NBA Legend Offers Wild Advice to Victor Wembanyama & Co for Handling Thunder’s Flopping: "Start Stepping on Players"

The first three games of the Western Conference Finals are a clear indication that Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are struggling. They are now down 2-1, and it looks like they have no answer to the OKC Thunder's schemes.

Among the tactics the Thunder are employing is the perceived foul-baiting and flopping. Ron Harper Sr., winner of five straight championships and father of Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, offered his son's squad advice on how to handle this, though the Spurs might be better off ignoring it.

The Thunder's playstyle has been quite divisive. Most NBA fanbases chastise them for hunting for fouls and overplaying contact. Then, there are a few who believe they are legally utilizing the rules to their advantage.

The patriarch of the Harper family is among the former, and he wants the Spurs to respond in kind.

"I wish players would start stepping on players as the flop hands chest fingers chest make them pay a price," Harper Sr. wrote in a post on X on May 23, 2026.

The post might seem unintelligible to some, but basically, he is encouraging the Spurs to step on players who flop. He doesn't care if they target the hands, fingers, or the chest, as long as they do it.

Regardless of where one stands on the way the Thunder play, the physicality of this series can't be denied. There's been a lot of shoving, pulling, hooking, and the occasional unnecessary play. Still, this is the typical brand of basketball fans expect to see in the playoffs.

So far, though, it seems the Spurs are out of their element against this playstyle. They managed to squeeze out a Game 1 win, but they required a legendary performance from both Wembanyama and Harper.

Since then, the Thunder have found an answer to slowing down the duo. They've won two straight, and if the Spurs want to come back, they'll need to make major adjustments in Game 4.

Victor Wembanyama Issues Challenge to Himself and Teammates Ahead of Game 4

The young Spurs squad was steamrolling through the regular season. They looked as formidable as a veteran squad that knows what it takes to win.

That continued into the first two rounds of the postseason, until they ran into OKC. It took a Herculean effort to get their Game 1 victory, and even then, it looked like it could have gone either way.

The next two games were an exercise of dominance for the Thunder. While the score remained close for the most part, and even though the Spurs went up 15-0 to start Game 3, the Thunder never looked out of it.

While discussing their disappointing Game 3 loss, Wemby acknowledged his team's inexperience. However, he also called out his squad's resilience.

"It's my first playoffs. It's the first playoffs for many of us. Of course, there was going to be hard trials. It's to be expected," Wembanyama said. "But now, we're going to see what we're made of."

The next game of the series will take place on Sunday, with the Spurs playing at home. It will be the ultimate test of resilience to see if they can tie the series or fall to a precarious 3-1 hole.