Thundering Back: OKC Ends Spurs' Streak With Big Win

NBA Playoffs: Thunder Sent San Antonio Down With Defense

The NBA Playoffs took another turn Thursday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder ended the San Antonio Spurs' seemingly endless winning streak. They did it in an in interesting way, too, showing that a really good defense can foil an otherwise effective offense.

The Spurs had been running their motion offense to perfection over their 20-game winning streak, and after the Thunder were destroyed by it in the first two games, they figured out the correct counter-action: swarming defense. It's easier said than done, of course, but SB Nation's Welcome To Loud City did a pretty solid job of explaining what allowed the Thunder to avoid a sweep.

The Spurs committed 21 turnovers against the OKC perimeter defensive pressure. More importantly, the Spurs' two primary ball handlers, Parker and Ginobili, had 5 and 4, respectively. OKC did a phenomenal job in defending these two players both in denying easy access to the lane as well as cutting off passing angles so that the Spurs could not find open shooters. While Parker still shot the ball well (6-12), his attempts were down by 9 from a game ago, as he wasn't getting nearly as many good looks at the rim. Ginobili fared even worse - he only took 5 shots on the night, making 1, and was held to 8 points.

Both players' offenses are predicated on keeping their defenders off-balance by way of their threat to pass the ball. They may not rack up as many individual assists as, say, Chris Paul, but quite often their passes off of drives serve as "hockey assists," or the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the score. However, with no lanes to pass through, the kickout passes were minimized and they ended up driving into a sea of OKC big men.

A lot of the credit should go to Thabo Sefolosha, as he was heroic on that end of the floor (but only one of many solid adjustments Scott Brooks employed for Game 3), but it was an all-around effort that allowed Oklahoma City to disrupt San Antonio's stellar offense.

Whether they're able to pull off that feat again in Game 4 is still up for debate, but for at least one night, the Thunder were able to prove that great defense is able to negate a good offense.

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.

NBA Playoffs: Will Spurs Be Able To Rebound From Flat Performance?

The San Antonio Spurs had a pretty impressive winning streak heading into Thursday night's Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That streak was snapped, and now Spurs' supporters are trying to figure out just went wrong to ruin their undefeated record so deep into the NBA Playoffs.

The prevailing answer, it seems, is that the Thunder came out hungry while the Spurs were flat and never recovered. That isn't all that surprising considering Oklahoma City had the home crowd behind them, but Pounding the Rock's Fred Silva wrote about the San Antonio loss in excruciating detail.

Gregg Popovich called a timeout with 9:11 remaining in the first quarter. Two minutes and forty-nine seconds into Game 3, the Spurs were 0-3 from the field and had committed 4 turnovers. The Thunder were up 8-0 while committing zero turnovers. That was the game. One team showed up and the other did not. It was over within three minutes and we all knew it.

However, none of us wanted to wave the white flag that early in the game. And so we watched. It was painful, but we held onto the hope that the Spurs would win. Who can blame us? We've become accustomed to the type of magic that can make a bad half disappear.

Unfortunately, the bad half turned into a bad third quarter. It wasn't awful; it was simply insurmountable. On the road, a team must play significantly better to withstand the officiating. Instead, the Spurs succumbed to it. It was depressingly difficult to watch.

"Depressingly difficult" was a phrase many believed would describe the Thunder's chances to win the Western Conference finals following the first two games of the series. Heading into the weekend, though -- and another home game for the Thunder -- the momentum seems to be firmly on the side of 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.

Tony Parker Not Worried About Defensive Matchup With Sefolosha

Following Thursday's Game 3, many pointed to Thabo Sefolosha's play as one of the main reasons for Oklahoma City's win, especially his defense on Tony Parker.

The Thunder primarily used Russell Westbrook to defend Parker during the first two games, but Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks switched Sefolosha on Parker in Game 3. During the game, the announcing crew lauded Sefolosha for his defense, and after the game, even Sefolosha noted the change in scheme. "I think switching me to Parker worked out well for us," he said.

It seems everyone is pointing to the new defensive matchup except Parker. During his postgame press conference, Parker downplayed the defensive switch, noting he's seen it before. "OKC put (Sefolosha) on me last year, two years ago," he said. "It's nothing different for me. I just have to find my spots."

Parker's 16 points and four assists in Game 3 were his lowest postseason totals since Game 4 of the Spurs' opening-round series against Utah. Only time will tell if Brooks' defensive tactic was a one-game fluke or enough to turn the series back in Oklahoma City's favor.

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.

Thunder Players' Kids Take The Court, Steal The Show

Thunder Vs. Spurs, NBA Playoffs 2012 Game 3: Thunder Blowout Spurs, Win Game 3

The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided a 3-0 series deficit with a 102-82 blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

The Thunder were led by Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 22 points. Thabo Sefolosha was huge for Oklahoma City in Game 3, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, six steals, and playing excellent defense on Tony Parker. Sefolosha played 37 minutes in Game 3 after playing just 15 in Game 2. After trailing by two points at the end of the first quarter, Oklahoma City outscored the Spurs 80-58 over the final three quarters.

It was the Spurs' first loss since April 11. San Antonio had won 20 straight games, including all 10 of their postseason contests. Tony Parker finished with 16 points and four assists, but also had five turnovers. Parker had six total turnovers in the first two games of the series.

The two teams will meet in Game 4 on Saturday.

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.

Serge Ibaka Is Staring Forever

There’s no way Serge Ibaka is this good at a staring contest. I’m going to assume a zombie ate his brains.

(Note: yes, we’ve looped the GIF, but he was staring without blinking for a long time).

VIDEO: James Harden-Russell Westbrook Alley-Oop Is A Thing Of Beauty

Few things in basketball get me excited more than a baseline cut. It's such a hard move to time, and we see it less and less these days with so much emphasis being placed on spacing the floor. Even if the player makes the cut right, it then only pays off when the passer sees it happening and delivers the pass at the perfect time.

That means that we're damn well going to appreciate this alley-oop connection between James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Forget the fact that Westbrook is a point guard slamming that dunk down. Just consider how difficult it is for both parties to time this right. Not only did Harden spot Westbrook's cut on time, but he also placed the pass in to him perfectly despite being in his jump-shooting motion. Words can't describe how difficult that is for Harden to do.

The Thunder are fun, man.

Stoic Fan Made A Wrong Turn Somewhere

Lost in a sea of Thunder, he stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone in blue, this man bucking the trend. Clapping, screaming, banging of Thunder Stix all around, he stood quietly, emotionless is a sea of jubilation.

It was then he realized he a load of laundry in the washer.

This Is Why Everyone Is Scared Of Stephen Jackson

1,000 words follow.

One More Way The Thunder Are Using Thabo Sefolosha

Besides having him guard Tony Parker and help out on shooters, the Thunder are having Thabo Sefolosha and other wings (notably Kevin Durant) switch assignments off the ball. This has allowed the Thunder to counteract the Spurs’ player movement and keep all eyes focused on the ball without giving up backdoor cuts.

We rag on Scott Brooks a lot, but he’s made some tremendous adjustments to spur the Thunder to this double-digit lead.

Gregg Popovich Needs A Snickers

When you’re hungry, you’re not you, right? Well, I’m not sure if Gregg Popovich is hungry, but he certainly doesn’t appear to be happy after Stephen Jackson passed up an open three-pointer.

We may get a seven-word post-game press conference from Pop at this rate. Either that, or he'll sign on to be Snickers' spokesman.

Spurs Get Lucky Break From The Shot Clock

So this was weird. Earlier in this possession, Russell Westbrook deflected a pass into the backcourt, but Danny Green of the Spurs ran it down and allowed San Antonio to retain possession with four seconds left on the shot clock. The Spurs didn't know it and were all set to get called for a violation.

But that was before the shot clock randomly reset to 24 for some reason.

Divine intervention? Conspiracy? Only the eye in the sky knows.

Thabo Sefolosha Has Fundamentally Altered The Spurs' Offense

Maybe I’m overreacting, but then again, the Spurs have 46 points through 28 minutes, and the only major adjustment Scott Brooks has made schematically is having Thabo Sefolosha guard Tony Parker more. On one recent play, Sefolosha fought through two screens and still found time to rush out and run Kawhi Leonard off the three-point line in the corner.

It almost makes you wonder why it took two games for Brooks to empower Sefolosha like this.

Thunder-Spurs Score Update: OKC Takes Double-Digit Lead To Halftime

The Oklahoma City Thunder, it turns out, are an exceptionally good basketball team.

They showed they meaned business with an 8-0 run to start the game, featuring a thunderous Kevin Durant dunk. The San Antonio Spurs rolled with the first punch and bounced back, holding a two-point lead at 24-22 at the end of the first, but the Thunder started clicking on both ends: They allowed only 17 points and put up 32 in the second period. They were out blocking jumpers and finishing in transition, making this matchup of very talented young guys against very talented old guys look like just a regular matchup between young guys and old guys.

Durant was a vision as always with 16, but James Harden -- he of many GIFs and staredowns -- was his usual sixth-man self with 11 points on only four shots. The OKC crowd is feeling it as usual, and we'll see whether San Antonio can bounce back.

TALK ABOUT THAT.

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.

A Very Important Stat For The Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have held the mighty San Antonio Spurs’ offense to just 41 points in the first half. This stat probably has something to do with why:

Thabo Sefolosha’s minutes in Game 2: 15
Thabo Sefolosha’s minutes in the first half of Game 3: 17

Thunder's Defense Cheating Off Spurs Players In Corners

The Oklahoma City Thunder have done a much better job corralling the Spurs' devastating pick and roll attack, even with Russell Westbrook and even Kevin Durant guarding Tony Parker at times. What's working for the Thunder? Something they did near the end of Game 2: cheating off the Spurs' shooters in the corners.

Notice where James Harden is standing as Tony Parker and Tim Duncan run the pick and roll.

There's a risk to this strategy, because the Spurs are known to cut backdoor from the corners for layups, but it's a risk Scott Brooks seems willing to take.

James Harden Seems Perplexed

Multiple-choice question: What has James Harden just completed doing in this GIF?

A. Riding a rollercoaster.

B. Eating a ton of ice cream, causing brain freeze.

C. Finding out Gifton got screwed in the Spelling Bee.

D. Seeing Kate Winslet nude in Titanic.

E. Gotten called for a charge in an NBA Playoff Game

It’s E, but I wouldn’t blame you if you thought it was C.

Thabo Sefolosha Clotheslines Manu Ginobili

I’m not entirely sure why Thabo Sefolosha did this. Sure, the Thunder had a foul to give at the end of the first quarter, but that doesn’t mean he should clock Manu Ginobili in the face.

At least Sefolosha didn’t wind up like Raja Bell.

Kendrick Perkins Is Mad At Steve Kerr And Reggie Miller For Some Reason

Kendrick Perkins is a big man with a lot of pride and not a lot of skill. While he’s adept at post defense and screen-setting, his limitations have been exposed in this series trying to go against the speedy Spurs. It’s gotten so bad that many, including TNT’s Charles Barkley and others with the network, have concluded that this is simply not the series where he should play.

Perkins has apparently heard those criticisms and was waiting for a chance to respond. After making a nice play early in Game 3 against the Spurs, he found his chance, turning over to Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller to shout "TALK ABOUT THAT."

Here’s the GIF.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to convince Kerr and Miller to talk about how great Perkins is.

VIDEO: Kevin Durant Gets The Best Of Tim Duncan At The Rim

The San Antonio Spurs have been doing a great job contesting shots at the rim without fouling throughout this Western Conference Finals series, so that means it's time for the Thunder to adjust. Kevin Durant apparently decided that "adjusting" meant doing this to Tim Duncan.

You have to appreciate the finish -- a gliding one-handed throwdown that made it seem like Durant stretched his arms out like he was Michael Jordan in Space Jam. You also have to appreciate the play design -- a wing-wing screen that caused just enough confusion to give Durant his opening.

We'll have to see if this "dunk on Tim Duncan" strategy works going forward.

Spurs' Defense Puts Them Back Ahead

As noted, the Spurs are having issues with the Thunder’s new defensive matchups early in Game 3 of this Western Conference Finals series. So what’s San Antonio to do? Win with their defense, as it turns out. San Antonio has done a beautiful job closing off driving lanes and contesting Thunder shots at the rim. No team does it better — and yes, it is a skill.

Despite Matchup Change, Thunder's Defensive Schemes Look Pretty Similar

Despite the major change to put Thabo Sefolosha on Tony Parker defensively, the Thunder’s schemes look pretty similar otherwise. Coach Scott Brooks is having Sefolosha fight over ball screens just like Russell Westbrook did, choosing that strategy despite Sefolosha’s length. So far, it’s working, as Sefolosha has done a great job jumping over picks to hold Parker down.

One other thing: Sefolosha is playing the passing lanes well when Parker doesn’t have the ball, cheating off him to help on other guys.

Thabo Sefolosha Is Guarding Tony Parker

Scott Brooks has gone ahead and done the deed. After seeing his defense get shredded in the Thunder’s Game 2 loss on Tuesday, he has made a big change. Thabo Sefolosha, and not Russell Westbrook, has begun the game guarding Tony Parker.

The Thunder are giving up some speed with the matchup, but they also do a much better job contesting Parker’s jump shots under this scenario. Sefolosha can go under ball screens to prevent Parker from driving to the rim, then use his length to get a hand up on Parker’s jumpers far better than Westbrook could.

2012 NBA Playoffs, Thunder Vs. Spurs Game 3: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The San Antonio Spurs arrive in Oklahoma City with a 2-0 series lead and a 20-game winning streak. Will they be able to extend both or will the Thunder start to make this a series?