The Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win away from another NBA Finals appearance on Tuesday night, but after a 127-114 Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Chet Holmgren made clear that Oklahoma City’s defensive identity is built on something less visible than shot-making or star power.
“It comes down to communication,” Holmgren said after the Thunder grabbed a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals. “Trusting what you’re hearing and then just effort after that. Understanding that it’s not going to be perfect. We’re going to have mistakes out there, but just have the intentions to have each other’s back.”
That mindset showed up throughout Oklahoma City’s bounce-back performance at Paycom Center after an 82-point offensive outing in a Game 4 loss two days earlier. The defending champions responded with 127 points, while limiting Victor Wembanyama to 4-for-15 shooting and disrupting many of San Antonio’s preferred actions around the rim.
Holmgren, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, pointed to collective execution rather than individual defensive stops when describing how the Thunder handled a high-pressure playoff environment.
“Most of the conversations have just been about what we need to accomplish out there and how to do it,” Holmgren said. “Just talking about what we’re seeing out there with each other, how we can help each other out, where we can be better.”
He added: “Everybody’s pretty ready to go out there, do their job. And everybody’s excited about it.”
That team-first approach also shaped Holmgren’s response when asked about Oklahoma City’s defensive effort against lob opportunities for Wembanyama, a major part of San Antonio’s offense.
“I think beyond how any play feels I think it’s about just a numbers game,” Holmgren said. “I’ve caught a few lobs in my career and they’re probably one of the most high points per possession plays in the game of basketball. So in the process of making things harder and making things as hard as possible, you got to take away the easy ones.”
Holmgren repeatedly shifted attention toward teammates during his postgame availability, including veteran forward Kenrich Williams.
“Man, he’s been more than just a teammate to me,” Holmgren said. “That’s a solid dude right there. Beyond just basketball, beyond just somebody you want to hang out with.”
Holmgren continued his praise by describing Williams as “an example for how somebody should live” and said, “He’s really not trying to be a role model, but I’d say he is.”
The Thunder big man also credited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 32 points with nine assists in Game 5, for setting a daily standard.
“Just no matter what happens, how steady he is,” Holmgren said. “Attacking what needs to be attacked, whether that’s the film, the shoot around, the game, the prep for the game, the rest and recovery.”
“I don’t think anybody works harder than he does out there on the court,” he added.
Holmgren reserved similar praise for rookie guard Jared McCain, who scored 20 points in his first playoff start after getting the nod with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell sidelined.
“I think it’s very impressive,” Holmgren said. “He’s somebody that works extremely hard and then he trusts his work.”
Holmgren added that McCain understands “his bread and butter is putting points on the board,” saying the rookie’s confidence “opens a lot of things up for other guys.”
Despite his own productive night and a combined 26 rebounds alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren pushed back on the idea that Oklahoma City’s success hinges on individual performances.
“It’s always a team win,” Holmgren said. “Everybody who touched the floor made big plays for us and that’s how we need to play for us to be at our best.”
With Game 6 set for Thursday in San Antonio, the Thunder sit one win from returning to the NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks await the Western Conference champion.
