The Thunder have not played their best, and yet still stole home court from San Antonio in a wild Game 2. How are things looking?
Game 1 in a Nutshell: The San Antonio Spurs blew the Oklahoma City Thunder off the court, 124-92, to take a 1-0 lead. Players and coaches on both teams repeated the mantra “it’s only one game” but it certainly felt like something more. LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard combined for 63 points, and Danny Green was unconscious from the field as he went 6-7 for 18 points. The Spurs shot 60.7 percent from the field, outscoring the Thunder 43-20 in the first quarter and leading 73-40 at the half. The Thunder’s offense was only marginally less anemic than their defense, with Durant chipping in 16 and Westbrook only 14; Serge Ibaka led the Thunder with 19 points.
Game 2 in a Nutshell: The Thunder came out firing, attacking the basket in transition on every opportunity they had. Westbrook wasn’t settling for jumpers early on, scoring a variety of layups as he put his head down and charged. The Thunder jumped out to an early 28-17 lead before San Antonio closed the gap and the two teams stayed tight down to the wire. Aldridge led the Spurs with 41 points, including a late three-pointer and three free throws (10-10 overall from the line) to bring the Spurs within one. Westbrook provided 29 points and 10 assists, and Durant poured in 28 points and seven boards.
The game ended in fascinating and controversial fashion. Down one, Dion Waiters was tasked with inbounding the ball, Manu Ginobili covering him. Ginobili crowded the line, reaching across the border multiple times, which is illegal. Waiters responded with an illegal play of his own, planting an elbow in Ginobili’s chest and shoving him back to clear space. Waiters then lobbed the ball to Kevin Durant, who was unable to corral it because of pressure from Danny Green. The Spurs got the ball, and frantically scrambled for a clean look. Patty Mills took a corner three that fell woefully short, and Serge Ibaka’s fistfuls of Aldridge’s and Leonard’s jerseys prevented anyone from getting a clean rebound as time expired. On the national TV broadcast, Chris Webber went crazy decrying the uncalled foul on Waiters, as Pop yelled at the referees. And yet the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with the 98-97 win in San Antonio.
The Good: Steven Adams and his moustache were probably the only Thunder player to show up in both games, going 4-7 for nine points and ten rebounds in Game 1, followed by 12 points and 17 rebounds in Game 2. His energy attacking the offensive glass prevented the Spurs from fully committing to the drives of Westbrook and Durant because it left Adams open for clean-up dunks.
The Bad: The Thunder were completely unable to guard LaMarcus Aldridge for any minute he was on the court. The offseason acquisition for the Spurs dropped 38 points on 18-23 shooting in Game 1, and improved in Game 2 with 41 points on 15-21 shooting. Serge Ibaka was unable to handle Aldridge 1-on-1, Enes Kanter lost him repeatedly in pick and rolls, and Nick Collison was completely squeezed out of the rotation altogether. Aldridge’s dominance also kept the Thunder out of their small-ball lineups for most of the game, as Durant didn’t have the strength to hold up.
Looking Ahead: After stealing home court with their Game 2 win, the Thunder return home to Oklahoma seeking that ever-elusive momentum. Their top priority will be slowing down Aldridge, because they won’t win this series if he puts up efficient 40-point games. They also need to limit their turnovers while staying aggressive; the 18 turnovers they had in Game 2 is too many against the Spurs, who are much more conservative with the ball (only eight turnovers in Game 1, 10 in Game 2). Sweeping the two games at home will put the Thunder in prime position to win the series; anything else gives back home-court advantage to the best home team in NBA history.
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