The Spurs’ NBA Cup win over the Thunder was a movie. Will this be the NBA’s best rivalry?

As it is San Antonio Spurs (18-7) beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-2) in a shocking game of the NBA Cup111-109, fans wondered if these two teams could potentially be the league’s next great rivalry. Doc Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama continues his dominance on the pitch with the Thunder seemingly on their way to competing for another championship, it’s easy to look at these two teams and think they’ll be doing it for years to come.

One person who was even asked about this was the Oklahoma City star and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderwho is at the head of a young and extremely talented core of the team. He would even say it after the Thunder suffered their second loss of the season “there’s a good chance” that these two teams could be the next best rivalry in the NBA.

“Possibly. Yeah, there’s a good chance,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, via HoopsHipe. “They’re, like you said, young, really good, they’ve got a lot of talent, they’re playing the right way, they’re playing a good brand of basketball. But yeah. Yeah, definitely, definitely a possibility. I’ve noticed like anything can happen in a few years. So, like, yeah, it’s definitely a possibility. Not 100%, but definitely a possibility for sure.”

In addition to how the teams are currently playing, both San Antonio and Oklahoma City have two of the best young cores, as in addition to Wembanyama and Gilgie-Alexander, there are exciting names such as Jalen Williams, De’Aaron Fox, Chet Holmgren, Stefon Castle and others. Still, while the teams are well-coached and feature key supporting roles, they boast more of Gilgeous-Alexander and Vembaniam, who will continue to be MVP contenders for the foreseeable future.

How exciting the Thunder-Spurs NBA rivalry will be

As Gilgeus-Alexander showed respect for Thunder, the The Spurs phenomenon in Wembanyama gave Thunder credit after a big win in the NBA Cup. When it comes to Oklahoma City, Wembanyama would say they are the benchmark every team in the NBA should aspire to, saying that aside from being first in the NBA, “They are way ahead of everyone else.”

“This is our first time playing (with) everyone (healthy),” Vembanyama said, according to ESPN. “We were already a solid team 20-plus games ago. It’s just experience. We’re just taking it. And the difference between us and (Oklahoma City) is we haven’t had this many reps to recognize what it takes to win. And this is our next step.”

“This OKC team is not just first in the league,” Vembanyama continued. “They’re way ahead of everybody. And when you watch them, no matter who, whether it’s the 12th seed or the starting five, whether they’re playing against the 15th seed or any type of game, they play the same way. They enjoy the little things that make them win, and this is the next step we have to take.”

With an elite young core of a team, especially led by two of the best players in the league, there’s no denying the inevitability of these two franchises being rivals, as Saturday’s game was just a taste of what’s to come for the future. There’s no doubt the future is bright, with the Thunder and Spurs having a chance to win even more in the playoffs as the West prepares better for them.