ASSIMILATION

Good evening. Let's basketball.

ARRIVAL | FIRST ENCOUNTER

Just short of three years after becoming the most exciting No. 1 pick in a generation, Victor Wembanyama has led his team to the NBA Finals. In December, we saw he had something special in his chest when lining up against true challenges like the defending champs, the would-be dynasty. He continued to express that every chance during the season, and led the Spurs to great heights against all other foes, too. After two feisty rounds in which he always looked like the best player on the floor, he opened this series with an all-time effort, and watched the war play out as a main character throughout.

And in Game 7, on the road, on the ropes, he delivered. And as importantly as that, the alien assimilated his teammates, his brothers, his heroic compatriots, and lifted them up to his level. It was a perfect and auspicious triumph. A step toward conquest.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the would-be best player alive, had one of his best playoff performances ever in the loss. He met the moment. Few of his champion teammates did. Chet Holmgren was completely invisible on offense; Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both stayed in street clothes; Lu Dort got benched at halftime; Alex Caruso shot 3/14. OKC with a normal superstar might have been drawing dead once Mitchell joined Williams on the injury report; that the Thunder were in range late in Game 7 is a testament to Shai's brilliance.

The Spurs saw Julian Champagnie, a critical cog all season and the keystone fifth starter whose ascension over Harrison Barnes this year unlocked everything, come unstuck in Game 6. He was smooth as a bowling lane in Game 7 with six threes and some big rebounds. De'Aaron Fox, ice cold in the last two games amid ankle trouble, put in some huge buckets and shot 6/12 from the floor. Stephon Castle was completely Stephon Castle: hard-nosed, often brilliant, often a little too ambitious, ready to fight, doing everything necessary to win.

That poise from 20-year-old Dylan Harper? Yeah, that's what he brought: poise. He can be an MVP in this league. Brilliant performance for a rookie in a Game 7 (12-7-3).

Keldon Johnson hit shots. Mitch Johnson coached his tail off. Devin Vassell had a rough night, but was crucial all series. Luke Kornet, maligned all series as a symptom of the Thunder's beatdowns when Wemby hits the bench, had one of the greatest Game 7 blocks in memory (I have a goldfish brain these days but I do remember 2016).

But this incredible turn of events – the Spurs transforming into a juggernaut seemingly overnight – can be attributed to a singular lifeform: Victor Wembanyama. We are witnessing something different than history. We are witnessing the evolution of a sport in the image of its most striking figure.

The Thunder would have been worthy West champions again, and for that matter worthy repeat NBA champs if they'd defeated the Knicks. But it sure feels as though everyone who isn't the Spurs risks being ground to dust under their feet from this moment forward. The world – no, the universe – is changed.