The Oklahoma City Thunder came up short in their repeat bid, but this loss was nothing to be ashamed of.

After losing Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in double overtime, 122–115, the defending champions rallied to take leads of 2–1 and 3–2 against the San Antonio Spurs. They were one win away from another Finals appearance before San Antonio answered with two straight victories, including a 111–103 win in Game 7. The Spurs slowly pulled away in the fourth quarter of the series finale after leading by just three entering the final period, ending a series that pushed both teams to the limit.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did what he could to keep Oklahoma City alive. The back-to-back NBA MVP led the Thunder with 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting, four rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and a block. Even on a night when the Spurs were the more balanced team, Gilgeous-Alexander still kept Oklahoma City in the game.

Cason Wallace also paid back Mark Daigneault’s trust. After Jared McCain had started the previous two games in place of the injured Jalen Williams, Daigneault went back to the more defensive-minded Wallace, who had also started Game 4.

Wallace responded with 17 points, five three-pointers, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. Given the stakes and the circumstances, it was the most impressive performance of his three-year career so far.

The Thunder received strong contributions from their bench as well.

Alex Caruso had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a block in 38 minutes, though his shooting deserted him at the worst time. He went just 3-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from three after entering the game shooting 47.1 percent from deep in the playoffs. McCain added 12 points, two threes, a rebound, and a steal, while Jaylin Williams was arguably Oklahoma City’s best big man on the night with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, a three-pointer, 10 rebounds, and four assists. He was the only Thunder player to finish with a positive plus-minus at plus-10.

Jaylin Williams stood in sharp contrast to starters Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, both of whom struggled in the loss.

Hartenstein had seven points and five rebounds while finishing a team-low minus-14. Holmgren, who made his first All-Star appearance last February, was largely invisible offensively. He finished with four points on only 1-of-2 shooting, made just two of his four free throws, and added four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Oklahoma City needed him to be more aggressive, but two shot attempts in a Game 7—at home no less—are never going to be enough from a current All-Star.

The Thunder also badly missed Jalen Williams, an All-Star last season, who played only five games all postseason. His lingering hamstring injury had already limited him to 33 games in the regular season, and while he briefly returned for Game 6, he logged only 10 minutes off the bench before being ruled out for Game 7.

The loss of Ajay Mitchell hurt too. Mitchell had blossomed after entering the starting lineup following Williams’ injury, averaging 15.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in the postseason before suffering a calf strain in Game 3 against San Antonio.

Despite all of that, Oklahoma City still pushed a surging Spurs team to seven games. That matters as this group is still young and still built around a trio of 27-year-old two-time MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, 24-year-old All-Star Holmgren, and 25-year-old All-Star Jalen Williams.

If the Thunder simply run it back, they should still enter next season as contenders and perhaps even favorites.

The front office has options too. Oklahoma City has the assets to chase Giannis Antetokounmpo if it chooses to, especially with his desire to leave Milwaukee widely known. At 31, he is older than the Thunder’s core, but he is also one of the few players in the league physically capable of matching up with Victor Wembanyama, who looks poised to become a problem in the West for years to come.

Still, trading for Antetokounmpo would be an aggressive move and perhaps even a knee-jerk reaction to a loss that came with Oklahoma City far from complete.

The Thunder lost, but they were far from exposed. They were wounded, undermanned, and still came close to advancing. This loss should sting now, but it should also remind them of what remains true: their future is still incredibly bright.