Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs vs Thunder begins and one theory says NBA balance is already over originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will be hosted by the Oklahoma City Thunder to begin the Western Conference finals. The Spurs went 4-1 against the Thunder during the regular season, and so excitement surrounding the game is on another level.
Ahead of the series, CBS Sports analyst Sam Quinn sparked discussion around how NBA roster-building is evolving, as he argued that most teams cannot realistically expect to surpass the league’s most asset-rich contenders.
“I say this not just to the Wolves, but to the Lakers, the Nuggets, to all teams of that ilk,” Quinn wrote. “You’re not going to be BETTER than the Spurs or Thunder. It’s not happening. Their asset advantage is too big. If you hold moves to that standard you’re taking an excuse not to compete.”
Elite, young, asset-rich teams like Wembanyama’s Spurs and the Thunder operate on a different timeline and level of flexibility than most of the league. Instead of trying to outbuild them directly, Quinn thinks other teams should focus on narrowing the gap enough to create upset potential in a playoff series.
Quinn pointed to examples like the Denver Nuggets, saying that their success in the last few years wasn’t about being clearly superior on paper, but about surviving close games where small margins matter. The same logic applies to teams like the New York Knicks, who may not match the top-tier depth of teams like the Spurs or the Spurs but can still create problems through game advantages or star-level pressure.
Quinn also referenced how the Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic once forced defensive adjustments that opened elite shooting opportunities. He thinks chasing parity with the league’s most asset-rich teams is unrealistic for most organizations. Instead, the goal should be building strong rosters in the 55-60 win range that can capitalize when playoff variance inevitably arrives.
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