Wembanyama’s Spurs dethrone Thunder to reach NBA Finals against Knicks

Wembanyama scores 22 and grabs 7rebounds as Spurs beat OKC 111-103 to book their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014.The San Antonio Spurs, sparked by superstar Victor Wembanyama, have advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014 by dethroning the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-103, to book a championship showdown against the New York Knicks.The Spurs captured the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 4-3 on Saturday and reached the NBA Finals, which begin on Wednesday against the Knicks in San Antonio.“Though we’re still hungry for one more, this feeling is, I can’t explain it, it’s so powerful,” Wembanyama said. “We want four more. We’re not done. Go Spurs go.”French 7-foot-4-inch (224cm) centre Wembanyama scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Julian Champagnie added 20 points, including six three-pointers, and Stephon Castle had 16 points for the Spurs, who led the winner-take-all contest almost the entire way.“We had a good team, a great team,” Champagnie said. “We had to stay the course and play a good game.“We were passing the ball. We were playing as a team. We come out here and play together.“We never knew if we were going to get this far, but when you’ve got the greatest player in the world, things happen.”That was a nod to Wembanyama, the Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference finals and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.“It doesn’t mean anything for me other than the fact we are a team,” Wembanyama said of his series MVP award. “I got this for all of us and all the fans right here.”Wembanyama was emotional after securing his first appearance in the NBA Finals [Zach Beeker/Getty Images via AFP]Of his teammates, Wembanyama added, “They don’t even know how much I love them. They are just incredible. Everybody stepped up tonight.”