Stephen A. Smith Goes Off on Chet Holmgren After Thunder’s Game 1 Loss to Spurs

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the Western Conference Finals expecting a heavyweight battle with the San Antonio Spurs, but Game 1 quickly turned into a difficult night for Chet Holmgren as Victor Wembanyama delivered one of the most dominant playoff performances of his young career.

San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City 122-115 in double overtime Monday night behind Wembanyama’s 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks. The Spurs star became the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game, while Holmgren finished with just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in 41 minutes.

The performance immediately became a major talking point across national media, especially because Oklahoma City frequently used smaller defenders, such as Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams, against Wembanyama late in the game rather than Holmgren. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith strongly criticized that approach Tuesday morning on “First Take,” questioning why Holmgren did not take on the defensive assignment more aggressively during the closing stretches.

Stephen A. Smith Questions Chet Holmgren’s Defensive Approach Against Victor Wembanyama

GettyStephen A Smith calls out Chet Holmgren for not guarding Victor Wembanyama

Smith openly challenged Holmgren’s response to Wembanyama’s dominance while discussing the game with Michael Wilbon on ESPN’s “First Take”.

“Chet Holmgren, what’s up?” Smith said. “We heard all of this noise all of these years. Supposedly, y’all don’t necessarily get along. Y’all don’t really like each other. I understand he’s 7’5”, bro, you ain’t 6’5”, you’re 7’1”. You got skills. You can play.”

Smith focused particularly on Oklahoma City’s defensive matchups in overtime, where Caruso and Williams often defended Wembanyama in the post instead of Holmgren.

“You can’t have an Alex Caruso or a Jalen Williams guarding him,” Smith said. “That’s supposed to be Chet Holmgren going like, ‘Coach, I got this assignment.’”

Smith added that Holmgren needed to “accept that challenge” against a player widely viewed as his long-term Western Conference rival.

“It can’t be cats a foot shorter than him trying to guard him in the post,” Smith said. “Where the hell is Chet Holmgren?”

Holmgren’s quiet offensive performance also became part of the criticism. The Thunder center attempted only seven shots in a game that lasted 58 minutes, while Wembanyama controlled both overtime periods.

In the two overtime sessions alone, Wembanyama scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. His logo three-pointer late in the first overtime forced a second extra period before San Antonio eventually closed out the win.

Smith compared Holmgren’s situation to former NBA players wanting difficult defensive assignments in big moments.

“If somebody’s in the vicinity of your size and they wreak havoc, all the great players we’ve covered throughout the decades, who’s not raising their hand saying, ‘Yo, I got this?’” Smith said.

Victor Wembanyama Dominates Thunder in Historic Western Conference Finals Opener

GettySan Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama’s performance overshadowed nearly everything else from Game 1.

The 22-year-old played a career-high 49 minutes and added three assists, one steal, and three blocks while leading San Antonio to its first postseason win over Oklahoma City this year.

The Spurs also played without De’Aaron Fox, who was ruled out late with right ankle soreness.

Rookie   stepped into a larger role and finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and seven steals. Stephon Castle added 17 points and 11 rebounds despite committing 11 turnovers.

For Oklahoma City, Alex Caruso scored a playoff career-high 31 points off the bench while Jalen Williams returned from a hamstring injury to add 26 points. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points and 12 assists but shot 7-of-23 from the field.

Former Thunder center Kendrick Perkins also addressed Holmgren’s performance after the game during an appearance on “SportsCenter.”

“I saw him ducking smoke tonight,” Perkins said. “In order for them to even stand a chance, Chet Holmgren is going to have to take this personal.”

Perkins added, “Victor Wembanyama doesn’t like you. You need to have the same feelings for him.”

The Thunder now face significant pressure entering Game 2 on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. The loss marked Oklahoma City’s first defeat of the postseason after earlier series wins over Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama’s performance added another chapter to what is quickly becoming one of the NBA’s most closely watched young rivalries.

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