Victor Wembanyama completely flipped Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on its head against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Watching it unfold, Stephen A. Smith called out the Thunder’s approach and specifically pointed toward Chet Holmgren while discussing the matchup on First Take.

Smith made sure to remind the reigning champions about their biggest flaw in the Monday night drama. He put out a message for the Thunder big man, Chet Holmgren. On First Take, the 58-year-old believed that the Thunder didn’t play bad basketball; they were a bit “rusty.” Then, looking at the camera, he addressed Holmgren.

“Chet Holmgren, what’s up? What’s up?” the analyst said. “We heard all of this noise all of these years. Supposedly, I don’t know, never asked him, but y’all don’t necessarily get along. Y’all don’t really like each other. You and Wembanyama. Obviously, I understand he’s 7’5″, bro. You ain’t 6’5″. You’re 7’1″. You got skills. You can play.”

Given their rivalry, Holmgren should have stepped up defensively against Wembanyama. Stephen A. Smith hoped to see Holmgren do what he does.

“But to compare that and juxtapose that to Chet Holmgren doing, nothing offensively, it’s like, damn, you got to accept that challenge,” Smith added.

Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama dominated in crunch time. In the two overtime periods, Wemby closed the deal by scoring 14 points.

“You can’t have Alex Caruso. It’s one thing to guard him on the perimeter. I get that. You get up under him. You try to make it uncomfortable. Try to take his legs out from under him and make sure he don’t get comfortably set to launch a J,” Smith pointed out.

Stephen A. Smith used street basketball examples like Rucker Park and West Fourth to explain an obvious mismatch.

At the same time, the veteran analyst praised coach Mark Daigneault for his leadership and championship pedigree. However, he argued that great NBA players usually take personal responsibility in key moments.

According to Smith, when a dominant player like Victor Wembanyama starts causing problems against someone of similar size, veteran stars instinctively step up and demand the assignment themselves. Therefore, he questioned why nobody took charge defensively during that stretch.

Kendrick Perkins also called out Chet Holmgren for steering clear

What looked like a thrilling battle between two elite seven-foot stars quickly became a domination by Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs phenom exploded for 41 points and 24 rebounds on Monday night. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren struggled to keep up and finished with just eight points, two blocks, and eight rebounds.

According to Kendrick Perkins, the Oklahoma City Thunder need a far stronger showing from Holmgren if they hope to contain Wemby moving forward.

“I saw him ducking smoke tonight,” Big Perk said. “I saw him guarding other people on the perimeter, I didn’t see him too much one-on-one action guarding Wemby. And he knows that beef has been around since their high school days. In order for them to even stand a chance, Chet Holmgren is gonna have to take this personally, especially on the defensive side of the basketball. He’s gonna have to show why he finished as one of the top guys for the Defensive Player of the Year. Tonight, he’s gonna have a hard time getting sleep.”

Now, looking back, the Victor Wembanyama-Chet Holmgren rivalry has been simmering since the 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup final, where Team USA grabbed gold, and Holmgren claimed MVP honors. However, the NBA script keeps tilting toward Wembanyama. After beating Holmgren for the 2024 Rookie of the Year, the Spurs star erupted again Monday night.

As a result, he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players with 40+ points and 20+ rebounds in a Conference Finals debut.

Eventually, both Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins both saw the same problem. The Thunder lacked force, urgency, and accountability around the rim. Now, the rivalry feels far more personal, and Oklahoma City suddenly faces pressure it cannot ignore anymore.