Dylan Harper issues stunned verdict after Spurs rookie joins Larry Bird, Dr. J, and Magic Johnson

The San Antonio Spurs stole Game 1 on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 122-115 2OT thriller to kick off the Western Conference Finals.

Victor Wembanyama posted a vengeful 41 point and 24 rebound outing just 24 hours after he was snubbed for the coveted NBA MVP award by Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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But the 22-year-old Spurs superstar was not the only bright spark on the team, as rookie Dylan Harper took his game up a notch in his WCF debut.

The Spurs deployed the youngest starting lineup in the all-time history of the NBA Conference Finals, with an average age of 22 years and 346 days.

Despite every single member of the starting five having never appeared in a Conference Finals before, Harper in particular played like an esteemed veteran, having been inserted into the lineup as a replacement for the injured De’Aaron Fox.

To go with his 24 points and 11 rebounds double-double, the former Rutgers star tallied an additional six assists and seven – yes, seven – steals.

In doing so he became the first player since Larry Bird to post a 20/10/5/5 stat line in a Conference Finals game, with NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, also known as Dr J, the only other player to do so back in 1980.

Dylan Harper’s stunned reaction after history-making performance

“That’s definitely the craziest game I’ve ever been a part of, by far,” Harper said after the game.

Furthermore, you’d have to go back to 1980 when the last rookie achieved such a milestone in the playoffs, when Magic Johnson posted 25/11/11/6 for the Los Angeles Lakers.

But that wasn’t the only history Harper made on Monday night, as he also became the third rookie since the 1973-74 campaign (when steals were first officially recorded) to tally seven-plus steals, joining Maurice Cheeks (1979) and Darrell Walker (1984).

“If he played for any other team in the league,” fellow Spurs rookie Carter Bryant said of 6-foot-5 Harper.

“He’d be starting and probably be winning the Rookie of the Year right now. And to see how he’s sacrificed and bought into his role, it’s amazing.”

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“The most impressive for me … the way he controls his body,” Wembanyama added of Harper. “His body awareness.

“Whether it’s on drives or on jumps or relocation in the air. And you can see that in a variety of actions. Offensively, but also on rebounds and stuff, and on steals. It’s quite impressive.”

Wembanyama took MVP snub personally

The OKC-Spurs matchup has not failed to disappoint in the early stages.

But there was some added fuel to the fire for 7-foot-4 Wembanyama after Thunder opponent Gilgeous-Alexander was named league MVP for the second successive season.

Wembanyama – who made his case for why he felt he was deserving of the award back in March – finished in third place, with runner-up going to three-time winner Nikola Jokic.

When asked whether he felt the night was personal, his response was simple: “Yeah, for sure. Everything you just said.”

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Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, logged 24 points, 12 assists and five steals.

Despite taking Game 1 on the road, the Spurs are relatively inexperienced in the playoffs, with this being Wembanyama’s first career post-season run.

But the unanimous DPOY isn’t worried.

“A game like tonight is the best way to get experience,” Wembanyama said. “We played five quarters. So, we’re learning and by the time we get the experience, we’ll compensate with our effort.

“We want to win everything, and we have the chance [because we] have people above us in the organization that know how to do that.

“So far, it looks like they’ve put the right people together to give us a chance. Right now, we’ve got a chance.”

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