The 2026 Western Conference Finals between the 64-win OKC Thunder and the 62-win San Antonio Spurs is one of the best series we’ve had in many years. While there have been plenty of strong matchups, we haven’t seen two regular-season behemoths like them this season meet in the Playoffs since the 1996 NBA Finals between the 69-win Chicago Bulls and 64-win Utah Jazz.
The action in this series is so exciting that Chess legend Magnus Carlsen is actively following the results of the series while participating in the prestigious 2026 Norway Chess, an event he has previously won seven times.
The Chess GOAT had given an interview that was broadcast during Chess.com’s Day 3 live feed from the tournament, where Carlsen ended his interview by openly complaining about the NBA App by criticizing its non-functional ‘spoiler-free’ setting while praising the series as one of the best in a long time.
“This has absolutely nothing to do with the game, but I have to say, whoever is responsible for the NBA app, we have one of the best series in years going on right now in the Western Conference Finals, and when people have ‘no spoilers’ on in the app, they expect no spoilers. So, do better.”
Carlsen is an avid sports fan, so his interest in the Western Conference Finals in the middle of a competitive tournament is unsurprising. The 35-year-old Norwegian has the highest all-time ELO rating in Chess (2882) and is widely considered the greatest player of all time. He’s still the No. 1-ranked player in the world with a rating of 2840. He used his platform, at a completely unrelated event, to openly complain about this, hoping that the message reaches the NBA’s ears.
Carlsen has previously done chess videos with NBA players such as Derrick Rose, with multiple stories breaking in recent years about the growing popularity of chess as a game among NBA players. The likes of Victor Wembanyama and Luka Doncic are reportedly high-rated chess players as well, with Doncic and Jaylen Brown having bots of themselves on Chess.com that fans can play against.
Game 6 between the Thunder and Spurs will tip off later today, with Carlsen expected to be playing against reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju until the end of the day. But with May 29th being a rest day for participants at Norway Chess, Carlsen will likely be able to wake up early and watch the game at 5 AM in Norway.
This could be the last game in a series he’s highly invested in, as the Thunder could eliminate the Spurs with a win in Game 6. However, San Antonio will hope home-court advantage in Game 6 can help the players force a win-or-go-home Game 7 in OKC’s Paycom Center.
