Oklahoma City Thunder look to contain San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 – NBA Western Conference Finals Preview
Going into game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs had not lost a game in the post season, but were against opponents, who had lost only 1game and that too against tougher opponents
in Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Both teams were different but very competitive. It was going to be a matchup of two differing styles and in game 1, the Spurs came out on top.
San Antonio defeated the Thunder by 101-98, a close decision especially after the Spurs had made a habit of cruising past opponents in the post season. Give the Thunder credit for pushing the Spurs all the way. A team that had
not lost 18 games in a row was pushed to the point where they were trailing by 9 points going into the final period and their coach, who has a habit of exposing opponents weaknesses by the time the first half is over, had to actually ask his team to “get nasty”.
The Thunder were fast, explosive, furious and just too much for the Spurs to handle in the first three quarters. But the Spurs used their experience from having been in the playoffs so many times before and Gregg Popovich found
a way to contain Kevin Durant in the 4th quarter. That is pretty much all it took.
Game 2 of the series is on Tuesday night in San Antonio. The Thunder would ideally want to pick up a win on the road before they return to Chesapeake Energy Arena for two games. But to do that, they need to figure out the game
play of the Spurs and then find a way to contain it. After blowing away a 9 point lead in the final period of game 1, the Thunder would not be too happy with their defence.
On paper, it is very difficult to understand where the Thunder went wrong. They shot better than the Spurs from the three point line as well as the foul line. They had a 9-2 advantage in blocked shots and a 13-16 advantage in turnovers.
They had 11 steals for the game compared to only 5 for the Spurs and at 43, had 7 fewer rebounds than the Spurs.
However, the Thunder shot poorly from the field when it mattered the most. Durant was 8 of 19 from the field for his 27 points. Russell Westbrook went 7 of 21 for 17 points. James Harden had 19 off a 7 of 17 shooting. Also, despite
the size advantage, the Thunder had 7 fewer rebounds than the Spurs. They should have grabbed more rebounds than the Spurs, particularly on the offensive board where the Thunder had 9 rebounds compared to 12 for the Spurs. Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins
combined for only 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The Thunder did a good job on Tony Parker, reducing him to 6 of 15 shooting from the field. But where Parker struggled, Manu Ginobili excelled, scoring 26 points off a 9 of 14 shooting performance. One of the biggest strengths
of the San Antonio Spurs is their depth and their scoring options. The Thunder need to figure out a way of holding their own fort, instead of going after the opposing players.
This will be the toughest test the Thunder face this post season, and the same can be said about the Spurs. These are two teams who have dominated the Western Conference and two teams who have opposing playing styles. It is a classic
matchup of age and experience versus energy and explosiveness. Game 2 will be interesting to see the adjustments the Thunder make against the spurs offense.
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