The San Antonio Spurs defied not just expectations but algorithms that were rooting against them. This first matchup between Victor Wembanyama and Kevin Durant's Phoenix Suns came out as a legendary battle with the result in favor of the rookie. Frank Vogel just could not pull away because of the coaching brilliance in the Texas team's squad. There were a lot of factors to thank for their insane win but Gregg Popovich attributes it to a lifelong virtue that he has followed, via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

“They responded great It's like we always talk about, keep pounding the rock,” were the words of glee that Gregg Popovich let out after they had beaten Kevin Durant and the Suns.

The Spurs had been behind by as much as 20 in their matchup. But, the constant ability to pound the rock much like the other Spurs that paved the way before them came through. Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the squad hit the gas pedal so hard on both ends of the floor during the fourth quarter.

A 33-point explosion mixed with suffocating defensive sets which limited the Suns to 19 points was the secret recipe. A lot of the young guns were able to contribute to pounding the rock. Keldon Johnson led the scoring barrage with 27 points. Wemby and Devin Vassell followed suit with 18 points each with Zach Collins and Tre Jones rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Spurs. Will they be able to ride this momentum en route to an astounding record despite their youth?