Oklahoma City Thunder on the cusp of clinching the West as they host San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 – NBA Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night for game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, and will have the opportunity to book a ticket to the NBA Finals on that same night.
Oklahoma City are leading 3-2 in the series against the Spurs and one more win will see them to the NBA Finals.
It is strange how momentum has changed in this series. The Spurs came into the series having won their last 18 games, including an 8-0 record in the post season. And they dominated the Thunder in the first two
games, stretching their win streak to 20. However, The Thunder went into a different zone as soon as they landed back in Oklahoma City, to win the games 3 and 4 and snap the winning streak of the Spurs. With the game 5 victory in San Antonio, the Thunder got
the road victory they desperately needed to win the series, and are now in the best possible position to advance.
After losing the first two games, Thunder coach Scott Brooks made some necessary adjustments, including the insertion of defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha in the starting line-up. Sefolosha had a big game
3 and helped the Thunder win the game.
The Thunder big men Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka have also been playing really well the past three games, with Ibaka giving consistent performances on both sides of the floor. But the core of the Thunder
team is the same, their big three in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Westbrook has been putting in numbers on a regular basis and brings the energy and speed that helps the Thunder control the pace of the game. James Harden scored the game winning three pointer in the final minute
of game 5. The reigning 6th man of the year brings offensive options for the Thunder and allows them to spread the defense.
And Durant is proving that he is the best closer in the NBA at the moment. His mammoth performance in the 4th quarter of game 4 even had Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calling him “arguably
the best player on the planet”.
The Spurs have been lagging behind the Thunder in the past three games, particularly on offense. Manu Ginobili had 34 points in game 5 after Popovich started him instead of using him off the bench. But the rest
of the Spurs failed to cause trouble for the Thunder. Tony Parker dominated the series against the Los Angeles Clippers. But the Thunder have done a good job of not letting him get into rhythm early on. Tim Duncan is putting in good numbers, but has not yet
had a superstar game to match his talent.
After game 5, Gregg Popovich said in the press conference that championship calibre teams have to win on the road; otherwise they are not championship calibre teams. Oklahoma City have done so. It is now the
Spurs turn to prove that they are a team worthy of winning the championship. Otherwise, they will be taking the flight back home into the off season.
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