Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs - OKC WINS in 6, Congrats!

[lawdog1]

^^^ That's the thing -- people keep waiting for the Spurs' 3 point shooting to fall off, but I'm not sure its going to happen. The ball is always moving with the Spurs and always winds up in the hands of an open player. That's why the % is so high. If the Spurs keep playing like that, I don't know there's much OKC can do to stop it.

 

[D StaXX]

I really can't call this one.
7 games will be played.

 

[jesusshuttlesworth34]

Originally Posted by lawdog1

^^^ That's the thing -- people keep waiting for the Spurs' 3 point shooting to fall off, but I'm not sure its going to happen. The ball is always moving with the Spurs and always winds up in the hands of an open player. That's why the % is so high. If the Spurs keep playing like that, I don't know there's much OKC can do to stop it.

That will be the interesting thing to see.  Can Brooks make adjustments or come up with a game plan to force the Spurs to beat his team a different way?  OKC will have to play the passing lanes and have great rotations.  Their speed and length will help I think and shooting at that high of a percentage is hard to maintain for months.  OKC will have to capitalize on the off nights, if the Spurs even have one. 

 

[dman14]

interesting to read that manu didnt even play in any of the regular season gms

okc better be careful with the ball, spurs will make them pay if they start turning it over.
who will guard td? ibaka or perk? cause one of the bigs gotta play diaw, who is mobile and take guys off the dribble.
you think dejuan blair might get some burn this series? i remember him having a solid gm in okc and looked unstoppable.

 

[donmega]

Originally Posted by DMan14

interesting to read that manu didnt even play in any of the regular season gms

okc better be careful with the ball, spurs will make them pay if they start turning it over.
who will guard td? ibaka or perk? cause one of the bigs gotta play diaw, who is mobile and take guys off the dribble.
you think dejuan blair might get some burn this series? i remember him having a solid gm in okc and looked unstoppable.

I'm assuming they'd go with Perk against TD and just use Ibaka on him for stretches. I don't think they'd have Ibaka on him for long stretches as it negates his main asset to OKC, help defense. As far as Blair goes, I'm assuming they go with Bonner off the bench to space the floor even more.

 

[|A-Man|]

Originally Posted by Big J 33

I want to say Thunder in 7

but I won't be surprised if it's Spurs in 6

 

[dmbrhs]

Not even gonna go back and look, I meant to say two home buzzer beaters. Forgot the one against the Lakers was Game 2, not Game 1.

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

Spurs in 5. 
I think most of the games will be close, though.

That's what I came to say.

 

[MVP]

Honestly just don't see any way OKC beats the Spurs 4 times. They are playing at a level of efficiency on offense not seen in a long time. Parker can cancel out Russ by making him work on the other end, Duncan is going to EAT down low and Ginobli is the OG of what Harden is right now so...Only chance the Thunder have is for Russ/KD/Harden to go nuclear (like to the tone of 80 points/game) every game. That's highly unlikely so I'm going with San Antonio in 5.

 

[proshares]

Coin toss. It's going 7. I'd lean Spurs right now.

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

Honestly just don't see any way OKC beats the Spurs 4 times. They are playing at a level of efficiency on offense not seen in a long time. Parker can cancel out Russ by making him work on the other end, Duncan is going to EAT down low and Ginobli is the OG of what Harden is right now so...Only chance the Thunder have is for Russ/KD/Harden to go nuclear (like to the tone of 80 points/game) every game. That's highly unlikely so I'm going with San Antonio in 5.

That's pretty much how I feel. Their offense has been absurdly productive. Each guy that takes the court for them makes the right pass almost every time. The Spurs front-court players and SGs pass better than pretty much everyone else on the floor; from Duncan, to Manu, to Jackson, to Diaw, to all the rest of their dudes. And they aren't like the Kings in that sense, because these guys can actually play defense pretty well.

I just don't see how OKC can beat them as Mamba said. Four times? That's asking a lot. Harden and KD going to have to play out of their cot damn minds. I think Russ goes off again this series, dude is locked in. KD is barely shooting better than Russ, and he's turning the ball over twice as much.

I'll be happy to see a deep series, but as long as each game is close. I just feel like the Spurs are good enough for a full 48 minutes that they won't allow slippage like Dallas and the Lakers let happen to them. There have probably been four games the Thunder have won that they shouldn't have if the Mavs/Lakers didn't choke. Props to them for closing games out like that, those are the hardest and best ones, but I just don't see them doing that against a Coach Pop team.

 

[CP1708]

If Perk and Ibaka can stop Bynum/Pau, then why would they struggle with Dunc/Spitter? 

 


Somehow, Durant becomes the wildcard in this round imo.  Park and Russ battle, Manu and Harden, everyone else vs Durant.  If Durant keeps up what he's been doin, OKC wins. 


And both teams come in fresh, and healthy.  Something the Clippers didn't get against SA. 

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by CP1708

If Perk and Ibaka can stop Bynum/Pau, then why would they struggle with Dunc/Spitter? 

 


Somehow, Durant becomes the wildcard in this round imo.  Park and Russ battle, Manu and Harden, everyone else vs Durant.  If Durant keeps up what he's been doin, OKC wins. 


And both teams come in fresh, and healthy.  Something the Clippers didn't get against SA. 

Not saying Pau/Bynum aren't better, but come on dude.

Pau was back in 2011 Playoffs mode, and Bynum played well overall, just a few poor-FG% games.

Doesn't help when Kobe is putting up 25-30 shots a game. I'd be shocked if any dude on the Spurs during any game of the WCF shoots more than 20 shots a game. What the Spurs have that the Lakers don't is depth. Guys like Jackson, Manu, Splitter, and Neal coming off the bench. Not one of their starting five is a liability on offense.

Ain't the same man.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Spurs in 6

 

[lawdog1]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Originally Posted by CP1708

If Perk and Ibaka can stop Bynum/Pau, then why would they struggle with Dunc/Spitter? 

 


Somehow, Durant becomes the wildcard in this round imo.  Park and Russ battle, Manu and Harden, everyone else vs Durant.  If Durant keeps up what he's been doin, OKC wins. 


And both teams come in fresh, and healthy.  Something the Clippers didn't get against SA. 

Not saying Pau/Bynum aren't better, but come on dude.

Pau was back in 2011 Playoffs mode, and Bynum played well overall, just a few poor-FG% games.

Doesn't help when Kobe is putting up 25-30 shots a game. I'd be shocked if any dude on the Spurs during any game of the WCF shoots more than 20 shots a game. What the Spurs have that the Lakers don't is depth. Guys like Jackson, Manu, Splitter, and Neal coming off the bench. Not one of their starting five is a liability on offense.

Ain't the same man.

Plus, OKC can't help down on the SA bigs with their guards in the same way they did in the Lakers series. They could gamble on leaving the Lakers' "shooters" open. I don't think that's true against the Spurs. Hill, Neal, Jax, Manu and even Diaw will make OKC pay if they try to pack the middle too much.
  

 

[rko2004]

This series will be great. I can't call it. Spurs in 6 is my guess.

 

[hood17]

Get ready for this though in the media:

Spurs win: Experienced, tough, don't call them old guys. OKC young, inexperience, and can't be coached

OKC: Young/Athletic, test proven. Spurs old, need help etc etc.

 

[scientific method]

Originally Posted by lawdog1

JapanAir21 wrote:

---

CP1708 wrote:

---

If Perk and Ibaka can stop Bynum/Pau, then why would they struggle with Dunc/Spitter? 

 


Somehow, Durant becomes the wildcard in this round imo.  Park and Russ battle, Manu and Harden, everyone else vs Durant.  If Durant keeps up what he's been doin, OKC wins. 


And both teams come in fresh, and healthy.  Something the Clippers didn't get against SA. 

Not saying Pau/Bynum aren't better, but come on dude.

Pau was back in 2011 Playoffs mode, and Bynum played well overall, just a few poor-FG% games.

Doesn't help when Kobe is putting up 25-30 shots a game. I'd be shocked if any dude on the Spurs during any game of the WCF shoots more than 20 shots a game. What the Spurs have that the Lakers don't is depth. Guys like Jackson, Manu, Splitter, and Neal coming off the bench. Not one of their starting five is a liability on offense.

Ain't the same man.


Plus, OKC can't help down on the SA bigs with their guards in the same way they did in the Lakers series. They could gamble on leaving the Lakers' "shooters" open. I don't think that's true against the Spurs. Hill, Neal, Jax, Manu and even Diaw will make OKC pay if they try to pack the middle too much.
  

wasn't nobody double teaming Lakers's bigs. Closest would be fronting and backing Bynum in game 4, but Perk always works 1 on 1.

I agree San Antonio is just too efficient and the Thunder are still very mistake prone but just out talent people at times, and of course Pop will coach circles around Brooks. Another particular weakness of OKC's they will exploit is Westbrook's gambling and falling asleep on d, and KD and James both help WAY too far of corner 3 pt shooters. Bonner already had a 7 of 7 from 3 game against the Thunder for that very reason.

Probably Spurs in 6, would like to have Thunder in 7.

 

[jordanfan04]

I'm pulling for the Thunder in 6-7, but damn the Spurs are balling. Should be a great series nonetheless.

 

[bhzmafia14]

When it all comes down to it, you can't compare what OKC did to the Lakers and say they can do damn near the same thing to the Spurs. 
Pretty much what JA and lawdog already said. The Spurs ball movement is simply amazing right now and OKC would have to make a lot more adjustments playing against them. I just think this series is for the Spurs to lose. If they continue to play the way they've been playing the past 18 games, I don't see how OKC can even stop that.

 

[lawdog1]

^^^ No, there weren't alot of hard double teams on the Lakers' bigs, but the OKC perimeter players definitely layed way off the Lakers guards/forwards and were near the paint a lot of the time.

 

[CP1708]

You guys aren't getting it, Perk and Ibaka will NOT need to double ANYBODY on the Spurs down low.  Especially and including Duncan. 

In fact, I bet they WANT Duncan to go hard at them for 40 minutes, cuz he'll die. 

So they stay home on those shooters, every one of them.  Switch on the pick and rolls, don't switch, whatever, but Perk and Ibaka don't have to sweat anybody whatsoever.  And Collison and Nazr will serve just fine as backups as well.  Again, playing against Drew and Pau is perfect for preparing to face whatever bigs come at them next.  Perk is going to beat the tar out of Duncan, and Ibaka can always recover and catch somebody backside. 

That let's Durant, Harde, and Russ to stay outside on the shooters. 

Why the hell I mention big on big matchups and JA responds with Manu and captain Jack, Neal and Greg Popovich, I have no @*$+@%* idea, but whatever. 

 

[do be doo]

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by CP1708

You guys aren't getting it, Perk and Ibaka will NOT need to double ANYBODY on the Spurs down low.  Especially and including Duncan. 

In fact, I bet they WANT Duncan to go hard at them for 40 minutes, cuz he'll die. 

So they stay home on those shooters, every one of them.  Switch on the pick and rolls, don't switch, whatever, but Perk and Ibaka don't have to sweat anybody whatsoever.  And Collison and Nazr will serve just fine as backups as well.  Again, playing against Drew and Pau is perfect for preparing to face whatever bigs come at them next.  Perk is going to beat the tar out of Duncan, and Ibaka can always recover and catch somebody backside. 

That let's Durant, Harde, and Russ to stay outside on the shooters. 

Why the hell I mention big on big matchups and JA responds with Manu and captain Jack, Neal and Greg Popovich, I have no @*$+@%* idea, but whatever. 

You may think that everything I say revolves around your opinion, but it doesn't. Sorry for stating something about the Spurs not involving what you were mentioning.

 

[do be doo]