San Antonio Spurs looking to regain footing in Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City Thunder – NBA Preview
The San Antonio Spurs are facing trouble for the first time in the postseason this year. They won the first two rounds of the playoffs without dropping a game, and then went on to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder convincingly in
the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. They were on a 20-0 run, and had been tipped to be the NBA champions as no team had found a way to defeat their unforgiving offense and defence shattering ball movement.
Then came back the young Thunder team, who defeated the Spurs in game 3 of the Conference Finals and broke their 20 game winning streak. The game 4 victory on Saturday night opened up the series and the Thunder finally arrived
on the stage as true contenders for the Western Conference crown.
The Thunder have played the last two games like the Spurs played the pervious twenty. They have been relentless in the assault on the Spurs and have broken the Spurs defence with their brilliant passing and exceptional shooting
from the field. Serge Ibaka was 11 for 11 from the field in game 4 for 26 points. Kendrick Perkins was 7 of 9 for 15 points. Kevin Durant was 13 of 20 for 36 points, including a late charge in the fourth quarter that single handedly secured the victory for
Oklahoma City.
After losing two games in a row, the Spurs and the NBA have now accepted the Thunder as true contenders for the Western Conference crown. However, the Spurs are downplaying the near perfect game by the Thunder big men, saying that
it is highly improbable Ibaka and Perkins can play like they did in game 4 on a regular basis.
"Maybe they'll do it again, but I don't think so. We'll play the same defence, and if they don't shoot as well it won't be because of our defence. It'll be because they don't do as well” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich referring
to the play of Ibaka and Perkins.
The Thunder have one of the best crowds in the NBA, and seemed to have taken some inspiration from them in games 3 and 4. Thabo Sefolosha shined in game 3, and Ibaka and Perkins played big in game 4. However, the core of the Thunder
is still the same. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are regular performers and stopping them in a daunting task in itself. Durant seemed possessed in the final quarter of game 4, scoring at will and sending chills down the Spurs defence.
Gregg Popovich called him “arguably the best player on the planet”. The Thunder outscored the Spurs in rebounds, blocks and assists in game 4 and shot better from the field and the foul line. Now the Spurs play game 5 back in
San Antonio, where the Spurs will have home court advantage. The two wins by the Thunder have definitely opened up the series but the Spurs are not out of it by any measure.
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili struggled in game 4 and despite the phenomenal performance by the Thunder from the field, the Spurs only lost by 6 points. Plus, the Spurs have a coach in Gregg Popovich who specializes in exposing
the opponent’s weakness.
In game 5, the Spurs will come prepared and ready to challenge the Thunder, who will be looking to handing the Spurs their third loss in a row for the first time this season.
Tags: