San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell is ready for a physical war and has revealed that the team has finally put a foot down and is expected to go blow for blow against the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With Game 4 of the series now done and dusted, the Spurs level the series at home as Vassell addressed the Thunder's aggressive defensive style and how he and the rest of the team are willing to match what the Thunder give them.

"I think they're super physical; they get away with a lot, and we try to use that against them too. We're trying to be ultra physical, beat them up, speed them up, cause turnovers, and get out in transition," Vassell said to ESPN after the Game 4 blowout victory.

"It's the NBA Playoffs, they get away with it, we get away with it, they can't call everything." He added.

Vassell is probably correct with his assessment, as this is the time during the NBA playoffs when things usually tighten up, and referees allow more physicality. And with the level of physicality seen in this series, it will continue until the series ends.

Apart from two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's elite offense, the Thunder have him surrounded by elite defenders like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace, who all can lock down almost any player in the league.

However, it is different when you have to guard a 7'4" center who can also shoot from the logo in Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman has been the key difference in why the Thunder have not swept the Spurs in the WCF.

Wemby exploded once again with 33 points, 5 assists, and 8 rebounds as the Spurs comfortably beat the Thunder 103-82.

But the Thunder are not one to give up so easily, as SGA is rallying for his team to learn from the upset and show up again at home in Game 5 of this exciting series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Has an Inspiring Takeaway from the Loss against the Spurs

The Thunder's offense was considerably lacking today after both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell did not play due to injury concerns.

But this Thunder team is never going to panic. If there's a superstar who's the epitome of calm, it's the two-time reigning MVP. The Canadian star addressed this defeat postgame, but had a rather bright outlook on it.

“Whether you win or lose, you want to learn the lessons from the game. When you lose, the lessons are a little bit louder,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per FanDuel Sports Network's Nick Gallo.

The Thunder know their role players need to come to the party on the offense to help the two-time MVP, but Wemby and the rest of the Spurs' defence will not go easy on the reigning champs.

As we head back to Oklahoma for the tiebreaker, it will be interesting to see if SGA's thoughts have provided the Thunder with a better perspective in the pursuit of their title defense.

So, who do you think is going to grab a 3-2 lead in the series first? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy