THE TAKE
Wemby just said on ABC that you can’t win a 7-game series vs the defending champs by random chance. WRONG. Spurs won because of the random injuries suffered by Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, OKC’s 2nd and 3rd best players.
BOLDNESS
62/100
GRADE
42/100
PLAYERS / TEAMS
Jalen WilliamsAjay MitchellWembanyama
GRADING CRITERIA
TRUE IF
verified reporting confirms that Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both suffered significant injuries during the 2026 NBA Playoffs series between the Spurs and Thunder that materially impacted OKC's performance, and the Spurs did in fact defeat the Thunder in a seven-game series. Take is
FALSE IF
the injuries did not occur, were minor/did not affect play, the series did not go to seven games, or if OKC won the series.
contrarianhot takerecency biasbold call
OUTCOME
PARTIALLY TRUEThe Spurs did defeat the Thunder in a seven-game series, and both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell were indeed out for Game 7 with significant injuries (hamstring and soleus strains respectively). However, Skip Bayless's framing that this was purely 'random chance' and not a 'true competitive victory' is contested — Wembanyama posted a 41-point, 24-rebound Game 1 masterpiece, the Spurs went 8-12 against OKC in the regular season, won Game 6 by 27 points, and ESPN analysts credited Wembanyama's individual brilliance and San Antonio's collective depth as the primary reason for the win, not just OKC's injuries.