Down Goes OKC! Spurs-Knicks is Here! What the Hell Just Happened? And What Does OKC Do Now? | With Zach Lowe

Episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast · May 31, 2026 · 1 h 37 min

Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe react live to the Spurs beating the Thunder in Game 7 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals and preview Spurs-Knicks.

Summary

Recorded live on Netflix immediately after Game 7 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals, Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe discussed the San Antonio Spurs' road win over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Simmons framed it as a changing-of-the-guard game, highlighting Luke Kornet's chase-down block, while Lowe praised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's brilliant performance and argued the series turned in Game 4 when the Spurs stopped double-teaming him.

Both hosts were harsh on Chet Holmgren, who took no threes in Game 7 and 11 in the series; Lowe called it an unacceptable performance with lasting implications. They credited Victor Wembanyama's defense, the play of Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox, and noted the Thunder missed injured Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. Lowe argued shooting, and possibly an elite offensive rebounder like Mitchell Robinson, is the only answer to Wembanyama.

Looking ahead, they discussed the Thunder's options under second-apron constraints, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Trey Murphy trade scenarios; Lowe preferred running the core back, while Simmons proposed a Murphy trade built around picks. They reviewed the Spurs' -205 Finals odds, with Lowe saying he would not favor San Antonio that heavily and expecting a long series. A mailbag segment covered flopping leaderboards, Tom Thibodeau and Mike Brown, John Starks' 1994 miss, PSG's titles after Kylian Mbappé left as an Ewing theory, and effects of new NBA lottery and tanking rules.

Chapters

  1. Linked moment · 1:20Skip to 1:20 using a listen link in the info box.

    1:20

    Game 7 reaction and the Spurs' arrival

    Simmons and Lowe react to the Spurs' Game 7 win in Oklahoma City and what it means for the league's balance of power.

  2. 5:41

    Why OKC's offense stalled

    The hosts discuss the Thunder's injuries, SGA's great game, the Game 4 adjustment and the failed checklist for a Thunder win.

  3. 13:17

    Chet Holmgren's collapse

    The hosts analyze Holmgren's disappearance against Wembanyama and what it means for his future and the Thunder's roster.

  4. 21:18

    Wembanyama and the Spurs' supporting cast

    They praise Wembanyama's defense, the Kornet block, and the play of Fox, Harper, Castle and Champagnie.

  5. 37:50

    Knicks-Spurs Finals preview and odds

    The hosts discuss Knicks fans' rooting interests, the Finals as a dream matchup for the league, and FanDuel's betting line.

  6. 49:07

    What does OKC do now?

    Simmons and Lowe weigh continuity versus aggressive moves, the second apron, Giannis and a mock Trey Murphy trade call.

  7. 1:11:10

    Mailbag: flopping, Thibodeau, SGA and the one-man zone

    Listener questions cover flopping leaderboards, Tom Thibodeau, noise around SGA, and naming Wembanyama's roaming defense.

  8. 1:17:09

    Mailbag: Ewing theory, Starks, tanking rules, Halliburton

    They discuss PSG after Mbappé, John Starks' 1994 miss, new lottery rule ripple effects and a healthy-Halliburton counterfactual.

  9. 1:25:08

    Wemby as rule-changer and the draft angle

    The hosts consider Wembanyama's Wilt-like impact, the new Spurs-Thunder rivalry, trading into the top four, and Cason Wallace's extension.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons contends that Chet Holmgren was the reason the Thunder lost Game 7.

    “but ultimately Chet's why they lost. I don't want to do the Monday morning, you know, first take, just blame a guy”

    Listen from 8:34 · Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe argues the series changed in Game 4 when the Spurs stopped double-teaming Gilgeous-Alexander.

    “I thought not trapping SGA changed the whole series, made his life difficult, made the Thunder's offense life difficult”

    Listen from 10:25 · 2026 NBA playoffs

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe calls Holmgren's Game 7 performance unacceptable for a player of his caliber, with lasting effects.

    “Because that was just not an acceptable performance of a guy from a guy of his caliber. And the whole series was leading to that”

    Listen from 14:23 · Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe believes no single player can stop Wembanyama and that more shooting is the best answer.

    “It's just we got to get as much shooting as possible and have faith in our defense around it to round it out”

    Listen from 19:26 · San Antonio Spurs

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe pushes back on critics who want Wembanyama closer to the basket, citing the physical toll on a slender player.

    “are underestimating how... fatiguing it is to throw yourself at the basket over and over and over again when you're skinny”

    Listen from 21:40 · San Antonio Spurs

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe argues an elite offensive rebounder and lob threat like Mitchell Robinson is crucial against the Spurs.

    “If they don't have Mitchell Robinson full throttle, I think that's a bigger problem in this matchup than it would have been against the Thunder”

    Listen from 27:00 · New York Knicks

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons calls a Knicks-Spurs Finals possibly the best-case Finals ever for the league.

    “And this might be number one, honestly, out of everything we mentioned, because you have the revival of the Knicks”

    Listen from 40:17 · 2026 NBA playoffs

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe predicts a long Finals and says he would not favor the Spurs as heavily as the betting line does.

    “I would not favor the Spurs by as much as Vegas is favoring off the bat. I think this next thing is real”

    Listen from 46:16 · Sports betting

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons expects the Thunder to get creative with their surplus picks instead of standing pat, to avoid wasting SGA's prime.

    “I'm just not wasting this SGA window when he's this good”

    Listen from 50:39 · Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe notes second-apron restrictions will make trades very hard for the Thunder.

    “The restrictions of the second apron are real and make it very hard for the Thunder to make trades because they can't aggregate salaries”

    Listen from 51:15 · NBA salary cap second apron

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons repeats his view that the Boston Celtics are not pursuing Giannis.

    “I keep saying it. I don't think Boston's in on Giannis”

    Listen from 1:00:00 · Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons argues trading for Giannis would be out of character for Sam Presti's patient, chemistry-focused approach.

    “To me, it feels like a very un-OKC move”

    Listen from 1:00:21 · Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe prefers the Thunder keep their core together and seek revenge rather than panic-trade for Giannis.

    “the main part of the gang, that's more fun to me as a neutral fan than panic trade for Giannis”

    Listen from 1:06:59 · Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons favors a Thunder trade for Trey Murphy built around the 12th and 17th picks, citing their lack of three-point shooting.

    “If I'm them, I'm tired of not quite having enough three-point shooting”

    Listen from 1:10:17 · Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe does not see Thibodeau as a loser but credits Mike Brown as a winner for his work with the Knicks.

    “He did a great job with the Knicks. He played the long game. I like it. He pushed all the right buttons”

    Listen from 1:13:16 · New York Knicks

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe doubts the flopping criticism affected Gilgeous-Alexander, suggesting Wembanyama was what bothered him.

    “the thing that really bothered him was Victor Wembanyama. I actually don't I probably don't think the flopping thing bothered him”

    Listen from 1:14:15 · Flopping in basketball

  • Bill Simmons

    Simmons calls PSG winning consecutive titles after Mbappé left perhaps the best Ewing theory example ever.

    “I can't think of a better Ewing theory than this of going all in on a guy, the guy leaves”

    Listen from 1:17:46 · Ewing theory

  • Zach Lowe

    Lowe doubts playoff-position teams would tank down into the new lottery range because it would alienate fans.

    “I just can't see a team doing that to its fans, especially since a lot of the teams in that spot are younger teams”

    Listen from 1:22:30 · Tanking in the NBA

People

In the conversation

  • Bill SimmonsSportswriter and founder of The Ringer, host of The Bill Simmons Podcast
  • Zach LoweRinger NBA analyst referenced repeatedly

Discussed

Topics

More from The Bill Simmons Podcast

From the publisher

Join The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe LIVE on Netflix to react to Wemby and the Spurs defeating the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals (1:17). Host: Bill Simmons Guest: Zach Lowe Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers Give No Quits. Shop at your Local Duluth Trading Company Store or Online The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Basketball·Sports News