The Dallas Mavericks were far from their goal of reaching the playoffs in Cooper Flagg's rookie year, but after the calendar year hit, it seemed like fans were getting ready to embrace the tank. But if the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are as competitive as they appear to be for years to come, it may be a while before we see the Mavericks competing like they once did.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals lived up to the hype and then some, and it shows Mavs fans how far they really are from competing at that level. At the end of a double-overtime thriller, Victor Wembanyama looked like a beast unleashed with 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks.
We're not saying Flagg has to be the guy to fill up a statsheet like that to compete in games like this, but the Thunder and Spurs are in their category in the conference. Everybody else in the West -- Well, let's just say they're not up to par.
Thunder-Spurs Western Conference Finals series shows how far Mavs are
Still don't believe it? Look at the Thunder rolling over the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers going 8-0 in the first two rounds. The Spurs had slight hiccups against the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, but they got the job done and are where we all projected they would be.
The Spurs-Thunder WCF is setting up to be at least a butting heads rivalry in the near future, and it's not radical to say that these two teams are going to completely dominate the West for the next few years.
Even Lakers legend Magic Johnson came out to apologize for any fellow West teams that are going to have to deal with this for a long time.
I hate to break the news to the rest of the Western Conference, but they may not have a chance to win the Western Conference Finals for the next 5-7 years. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are just that good! They are talented, deep, athletic and both teams are…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 19, 2026
Even Mavs beat writer Brad Townsend set the tone for what may be the two dominant forces in the West for many, many years to come.
Mavs fans, take a long, hard look and by all means enjoy this series. Because these 2 teams are the dual high bars that have been set in the West for the next few years.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 19, 2026
This is not to say that the Mavs won't see the playoffs, but if they run into any one of these teams, are they seriously ready for 48 (or more) grueling minutes of this every game?
The Thunder, as the defending champs, won a championship as one of the youngest teams to ever accomplish such a feat, and they have a legit 12-man rotation involving Jared McCain as one of their last players on that rotation. A back-to-back MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't stopping the gas pedal anytime soon.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have a multiple-time MVP in the making in Wembanyama, and already putting up jaw-dropping performances. He's set up with a young core and a young coach who's going to do big things in the near future.
Buckle up, Mavs fans. Although they got a lottery pick to help Flagg now, it's going to take a village to eliminate these two teams from the playoffs for years to come.
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