Monday night marked Game 1 of the highly-anticipated battle between the two best teams in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in four games and the Spurs took care of the Minnesota Timberwolves in six.
Game 1 was an instant classic, beyond what could have been expected. The game went into double overtime, with superstar Victor Wembanyama filling the stat sheet and the Thunder having a balanced attack with stellar defense. Ultimately, the Spurs stole Game 1 in Oklahoma City. Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds.
The NBA world likely all had the same thought watching this game, which is that the gap between these two teams and the rest of the league is vast. Lakers legend Magic Johnson certainly felt that way in the aftermath of the game as he sent a warning to the rest of the West:
I hate to break the news to the rest of the Western Conference, but they may not have a chance to win the Western Conference Finals for the next 5-7 years. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are just that good! They are talented, deep, athletic and both teams are…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 19, 2026
Johnson saying this, of course, includes his Lakers. And it’s not hard to see why he might feel this way. The Lakers had one of their best seasons in over a decade, winning 53 games and winning a series despite superstar Luka Doncic missing the entire postseason.
However, even with Doncic, they likely wouldn’t have stood a chance against Thunder. They were simply too talented and too deep for the Lakers to be able to match.
Rosters can always change and improve, but the Lakers would need to make some significant improvements to be able to contend with these two teams. It remains to be seen if general manager Rob Pelinka can put together that roster.
Lakers in communication with Luka Doncic on roster building
The Lakers are going to need the help of their prime superstar if they want to build a title-contending team that can stand up to the Thunder and Spurs. And the good news is that Doncic and the organization are in constant communication when it comes to roster building and the types of players they want to target.
“I think the keyword is that’s an ongoing, collaborative process,” Pelinka said during his end-of-season press conference. “It’s not, ‘Hey, I want X, Y and Z.’ So we’re in constant communication with him and his team. I plan on seeing him before he takes off to go home and spend some time with his daughters. We’re going to get together, I think on Friday or Saturday, so ongoing dialogue.”
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