The Oklahoma City Thunder are knocking on the door of destiny, maybe even dynasty. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has one hand on basketball immortality. 

But as one of the most riveting playoff series you will ever see goes deeper, a best-of-seven Western Conference Finals whittled down to a best of three, it’s getting more and more clear.

The window for the Thunder achieving the sustained greatness they’ve been meticulously groomed for — trade by trade, draft pick by draft pick — is already shrinking. Gilgeous-Alexander is at risk of having the window slam on his fingers. His second consecutive MVP award is at risk of sitting on a shelf without the matching hardware from a second consecutive NBA championship. 

No one is to blame, really. It’s the reality of the challenge the San Antonio Spurs and one-of-a-kind 22-year-old French star Victor Wembanyama represent. 

In a series that has appeared to hang in the balance almost every minute of every game — starting with the opening frames of the double-overtime Game 1 classic the Spurs won on the Thunder’s home court — the Spurs seem to have gained the upper hand. The Thunder look on the back foot. 

It can change back in an instant if the Thunder can win Game 5 on Tuesday at the Paycom Center (Sportsnet, Sportsnet , 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT) in front of passionate fans in Oklahoma City, where the faithful share in a collective prayer before the ball goes up and stand as one until the home team’s first shot drops. 

But the Spurs aren’t giving a just-happy-to-be-here vibe, even if they’ve never been here before. 

“It was our first deficit in a playoff series, and we just responded,” Wembanyama, who is averaging 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, three blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 52.6 per cent from the floor against the NBA’s best regular-season defence and has been the best player in the series, told the media in San Antonio.

“But it was nothing amazing, it wasn't magic, we just did what we needed to do, and the series is far from over. We got six more wins before we can rest."

The youthful Spurs and Wembanyama are giving no signs of feeling their way around their first playoff run together.........

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