858fa1a0b904e49f8eee3b?lid=96u0pb53akzf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">details how<\/a> one team\u2019s Game 7 fortunes are about to change\u2026 Jalen Duren\u2019s impact was among USA Today\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/playoffs\/2026\/05\/15\/pistons-cavaliers-spurs-timberwolves-game-6-playoffs\/90110014007\/?lid=22wmnv32m5bc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Game 6 takeaways<\/a>\u2026 The Athletic\u2019s Jason Lloyd <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7283818\/2026\/05\/16\/cavaliers-pistons-donovan-mitchell-game-6-nba-playoffs\/?lid=on10a34o64p8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">places<\/a> the Cavs\u2019 hopes on Spida\u2019s star shoulders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>2. HOW WE GOT HERE: GAME 7 IN DETROIT<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038930_963_original.jpg\" alt=\"[ ]\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>They split<\/strong> their regular-season series 2-2.<\/p>\n<p><strong>They\u2019re deadlocked<\/strong> at 3-3 in these East Semis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Cavs and Pistons<\/strong> will battle one last time in 2025-26 tonight to decide a final winner in their season-long showdown.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s how<\/strong> they\u2019ve stayed so evenly matched:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Game 1: <\/strong>Cade Cunningham (23 pts, 7 ast) and Tobias Harris (20 pts, 8 reb) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/cle-vs-det-0042500201?lid=fmphjpd2hzg7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">combined for 43 points<\/a> to take Game 1 and snap an NBA record-tying 12-game losing streak against the Cavs in the postseason (1-0 Detroit)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 2: <\/strong>Cunningham (25 pts, 10 ast) and Harris (21 pts) outdid themselves and Detroit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/cle-vs-det-0042500202?lid=yqae2uyw00si\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">held Cleveland under 100<\/a>points for a fifth postseason win in a row, overcoming 31 from Donovan Mitchell (2-0 Detroit)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 3: <\/strong>Spida dropped 35 points and James <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/det-vs-cle-0042500203?period=Q4&amp;lid=3kx06iwlxq1y\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Harden\u2019s clutch gene ignited<\/a> to sink the Cavs\u2019 final three field goals, outdueling Cade (27 pts) to win (2-1)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 4: <\/strong>Mitchell <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/det-vs-cle-0042500204?lid=jg3c3p6vmcp3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">erupted for 43 points<\/a> \u2013 39 coming after halftime to tie the NBA Playoff record for points in a half \u2013 as Cleveland moved to 6-0 at home this postseason (2-2)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 5: <\/strong>Harden recorded his 50th career 30+ point Playoff game, and the Cavs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/cle-vs-det-0042500205?lid=wsuwg84n8mr6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rallied back from 9 down<\/a> in the final 3 minutes for the OT win, their first this postseason (3-2 Cleveland)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 6:<\/strong> Backs against the wall, the Pistons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/det-vs-cle-0042500206?lid=usrtb12u2xpx\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">stepped up again<\/a> for a fourth elimination game win in these Playoffs, forcing Game 7, with Jalen Duren (15 pts, 11 reb) and Paul Reed (17 pts) combining for 32, and 21 from Cade (3-3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What will<\/strong> the record books remember about the Game 7 finale tonight?<\/p>\n<p>3. THOMPSON\u2019S DEFENSE CAN LOCK DOWN GAME 7 FOR DETROIT\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AT-BLK2.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deee-troit Basketball<\/strong> has long hung its lunch pail on gritty, physical team defense.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s rare<\/strong> that any one player stands out in the team\u2019s five-on-a-string philosophy \u2013 \u201cBig Ben\u201d Wallace, for example.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But Ausar Thompson<\/strong> has been turning heads while spearheading this Pistons squad\u2019s stellar D.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cIt just is amazing<\/strong> at how disruptive he can be,\u201d coach J.B. Bickerstaff has said of Thompson. \u201cHe single-handedly can eliminate guys\u2026 create chaos on that end of the floor. He creates confusion with his ability to be in, what seems like, six places at once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>And outside of<\/strong> his focus on slowing Cleveland\u2019s superstar backcourt, Thompson\u2019s defense has impacted the series in a number of ways, both subtle and loud.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Tone-Setter:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ATSTL1-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>No one<\/strong> in these Playoffs has more deflections (55) or steals (28) than Thompson, with his combination of length (6\u20197\u2019\u2019 height | 7\u20190\u2019\u2019 wingspan) and speed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here, we see<\/strong> Thompson\u2019s defense lead to offense, an area Detroit leads the postseason in, with 256 points off turnovers. That\u2019s a key battle the Pistons are winning in this series, 139-111 (pts off TOs).<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Game-Saver:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206869\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AUSARGSP-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>This was how<\/strong> time ran out in Game 5, with Thompson smothering one of the game\u2019s best 4th-quarter scorers in Donovan Mitchell, with a block that saved Detroit \u2013 for the time being \u2013 and sent the game to OT.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For Thompson<\/strong>, it was his second clutch block of the East Semis, the most in this round across the Playoffs, and tied for the most in this postseason so far.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The star stopper<\/strong> owns the East\u2019s 4th-best defensive rating (105.1) in these Playoffs among players averaging 20+ minutes per game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Intimidator:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206871\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ATBLK1-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>A block like this<\/strong> one Thompson skied for in Game 6 can <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NBA\/status\/2055455382315704773?s=20&amp;lid=lr3884vq8pdz\" rel=\"nofollow\">turn a crowd<\/a> and change a game\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thompson\u2019s logged<\/strong> the 4th-most blocks this postseason (23), right on the heels of Cleveland\u2019s bigs Evan Mobley (24) and Jarrett Allen (25). Should Thompson and the Pistons advance, he would become the Playoffs\u2019 2nd-ranked shot-blocker, behind only Wemby (41).<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cHe\u2019s one of the best<\/strong> defensive players in this league,\u201d Bickerstaff said after Game 6. \u201cI love his physicality, I love his grit, I love his toughness. There\u2019s just impact everywhere\u2026 he just finds a way to spark our defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>When Game 7<\/strong> gets late and Cleveland calls on Mitchell and Harden, look for Thompson to be in the mix, making his presence felt.<\/p>\n<p>4. SPIDA &amp; CAVS OUT TO BREAK NEW GROUND<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2206868\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mitch3PT-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>After two straight years<\/strong> of exits in the East semis, Donovan Mitchell \u2014 one of the great all-time scorers in Playoff history \u2014 and the Cavs now find themselves a win away from the Conference Finals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Doing so <\/strong>would get Cleveland back to a place it had grown accustomed to during the mid to late 2010s.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It would also<\/strong> allow Mitchell, his new running mate James Harden and a deep supporting cast to define a new era for the Cavs, the Athletic\u2019s Jason Lloyd wrote. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/donovan-mitchell-chases-cavaliers-postseason-glory-conference-semifinals?lid=1879h8xxva4v\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<p>5. SERIES PREVIEW: YOUNG SPURS, THUNDER RENEW RIVALRY IN WCF<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038941_657_original.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander\" width=\"584\" height=\"625\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nathaniel S. Butler\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>It was a holiday gift\u00a0<\/strong>for the hoops world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>San Antonio\u2019s<\/strong> home win over OKC on Christmas Day marked the end of a stretch of three epic matchups between the two young squads over just 13 days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Spurs won<\/strong> all three, a mind-bending feat considering the reigning champs had lost just one of the 25 games prior.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A cross-state rivalry <\/strong>reached another level, thrilling fans twice more before the regular season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get the rivalry reignited<\/strong> ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday (8:30 ET, NBC &amp; Peacock) with this series primer:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038942_580_original.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander\"\/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Resum\u00e9 Worthy: <\/strong>San Antonio finished 4-1 against the Thunder in the regular season. Only two other teams beat OKC more than once, with two wins apiece for the Suns and Wolves<\/li>\n<li><strong>OKC\u2019s Kryptonite?<\/strong> The Thunder lost only 18 games all season, with the four to the Spurs accounting for 22.2%<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stephon Castle<\/strong> (19.8 ppg) led the Spurs in scoring in the five games against OKC, with Victor Wembanyama contributing 18.4 ppg, 9.2 rpb and 1.2 blocks<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/strong> (29.5 ppg) led the Thunder in scoring by far in his four games against the Spurs. Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins were the only OKC players to play in all five games<\/li>\n<li><strong>Heavy On Wins:<\/strong> This matchup of No.1 OKC (64 wins) and No. 2 San Antonio (62 wins) is the first postseason meeting of 62+ win teams since the 1998 NBA Finals (Bulls vs. Jazz, 62 wins each)<\/li>\n<li><strong>And it\u2019s just the third time<\/strong> two 62+ win teams have met in a Conference Finals, after 1981\u2019s Sixers-Celtics ECF (Erving vs. Bird), and 1972\u2019s Bucks-Lakers WCF (Kareem vs. Wilt)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Light On Years: <\/strong>This will be the youngest Conference Finals in NBA history, based on weighted minutes played in that postseason. Both teams average 25.6 years old<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779038943_871_original.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Wembanyama\" width=\"727\" height=\"486\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Gonzales\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Thunder<\/strong> have not had media availability since San Antonio clinched its spot in the West Finals, but Spurs players looked ahead Friday night.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cMy mind is excited,\u201d<\/strong> Wemby said. \u201cJust the words \u2018Conference Finals\u2019 is crazy. It\u2019s like something I heard my whole life, and now being in it, is just special.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cWe know it\u2019s gonna be tough<\/strong> to knock them off, but we\u2019re pretty confident we could do it,\u201d said Castle<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cOf course we\u2019re confident<\/strong>, but we need to keep the right confidence level,\u201d said Wemby<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>All Eyes On The WCF: <\/strong>There\u2019s plenty to read on this rivalry that\u2019s capturing the attention of the basketball world. Here are some of our favorites:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7283542\/2026\/05\/16\/spurs-thunder-nba-playoffs-preview-west-finals\/?lid=ozerhnskmkel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>The Athletic<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> Spurs-Thunder is the rivalry of the NBA\u2019s future, and its present<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/thunder-spurs-predictions-expert-picks-western-conference-finals\/?lid=5xqi3u21aliu\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CBS Sports<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> NBA experts predict a winner, with the defending champs carrying respect<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/48781854\/thunder-jalen-williams-says-healthy-entering-wcf?lid=dkhi09qger80\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>ESPN<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> Thunder\u2019s Jalen Williams says he\u2019s healthy entering WCF<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/okcthunderwire.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/thunder\/2026\/05\/16\/spurs-vs-thunder-western-conference-finals-preview-x-factors-matchups-prediction\/90112372007\/?lid=3w8ojdb0nmrp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>USA Today<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> OKC\u2019s Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams are the X-Factors of this series<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7283996\/2026\/05\/16\/spurs-stephon-castle-dylan-harper-deaaron-fox-nba-playoffs\/?source=emp_shared_article&amp;unlocked_article_code=1.i1A.Q9kH.H9pepvb3Uiwg&amp;lid=s0hsrxzacrtd\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>The Athletic<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> The \u201cSlash Bros\u201d and the magical wristbands that bond San Antonio\u2019s young backcourt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Waiting all weekend for Game 7 to drop\u2026 Tonight at 8 ET on Prime Video, the Cavs &amp;&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":803302,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[40],"tags":[12086,45995,19151,327047,327046,1260,62,327045,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-803301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-12086","tag-ausar-thompson","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-cavaliers-pistons-game-7","tag-may-17","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-starting-5-newsletter","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116591106446019947","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/803302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}