Victor Wembanyama dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder with 41 points and 24 rebounds in Game 1 of the Western Conference final on Monday. He was all over the opponent’s star center, Chet Holmgren, as the San Antonio Spurs took a 1-0 lead in the series. After the defeat, Kendrick Perkins found a way to fire up the Thunder superstar.

Holmgren finished with just eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 41 minutes. He was overshadowed by Wembanyama throughout the night. Kendrick Perkins wants Holmgren to remember Wemby’s hatred for him and ignite the motivation before it gets too late for them.

"Chet, if you're watching this... Victor Wembanyama doesn't like you," he said on SportsCenter. "You need to have the same feelings for him."

The collision that defined the night came in double overtime. Wembanyama turned a post-entry pass into a poster dunk directly over Holmgren, the second time he had gone through him in the extra periods alone.

Earlier, a second-quarter lob catch saw Wembanyama barely leave the ground before throwing it down one-handed between both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren.

Perkins didn't hold back on what he witnessed. “I don't know what I just saw. I believe we call it greatness. But God bless America, what he just did on that stage,” Perkins said on Wemby’s performance.

“And the one thing that stood out to me is how personal he took it. Because the world knows the hatred that he has in his heart for Chet Holmgren. Wemby was a monster all across the board,” he added.

However, Holmgren had one counter-moment, blocking Wembanyama's potential game-winner at the end of regulation to force overtime.

Perkins appreciated what Holmgren did defensively. He was able to restrict Wembanyama to eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in contested attempts across the first four quarters. But he did not go after Wemby inside the perimeter.

"I saw him guarding other people on the perimeter," Perkins mentioned. "I didn't see too much of him in one-on-one action guarding Wemby."

Perkins kept on focusing on their history and how Wemby does not like the OKC superstar. Because the story goes back to their high-school days.

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren have a history between them

Wembanyama and Holmgren have made it known across three years in the league that they don't like each other. They had a history before they had played a single minute in the league.

That is why Perkins ensured he made Holmgren recall their history. "He knows that beef has been around since their high school days."

Wembanyama arrived in the NBA as a generational talent. His combination of 7'4" size, elite guard skills, and defensive instincts was something the league had never seen.

Holmgren, meantime, was the other hyper-talented seven-footer in the same draft class. And the comparison started from there on.

Across five games against the Thunder this season, Wembanyama averaged 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. Meantime, Holmgren averaged just 10.5 points on 38.7% shooting across four of those games.

So, this season has further cemented Wembanyama's edge over his rival.

Until Holmgren starts doing the same to Wembanyama in the next game of the series on Wednesday, the Thunder will keep struggling in the final.

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Written by

Koushik Biswas

Edited by

Koushik Biswas