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Victor Wembanyama will be available for Game 5 against the Timberwolves after the Spurs star avoided additional suspension following his Game 4 ejection.

The 2026 Western Conference finals are set, and this year’s showdown has pitted the two best teams in the conference.

The defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, will take on the San Antonio Spurs.

Both franchises are two of three to win at least 60 games in the regular season making this series a heavyweight clash. A place in the NBA Finals is up for grabs.

As Game 1 approaches, a panel of six CBS Sports experts has weighed in on their thoughts on the outcome of the series.

Only Brad Botkin predicted that the Spurs would advance at the expense of the Thunder. His main reason is the transcendent impact of Victor Wembanyama.

“But at the end of the day, I’m betting on the Wemby effect to trump all other factors in this series,” Botkin wrote. “He’s the defensive version of 2014-15 Stephen Curry in the way he warps the geometry of the court. Because of that, those Warriors were ready to win it all before people were ready to accept that fact, without the years of ‘playoff bruises’ everyone thinks you need to endure first, and San Antonio is going to win not only this series but the whole damn thing for the same reason.”

Botkin, as the odd one out, believes that San Antonio would reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014 and win it as well. 

Thunder Viewed as Major Favorites 

Wembayama’s effect cannot be overlooked, however, OKC will enter as favorites seeing how they have progressed so far. An 8-0 postseason start is one of the best for a defending NBA champion and dropping a game at this point will require a lot from the opposition.

Unlike Botkin, Sam Quinn doesn’t see any scenario in which the Spurs trump the Thunder. He, however, admitted that if there’s one team OKC doesn’t want to mess with it is San Antonio. 

“No team vexes Oklahoma City quite like San Antonio,” Quinn said. “So much of the Thunder offense hinges on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s rim pressure, and no player shuts opponents off at the rim quite like Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs won four of the five regular-season matchups. Both teams still have cards left to play. We don’t even really know how good the Thunder actually are yet, but with Jalen Williams set to return for this series, they might be about to level up.”

OKC received a major boost on Williams, who has been “progressing” well from his hamstring injury. The 25-year-old who last played in Game 2 of the first round says he is ready to play a part in the series. 

The other four experts who picked OKC are John Gonzalez, James Herbert, Jack Maloney and Cameron Salerno.

What To Expect from a High-Stakes Showdown

GettyChet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder fights for rebounding position with Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Frost Bank Center on January 24, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.

Ultimately, this series will come down to fine margins as it is expected to test both teams in ways their earlier playoff rounds did not. OKC won’t expect a sweep like they did in the two previous rounds and San Antonio won’t expect a sign of weakness from the No. 1 seed.

San Antonio as Botkin suggests will have to make sure Wembanyama is utilized at all times. The Thunder know that and if they don’t limit the Frenchman, this series could become uncomfortable.  

OKC is aiming to reach a second consecutive NBA Finals for a chance to repeat as champions. The last time the NBA had a repeat champion was in 2018 and ever since, no previous champion has even made it back to the Finals.  

Game 1 tips off Monday in Oklahoma City in a battle of the two best teams in the Western Conference.