40 Total Updates since May 29, 2012
12 months ago Commentary 0 comments
Continue12 months ago Update 0 comments
It's probably safe to say that Tuesday night's Western Conference Finals game outcome was due more to what the San Antonio Spurs did right than what the Oklahoma City Thunder did wrong. There's a reason the Spurs are undefeated this far into the NBA Playoffs, after all.
The alternative is to look at where the Thunder could do things differently, however, as they try to avoid being swept out of a chance to reach the NBA's championship series. In that case, SB Nation's own Welcome To Loud City has some ideas of what Oklahoma City could have done to change its fortune on Tuesday night.
OKC's only hope was to go into the halftime while still within striking distance and retool their offensive strategy. They HAD to slow the game down, because if they continued to play too fast they were just going to trade baskets with the Spurs at best. Unfortunately, the Spurs came out of halftime and never relented. They hit their first 5 shots of the half, the lead ballooned to 16, and the Thunder ship was about to get capsized.
To their everlasting credit, OKC did not give up, but the ending to this game was similar to the game the two teams played on March 16. When a team falls behind by so much, there are precious few chances to ever turn the tables - one play perhaps, and maybe two if they're lucky.
It'll be interesting to see what approach the Thunder take when they host their first game of the series on Thursday night. It's tough to tell if anything will help, but Scott Brooks and his staff have to keep trying.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The San Antonio Spurs have yet to lose a game in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, and following Tuesday night's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, it doesn't seem like a loss is looming at any point in their near future. While the Spurs' current winning streak has been due to a bevy of talented players, the latest player to step up was Tony Parker.
Now that Parker has reasserted himself as one of the top point guards in the NBA once again this season with a near-flawless performance in Game 2, he has a lot of people talking about him. The best story to emerge has come from Yahoo! Sports' Johnny Ludden.
Parker and Popovich will still bark at each other, and they did again Tuesday night after the Thunder clawed back into the game. But on this night, in this season, Parker sits no more. The ball found its way into his hands in the closing moments, and he darted through the Thunder for one final twisting layup.
After all these years, Parker's leading the Spurs just as he always said he could. After all these years, it's his team, his time.
The profile on Parker is one of the best of the NBA Playoffs, really, as it details all of the twists and turns the point guard has gone through in the NBA since coming over from France. It isn't thought of much these days, but at one time it seemed as though Parker was in Gregg Popovich's doghouse -- and Ludden's story brings great details to those days.
It's easy to take these Spurs for granted. Don't.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The Oklahoma City Thunder failed to complete a fourth-quarter rally against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, but they were able to at least eliminate a double-digit deficit, losing by just nine points, 120-111. But what helped the Thunder attempt a comeback? It might have been the "Hack-A-Splitter" move Oklahoma City employed several times during the second half of the game. The Thunder fouled Tiago Splitter five straight times in the third quarter, which helped slow the game down. But what did the coaches think of the move?
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the game (video around the 30-second mark) that it was a "good move," but wouldn't go too far in admitting that it really did help the Thunder. He offered an ambivalent "maybe" several times before mentioning any positives about it. He's not a big fan of the move, I guess.
On the other hand, Thunder coach Scott Brooks is more than willing to use it again:
Scott Brooks on Hack-A-Splitter: "If we get an opportunity to do it again, we will."
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 30, 2012
Does Brooks envision his team trailing by 10-plus points again? It's certainly not an opportunity he should relish for the Thunder.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Article 15 comments
Scott Brooks and the Thunder chose to intentionally foul Tiago Splitter on five straight possessions late in the third quarter. When they started, they trailed the Spurs by 16. When the quarter ended, they trailed by 16. Way to ruin the game for no reason.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The San Antonio Spurs picked up an impressive 120-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night in Game 2 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals. The Thunder gave the Spurs a tough time during the final quarter, eliminating a double-digit deficit, but Tony Parker's 34 points were too much to overcome.
Parker accumulated his points on 16-of-21 shooting, which was part of a great overall scoring night by San Antonio, The Spurs hit on 55.1 percent of their shots. Manu Ginobili was second on the team in scoring with 20 points. Rookie Kawhi Leonard finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 10 rebounds. Tim Duncan didn't join in on the shooting party -- going just 2-of-11 from the field -- but he came up with four big blocks and 12 rebounds.
For the Thunder, Kevin Durant led the way with 31 points and James Harden followed closely with 30 points, but the Spurs contained Oklahoma City on defense just enough to hold them off. Russell Westbrook finished the game with 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Spurs take a 20-game winning streak to Oklahoma City on Thursday for Game 3.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The job is done, and therefore, it’s time for Manu Ginobili to blow off some steam.

On second thought, Manu, maybe keep some of that steam inside you.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Sometimes, it takes even a great team a little while to figure out a new look their opponent may be throwing at them. That appears to be what has happened in this fourth quarter. The Thunder did well to confuse the Spurs with a more athletic lineup, but it looks like the Spurs have gone back to being themselves instead of trying to change their offense just to beat the Thunder’s unique lineup.
Basically, more Tony Parker (15-20 from the field) and maybe a little less Tim Duncan.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
He’s shooting 1-9 and providing typically bad defense. His intangibles must be off the charts.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
While the Thunder are indeed occasionally switching pick and rolls on defense (and I stress “occasionally”), the bigger adjustment is that Serge Ibaka is actually in the game as the team’s center instead of Kendrick Perkins. A far cry from Game 1 indeed.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Here’s an adjustment by Scott Brooks: the Thunder are starting to switch on pick and rolls instead of hedging and recovering. I’d rather they just went under the screens and lived with a barrage of open jumpers, but this is something worth trying too.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The craziest thing about this game is that the Thunder are down just 10 points. Why? Their two guards, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, have found ways to get into the lane now that the Thunder have flattened the floor.
This is the Spurs’ Achilles heel — as good as they are offensively, their defense can sometimes come and go. It’s nitpicking like crazy, but it may affect them at some point down the line.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Despite his team being up 16 points with the third quarter ending, Stephen Jackson got mad. This is something Stephen Jackson does often, so we really shouldn't be surprised. In this case, he went back at Kevin Durant for something he said late in the quarter and drew a needless technical foul.
Luckily, Tim Duncan was there to calm everyone down. Duncan and Jackson, forever the odd couple.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Look, we don't know either.
This was after Scott Brooks deployed Hack-a-Splitter (didn't work). Maybe it's a sign of desperation. Maybe Ibaka is looking to jinx Tim Duncan. Maybe ... hell, I don't know anymore.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The San Antonio Spurs spent the first eight minutes of the third quarter tearing the Oklahoma City Thunder limb from limb. Tony Parker continued to make shots and create easy shots for others while Russell Westbrook continued to get embarrassed defensively. Parker ended the third quarter with 26 points on 12-16 shooting and seven assists, and he didn't even do anything in the last four minutes.
That's because, on six consecutive trips down the floor, the Thunder committed non-shooting fouls on the Spurs. Implementing a Hack-A-Splitter defense was the only answer Scott Brooks had for the Spurs' offense in the third quarter. The Thunder intentionally fouled Tiago Splitter five straight times, and he only made both free throws on one of his trips to the line. He came out for Tim Duncan after the fifth trip to the line and Duncan was fouled behind the three-point arc on the ensuing trip down the floor.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, they haven't scored enough to turn their consistent fouling strategy into anything positive. The Spurs lead 92-76 at the end of the third quarter, and it's going to take something stunning for OKC to make this a contest. San Antonio had 37 points in the third quarter and are now shooting 60 percent from the floor on the night. Kevin Durant has 27 points on 9-14 shooting while Westbrook has 16 points on 7-16 shooting. Among those misses are an airballed three and a missed dunk. This has not been Westbrook's finest performance.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The Thunder have resorted to intentionally fouling Tiago Splitter, and Splitter is well aware of this. That probably explains why he tried to run away from Kevin Durant here.

12 months ago Update 0 comments
Splat-a-Splitter? Sack-A-Splitter? Clip A Split? We clearly need help with this.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The San Antonio Spurs had played arguably the perfect quarter offensively in this third period against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder then followed up the Spurs’ dizzying run with two buckets, and that was all Gregg Popovich needed to get incensed.
So, he called timeout and chewed out Tony Parker, just because he could.

Pop will always be Pop.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
This will get you 15 yards in the NFL. It'd probably get you T'd up in the NBA. But hey, it's the Spurs mascot, and nobody is going to tech the mascot.
It's over. No more. This might as well be Scott Brooks screaming "UNCLE."
12 months ago Update 0 comments
This is seriously incredible. The San Antonio Spurs have seemingly gotten an open shot on every single possession, picking apart a really good Oklahoma City Thunder squad like they're the 1992 Angola National Team. The dizzying run of surgical precision was capped off by Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker combining on this ridiculous sequence.
Ginobili was running at full speed, and still managed to flip a perfect behind-the-back pass to Parker, who stood for about 20 seconds with nobody guarding him before finally deciding to shoot the three-pointer. That was pretty much a microcosm of the third quarter.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
OK, it’s time. It’s time for the Oklahoma City Thunder to stop trying to hedge and recover on pick and rolls. The Spurs are just too good at finding the open man in that split-second of confusion.
Here’s another idea: go under screens. It’s an admission of failure in a way, because it’s not an aggressive move, but it’s the only way the Thunder can keep San Antonio out of the lane.
12 months ago Update 1 comment
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich created another beautiful soundbyte, telling his team that they needed to "put a body" on the Thunder because it's a "big boy game." Here's the full video of TNT's Inside Trax segment.
In Game 1, of course, Popovich yelled at his team to "GET NASTY," which ended up leading to this T-shirt. This means that we need to ask a couple questions. First, would you buy a T-shirt that says "It's A Big Boy Game" or something of the sort? Second, if you could design a Popovich T-shirt, what other catchphrases would you put on it?
We don't not promise to use this data in a meaningful way for our next business venture.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Tony Parker dominating a game + off the ball movement + good shot selection = 58 percent from the floor.
That's just downright ridiculous.
(H/T John Schuhmann)
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The degree to which Tony Parker is dominating for the San Antonio Spurs against the Oklahoma City Thunder is simply stunning. He has 17 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with five assists, and incredibly, that line isn't completely indicative of how good he's been. San Antonio's passing game and movement has been the story so far, and it's all been facilitated by Parker.
Oklahoma City is trailing by double digits, and they're lucky to be within 11 points. San Antonio leads 55-44 at halftime, but they've been in control of the entire game to a more impressive degree than the score makes it sound. Kevin Durant and James Harden are both scoring in an efficient manner, and they're keeping things from getting out of hand.
Durant and Harden have both been extremely effective, with 14 points each. Westbrook has been a bit less effective offensively with eight points on 3-8 shooting, but that line might be acceptable if his play was passable on the other end. Instead, it's been anything but. Taking nothing away from Parker, who has been brilliant, but Westbrook hasn't done anything on the defensive end to hinder him. His defense, especially on screens, has been abysmal.
Scott Brooks also didn't do his team any favors in the second quarter. Derek Fisher has inexplicably played eight minutes in this game, and the Thunder looked bad for the four minutes that Daequan Cook was on the floor. To the surprise of no one, the Thunder's defense suffered when all of Fisher, Cook and Harden were on the floor. Scott Brooks, ladies and gentlemen.
The highlight of the half came at the very end, when Tim Duncan threw down a nasty jam in the face of Serge Ibaka. Duncan hasn't been great offensively -- he's shooting just 2-7 from the floor -- but one of his two buckets was spectacular enough to leave the impression that he had a great half on the offensive end of the floor.
If Oklahoma City is going to get back into this game, they need to do basically everything better. Westbrook needs to do more on both ends, they need to do something to keep Parker from dominating, they need to pass the ball better, and Brooks needs to put down the crazy pills. It'll take some serious work early in the third quarter to keep this game from getting out of hand. The good news for OKC is that Harden and Durant are hot enough to keep their team in the game.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
If you've been following the 2012 NBA Playoffs, you'd know that Tim Duncan is playing as if he's much younger than 36 years old. But let's be honest: you were still shocked to see Duncan throw down a one-handed slam on Oklahoma City Thunder shot-blocking maestro Serge Ibaka late in the first half of Game 2 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals.
I'm not even sure Duncan did that in his prime, much less at age 36. When he caught the pick-and-roll pass awkwardly, nobody could have guessed he'd finish like that, much less Ibaka. Instead, Duncan wound up with his right hand and took it right to Ibaka, putting him in a poster that I now really want to buy.
All that makes this block on Russell Westbrook to end the first quarter look rather ordinary.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock, for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
I rag on Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks a lot, but there’s not much he can do about the fundamental problem the Thunder have defensively against the Spurs. Even if he plays defensive ace Thabo Sefolosha more, he still needs either Russell Westbrook or James Harden to step up and play better pick-and-roll defense on Tony Parker and/or Manu Ginobili. That’s really tough for either of them right now.
Very few teams have two great playmakers like this, but the Spurs do. That’s putting the Thunder’s two star guards in a tough position.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The TNT announcers deemed this block by Russell Westbrook on Tony Parker a “good, hard playoff foul,” even though he got all ball. Given that, I can understand Westbrook’s reaction.


12 months ago Update 0 comments
One game after leaving his best shot-blocker out for the final 16 minutes of a close loss, Scott Brooks is at it again with weird rotations. The Oklahoma City Thunder coach has played Derek Fisher, Daequan Cook and James Harden for the entire second quarter to date (it’s been about five minutes), only to see the Spurs shred them on pick and rolls.
Nevermind putting his two stars (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook) back in. Where’s Thabo Sefolosha?
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Despite being burned by Manu Ginobili on defense, James Harden is having himself a very nice game after a horrible Game 1. He already has 10 points on 4-5 shooting, and he seems to be more comfortable taking what the defense is giving him instead of playing confused.
Also, he’s getting to his left hand, which has angered Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Thing is, though, Harden always gets to his right hand. Nobody in the NBA has been able to force him right in his short career.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
TNT announcer Marv Albert said earlier that “Derek Fisher is a factor” so far in this game. He is technically correct about Fisher. However, given that Fisher is now 1-5 with a turnover early in the second quarter, he’s not really a factor for the Thunder.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
This is a problem.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Kevin Durant and Tony Parker are putting on a show in the first quarter of Game 2 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, but it's the home team that currently has the upper hand. Parker's gotten a bit more out of his supporting cast in the first quarter than Durant has, and the Spurs lead 28-22 at the end of the first quarter.
Russell Westbrook spent a good period of the first quarter taking more contested shots than Scott Brooks (or anyone) likes to see. Eventually, Durant started to get more involved in the game and take over the offensive load. Oklahoma City were down by 10 points, but Durant helped to bring them back into the game in the middle of the first quarter. He has 12 points on 5-7 shooting. James Harden made an appearance off the bench late in the quarter and he's been effective as well, with six points in just four minutes on the floor.
Parker currently has 10 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with three assists. He had one particularly impressive alley-oop to Kawhi Leonard and set up Danny Green for a wide-open three on a great drive and kick during another sequence. He's been San Antonio's best player, and arguably the best player on the floor thus far.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock, for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
In our series preview, one thing we noted is that the Spurs have victimized Russell Westbrook’s overaggression guarding pick and roll by having Tony Parker dribble away from the ball screen to shoot open jumpers. So far, it’s happened three times in Game 2. Westbrook has tried to cheat over the screen, and Parker has crossed back over to the left to get a wide open jumper.
Here’s one of those plays.

Westbrook has to relax and stay more on-balanced defensively.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Kevin Durant has 12 points on seven shots so far in this first quarter, and he really hasn’t played that well. That speaks to why he’s so good. He’s struggled to get open thanks to great defense by Kawhi Leonard, but he’s managed to move beautifully without the ball to find open looks, particularly from downtown.
This work has allowed the Thunder to stay within striking distance when nobody else is really playing that well on either end.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
Is the 'I want some nasty' meme played out yet? No? Okay, I didn't think so. Craig Sager had a segment during the first quarter of Thunder-Spurs where he threw in some unnecessary Spanish while pitching the t-shirts that Gregg Popovich's timeout speech has spawned.
Yo quiero nasty, indeed.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
So, yeah, this has been a horrible offensive start for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just like in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Thunder have been victimized by having too many non-offensive threats on the floor at the same time. Tim Duncan has not really bothered to guard Kendrick Perkins when he sets screens, limiting all the space Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have to operate.
This is why starting James Harden may make sense for the Thunder. Granted, it’s also helped that Kawhi Leonard has done a much better job denying Durant the ball, but the major issue is the lack of threats alongside Durant and Westbrook.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
12 months ago Update 0 comments
It’s becoming very adorable to see Tim Duncan hug his daughter and son prior to NBA Playoff games. TNT captured the moment prior to Game 1 of the Spurs’ series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, and it did again prior to Tuesday’s Game 2.
Apparently, though, the moment has become too adorable for Duncan’s son. Instead, he decided to turn down Duncan’s kiss to hug Manu Ginobili instead.

Clearly, Duncan isn’t used to being rejected.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an immensely talented team boasting three players that have likely all earned themselves max contracts next time they're able to test the market. The most important of those players has come into question, however, as the Thunder attempt to hand the San Antonio Spurs their first loss of the NBA Playoffs.
Kevin Durant is typically the player keyed in on, and James Harden has earned quite a bit of respect on his way to earning Sixth Man of the Year honors. Those following the Western Conference Finals from the Spurs perspective -- especially over at SB Nation's Pounding the Rock -- see point guard Russell Westbrook as the most important piece of the puzzle.
To win a championship, a team needs two types of toughness: physical and mental. The Thunder exhibited both of these characteristics against the Lakers. But just because a team shows toughness, does that mean all parts of the team are tough? Not necessarily. For this reason, I think Russell Westbrook is the key to this series.
The majority of OKC's offense comes from their version of the "Big 3". Kevin Durant is going to get his, no matter how great Jax and Kawhi's defense is. He's that elite of a scorer, but of course it helps to limit his touches. James Harden's got game, but he's the only creator on their 2nd unit, thereby limiting his effectiveness against a good bench (this is when OKC really misses Eric Maynor). However, the Spurs have no answer for Westbrook's athleticism, speed and ability to finish at the rim. So why was he non-existent in the 4th quarter?
It wouldn't seem to be in the best interest of those on the Spurs' side to rattle Westbrook's cage, but we'll hold our judgment until the conclusion of Game 2 to see how the young guard responds.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock, for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Update 0 comments
The Oklahoma City Thunder were unable to figure out the key to beating the San Antonio Spurs in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. Scott Brooks is expected to alter some things for Tuesday night's Game 2, however, as his Thunder attempt to hand the Spurs their first loss in this year's NBA Playoffs.
One of the issues brought up in the opening-game loss was the fact that starting shot blocker Serge Ibaka spent too much time on the bench. While it's difficult to say that he would've given the Thunder the victory on Sunday night, Ibaka is expected to have a bigger role in Game 2.
Brooks does this by moving Kevin Durant from the shooting forward 3 position to the "stretch 4" forward spot. This forces opponents to go with a smaller 4 themselves to better defend Durant, arguably the toughest one-on-one matchup in the league.
"We've done it in the past and have had a lot of success, so you can't really look back and beat yourself up too much ... but I will," Brooks said. "It was nothing against what Serge did."
[...]
"Going into the next game, I see him playing his normal minutes," Brooks said.
It'll be interesting to see if more minutes for Ibaka translates into less points for the Spurs and, in turn, a Thunder victory.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock, for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And, if you're looking for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.
12 months ago Article 0 comments
The Spurs won Game 1, and probably can beat anybody ever. Can they keep beating anybody ever in Game 2?
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12 months ago -Brian Floyd Read More