The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have quickly become one of the NBA’s biggest rivalries, and it didn’t take long for things to get tough between the two teams on Tuesday. During the second quarter of the season opener, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox knocked OKC’s Chet Holmgren to the ground, leading to a fight between the two teams, which San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama became involved in. Four players received technical fouls and Fox received a Flagrant 1. The Spurs and Thunder met in the Western Conference Finals last season, and the intense series lasted seven games before San Antonio eliminated the defending champions en route to its first Finals appearance since 2014. The two Western Conference powers got to know each other well during that series, and clearly the tension has carried over into the new season. Along with the rivalry between the Spurs and Thunder, there has been an unspoken rivalry between Wembanyama and Holmgren throughout their career. Neither has taken direct shots at the other, but Wembanyama has upstaged Holmgren several times in the past. “At least from a basketball standpoint, there’s no comparison between us,” Wembanyama said of Holmgren last December. The personal rivalry between the two began long before their NBA careers, but it has been an interesting story in the Spurs-Thunder rivalry. While there have been a lot of changes in the NBA this offseason, San Antonio and Oklahoma City remain two of the best. contenders to win it all. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see those two meet again in the Western Conference Finals this year. Until then, they will face each other in the regular season. After opening the season against each other on Tuesday, the Spurs and Thunder won’t meet again until February, and will have another regular-season matchup in March.
