This season, the Oklahoma City Thunder were seemingly running away with the NBA championship after the first few weeks of the season. They had only one loss on their record, but in December 2025, they suffered four losses. Three of them were against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are not only playing well against the Thunder, but they are the second-best team in the Western Conference. In the long-term future, these two teams could have a strong rivalry, possibly for the NBA championship, at least that's what Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr thinks.
Kerr knows the Spurs and Thunder are destined to be rivals
Kerr was on the Tom Tolbert Show, where he was speaking about how the Warriors could fare in the long run. He believes his team can be competitive, but he knows the Thunder and Spurs will be the top-two teams in the Western Conference based on the talent they have across both teams.
The Thunder have the championship core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams leading the way. On the Spurs, they have an embarrassment of riches with young talent, such as Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.
More: Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on how Jalen Williams can continue being great
As an experienced head coach and former player, Kerr knows when teams are next up to be contender. He saw it for himself while playing for the Chicago Bulls and over the past decade at the forefront with the Warriors. Now, he is setting it with the Thunder and the Spurs.
"There's no reason we can't give up that opportunity. I just don't want anybody to see that we're disillusioned, thinking that 'Hey, we should be competing for titles, year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City.' That's not realistic," Kerr said on the Tom Tolbert Show.
That is immense praise from Kerr, considering he is a four-time champion coach. The Warriors are winding down their championship era, as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are older players.
Kerr is being realistic that the next generation is here to take over, and he sees that with the Thunder and Spurs. It is a big deal for both teams because they are getting a massive co-sign from a champion head coach, who is prepared to keep fighting until the very end, but knows that they are the underdogs against either the Thunder or Spurs.
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