Before the first tip-off in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood at center court and accepted his second consecutive MVP award. The player who was widely regarded as his only true rival for the award was forced to watch from the opposing side of the court. What happened over the next 49 minutes was more of a declaration than a basketball game, and by the end, Stephen A. Smith had had enough of the player who was supposed to put an end to everything.

Smith, on First Take, on Wednesday, delivered an indictment of Chet Holmgren after the Thunder’s 122-115 double-overtime loss to the Spurs in Game 1. “Wemby bust your a**, 41 points, 24 rebounds, and you respond with four points on two of eight shooting. That’s egregious,” Smith said. He didn’t stop there. “What the hell are they doing on Wemby in the post? They can’t do anything against him in the post. You’re 7-1, and you’re leaving that responsibility to somebody else. Shame on you. Chet Holmgren has to step up.”

Wembanyama’s performance in Game 1 was genuinely historic: 41 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks across 49 minutes, making him just the second player, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, to post 40 points and 20 rebounds in a Conference Finals debut. He wasn’t just dominant in the counting stats; he iced the win with a late and-1 dunk over Holmgren in the second overtime, his answer to Holmgren’s clutch block in regulation that had sent the game to overtime in the first place. The back-and-forth between the two had its moments, but the broader 49-minute picture was lopsided in one direction only. The Spurs outscored the Thunder 52 to 38 in the paint, the area where Holmgren, at 7-foot-1, should be the Thunder’s primary answer.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was asked directly about Holmgren’s role in guarding Victor Wembanyama after the game. “I think the general attacks on the offense will benefit everybody,” Daigneault said. “I think if we play better collectively, he’ll be more involved, and we’ll be able to get more cracks offensively.” When pressed further on the defensive approach, Daigneault kept it measured: “Everything is on the table. You can’t just throw one pitch throughout the whole series.” Smith’s response to that line of thinking was blunt: “I don’t give a damn what the coach suggests.”

Smith’s Criticism Lands as Holmgren’s Wembanyama Problem Predates Game 1

Smith’s broader frustration was rooted in something deeper than one bad game. Holmgren has averaged just 10.5 points on 38.7% shooting against San Antonio across four regular-season meetings, a pattern that has now spilled onto the biggest stage of the season. The Thunder have lost five of their six games against the Spurs between the regular season and postseason, and three of their losses at home across both formats have come courtesy of San Antonio. 

The Holmgren-Wembanyama matchup has been billed as a generational rivalry since before either player entered the NBA. Wembanyama apparently even takes personal delight in the dynamic, as the broadcast ran an in-game montage of him clapping with visible joy every time Holmgren missed a free throw during regular-season meetings.

Smith was not the only credentialed voice pointing fingers. Former NBA centre DeMarcus Cousins went further in his assessment: “I put this on Chet. You have to step up and accept that challenge. If not, this could get really ugly. I didn’t like what I saw. He tucked his tail.” Teammate Lu Dort, when asked postgame about Wembanyama getting the better of Holmgren, offered the standard teammate cover, calling him a competitor and vouching for his ability, but the performance on the floor had already told a different story.

Chet Holmgren did have one defining moment; his block on Wembanyama at the buzzer in regulation to force overtime was as clutch as any single play in the game. But Smith’s verdict was clear: one block cannot be the answer when the challenge on the floor is 7-foot-4, historically dominant, and actively motivated by a perceived slight. Game 2 tips off Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, and Holmgren’s response will determine whether Smith’s words landed as a wake-up call or a prophecy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​