The Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the first day of their now-annual NBA Draft workout on Thursday and, while there's not much to be reported about three-on-three workouts of second round prospects, it seems as though everything went about as planned.

It sounds like former Gopher killer John Shurna was a bit overwhelmed by those in attendance -- including Larry Bird, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Rod Thorn of the Brooklyn Nets, among others -- but that's to be expected at this point in the process.

Those same executives, along with representatives from almost every other team, are expected to be in attendance once again on Friday when the following players converge on the Twin Cities.

Friday - Session 1:

Kim English, G, Missouri - Averaged 14.5 points and 1.6 assists during his senior season and became one of Mizzou's top scoring options during a 30-5 campaign.

Justin Hamilton, C, Louisiana State - Averaged 12.9 and 7.2 rebounds per game after sitting out a year due to transfer; shot 49.4 percent from the field and had five games with 20-plus points.

Robbie Hummel, F, Purdue - A staple of Purdue's squad since 2007-08, Hummel was All-Big Ten First Team in 2008, 2010 and 2012 and AP All-America Honorable Mention in 2010 and 2012; finished ninth in program history with 1,772 points

Orlando Johnson, G, UC Santa Barbara - UCSB's all-time leading scorer with 1,825 points, Johnson was a three-time All-Big West First Team selection and the 2008-09 Big West Player of the Year

Julian Mavunga, F, Miami (OH) - Earned All-MAC honors as a junior and a senior; shot 44.1 percent from the field and scored 16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a senior.

Tony Mitchell, F, Alabama - Scored 13.1 points and added 7.2 rebounds per game during his junior year with the Crimson Tide

Friday - Session 2:

Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri - Led the Tigers with 17.7 points per game and shot 40.7 percent from 3-point range during his senior season; 2011-12 consensus All-America Second Team selection

JaMychal Green, F, Alabama - Scored 14.0 points per game and shot 54.6 percent from the field during his senior season at Alabama

Darius Johnson-Odom, G, Marquette - 2011-12 All-Big East First Team selection and AP All-America Honorable Mention; averaged 18.3 points per game as a senior

Kyle O'Quinn, F, Norfolk State - First player in MEAC history to win conference player of the year and defensive player of the year; scored 26 points and added 14 rebounds as 15th-seeded NSU upset second-seeded Missouri in the 2012 NCAA tournament

Robert Sacre, C, Gonzaga - Finished career with 1,270 points and finished sixth in program history with 679 rebounds; averaged 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds as a senior

Mike Scott, F, Virginia - Named All-ACC First Team as a senior; averaged 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in his final season with the Cavaliers.

Robbie Hummel is probably the most recognizable name, but a lot of the players for Friday were able to put together very solid college careers and could make for intriguing second round picks.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

There are going to be all sorts of NBA mock drafts being released now that the 2012 NBA Draft order has been released following Wednesday night's lottery. There are very few that are as consistently solid as the one that the experts over at Draft Express put out each season, however, so it was big news when they updated their order.

Jonathan Givony and the crew had Syracuse guard Dion Waiters going to the Wolves in their pre-lottery edition, but they've changed their tune now that the order is officially set. Instead of a combo guard, Minnesota's now projected to big up a combo forward with Quincy Miller of the Baylor Bears.

Miller is an intriguing player and, while he has his flaws, the latest profile of the 6-foot-9 wing shows that he should have be able to translate to the NBA without too many issues.

Regardless of how he progresses with his athleticism, Miller clearly has some attributes that will make him very attractive to NBA decision-makers with his high skill level and scoring ability to go along with his excellent size and length at the small forward position.

His under-developed frame may limit how quickly he'd be able to immediately contribute at the NBA level, but, barring any long-term injury concerns, he has a terrific upside to grow into as he continues to put on strength, improve on the defensive end, and adds polish offensively.

Doesn't sound bad, does he?

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will have quite a few things to look at before the 2012 NBA Draft happens next month. They'll go to the pre-draft combine in Chicago, they're hosting a big group workout this week and are sure to bring in plenty of other players for auditions before the big night.

According to the latest rumors reaching Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, though, the Wolves might also be considering taking a European player with their first round pick.

Timberwolves President David Kahn, who oversees the draft and has the No. 18 overall pick next month, spent 11 days in Europe recently on a scouting mission. Don't be surprised if the Wolves' first-round pick on June 28 comes from overseas.

The updated NBA mock drafts seem to indicate that the Wolves have plenty of solid options on this side of the pond, but maybe Kahn was able to find something special abroad?

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

NBA mock draft season is officially underway for the 2012 season following Wednesday night's lottery. The Minnesota Timberwolves didn't have a horse in that race -- their pick ended up with the New Orleans Hornets -- but now have a bit clearer picture of what might be available to them now that the order is set.

It's pretty clear that the biggest issues for the Wolves are on the wing and, while ESPN's Chad Ford predicts the Wolves to go with Austin Rivers, CBS Sports expert Jeff Goodman sees them going in a different direction with Vanderbilt Commodores swingman Jeffery Taylor.

The T'Wolves could use an athletic wing who can lock people down on the defensive end. Taylor is an improved shooter, but he can be a hellacious defender.

Taylor's a good player and everything, but it would seem the Wolves need someone that can create on the offensive end ... though a dominant player on defense is never a bad thing.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

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The 2012 NBA Draft lottery results probably aren't going to make anyone happy knowing that the New Orleans Hornets, who beat the odds, also own the Minnesota Timberwolves' tenth overall draft pick. Considering Minnesota eventually ended up with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio following that trade, however, let's all just look forward to what the Wolves do have by way of ESPN's updated NBA mock draft.

The Wolves will be on the clock with the No. 18 pick, barring any trades, and should have plenty of options available to them at that slot. Chad Ford sees the best available option being Austin Rivers, son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and former standout guard for the Duke Blue Devils.

The Wolves' biggest need is at the 2 and Rivers could be a great get here. He can really shoot the basketball and has a killer crossover. He's going to have to get comfortable playing off the ball, but playing with Ricky Rubio could really help his game.

It seems a shooting guard is going to be the pick -- which is obviously the team's biggest need -- and Rivers probably wouldn't be a bad idea. In fact, playing off of Rubio, anybody that can score better than Wesley Johnson wouldn't be a bad idea.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves pick won't change following the results of Wednesday night's lottery. The 2012 NBA mock drafts will still probably be altered following the "random" results, however, so it makes sense to check in on the climate before potential mayhem happens at the top of the draft.

The Timberwolves hold two picks in the Draft - Nos. 18 and 58 -- and while the latter pick isn't likely to be effected by a shakeup in the top half of the draft, the players available at 18 could potentially change based on team needs (and where said teams are selecting). Prior to the lottery, though, the Wolves look to be in prime position to get a pretty solid pick.

According to the experts over at Draft Express, that pick will be another wing player from the Syracuse Orange basketball team as Dion Waiters is currently slotted with Minnesota. DX's most recent write-up on the 6-foot-4 guard is pretty promising.

Looking forward, Waiters brings an interesting package of skills to the table along with a good amount of untapped potential. His style of play should seemingly translate well in a combo guard role off the bench as a sparkplug transition and pick and roll scorer who can defend multiple positions, which every NBA team seems to have at least one of these days.

Would getting a better Syracuse player to play the two-guard make everyone forget how bad Wesley Johnson was this season? Maybe not ... but it certainly shouldn't hurt.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

The 2012 NBA Draft order will be cemented following Wednesday night's lottery, but the hometown Minnesota Timberwolves will be slotted at No. 18 regardless of how the lottery ball lands. That doesn't mean this week is without exciting draft news, though, because the team is hosting its now-annual group workout once again.

The Wolves will host a bevy of NBA prospects, along with other teams, beginning Thursday morning as they get their first extended looks at some of this year's top prospects. And, thanks to the fine folks with the Timberwolves PR department, we know who is going to be in attendance on Day 1.

Thursday's first workout includes the following prospects:

• J'Covan Brown, a 6-foot-1 combo guard who played his college years for the Texas Longhorns.
• Drew Gordon, a 6-foot-9 power forward that split his amateur career between the UCLA Bruins andNew Mexico Lobos.
• Former Duke Blue Devils big man Miles Plumlee.
• 6-foot-7 Spanish guard Tomas Satoransky will make the trek from Spain.
• John Shurna, a forward from the Northwestern Wildcats that Gophers fans are all too familiar with.
• Memphis Tigers wing Wesley Witherspoon will round out the morning group.

The second group coming in on Thursday includes another decent batch of possible prospects, too:

• Baylor Bears forward Quincy Acy,
• Marquette Golden Eagles do-it-aller Jae Crowder,
• Iona Gaels point guard Scott Machado,
• Ramone Moore, a Temple Owls wingman who impressed at Portsmouth,
• Tennessee Tech guard Kevin Murphy,
• And last, but not least, Long Beach State's Casper Ware.

None of these players are likely to be selected by the Wolves in the first round, but it certainly doesn't hurt to bring in second round candidates that might also be possibilities for Minnesota's Summer League team if they end up going undrafted.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

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.

Patrick Ewing has been lobbying for an NBA head coaching job for a few summers now. Unfortunately, it seems like that goal might allude him for another offseason, however, as the Charlotte Bobcats have apparently decided they're no longer interested in his services.

Ewing is probably better known as a perennial All-Star center with the New York Knicks than for his time spent as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. Whether his lack of coaching experience played a role is unknown, but Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that something went amiss regarding Ewing's candidacy for the Bobcats.

As it turns out, the "Space Jam" reunion won't be happening with the Charlotte Bobcats.

After an interview with Charlotte management, owner Michael Jordan personally reached out to Patrick Ewing to tell him he's been eliminated as a candidate to coach the Bobcats, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

It was pretty great of MJ to personally reach out to Ewing, but was it as great as Woj's lede? Apart from that, it's interesting that Ewing is the only candidate that has been shut down considering the Bobcats have already interviewed quite a few coaches.

For more on the Bobcats coaching search, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream. For more on professionalish basketball in Charlotte, check out Rufus on Fire.

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.

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Score one for the NBA Development League as yet another NBA team has recognized the importance of buying into the D-League. The Idaho Stampede announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have entered into a "hybrid" agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The difference of doing a hybrid agreement as opposed to outright buying a D-League team is that, under this agreement, the Blazers don't have to worry about anything on the business side of things. Instead of trying to sell tickets and market the team to the Boise community, Portland only has to be concerned with hiring a coaching staff (or retain Randy Livingston and Joel Abelson) and putting the best product possible on the floor.

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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.

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.

Monday night marked the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, and unfortunately for the Boston Celtics, it may have also marked the beginning of the end. It looked as though Boston might be able to make it competitive after closing strong in the first half, but it apparently just wasn't meant to be.

It wasn't the best game one that anyone is going to watch in this year's NBA Playoffs, but the Heat's ability to turn it on after halftime is something that should worry the Celtics' faithful. Especially because, as SB Nation's Peninsula Is Mightier noted, Miami seemed to find a whole 'nother gear in the second half.

Wade scored just six points in the first half, but aggressively attacked a hobbled Ray Allen in the pick-and-roll to score a few easy buckets and get to the foul line. Shane Battier also had a nice defensive sequence in the third quarter, blocking Paul Pierce on one possession and then stealing the ball from him on another. And in the fourth, Wade and James each made a sensational bank shot over Kevin Garnett to keep Boston at bay.

Miami turned in an impressive performance on Monday night, to be sure, but the Celtics had their fair share of miscues. One of the biggest issues, according to SB Nation's Celtics Blog, was the inability to effectively swing the ball in an effort to get easy buckets.

Far be it for me to presume that anyone would listen to what I have to say about the Celtics offense. I've reminded you time and again that I'm no scout or coach. However, it doesn't take a scout or a coach to see that the Boston Celtics need to move the ball on offense to be successful.

Some teams can get by for stretches with one-on-one or relying on their first or second options every time down the court. Not the Celtics and certainly not against the Heat.

Rondo can't be slow to get into his sets. Pierce can't catch and wait for the play to develop. Bass can't be a black hole. The ball has to move like a hot potato. It has to fly around the horn like a baseball drill. The offense needs to execute and look for open shots.

It's true -- for as good as the Heat looked on Monday night, the Celtics -- for all but a solid run in the second quarter -- looked just as bad. It's not going to be impossible for Boston to turn things around, of course, but it won't be easy to shut down James and Wade if they're able to continue playing well.

For more on the Celtics, check out SB Nation Boston and CelticsBlog. For more on the Heat, head over to SB Nation Tampa Bay and Peninsula Is Mightier.

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The Boston Celtics will play the Miami Heat on Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with hopes of stealing homecourt advantage. It won't be easy, of course, but it doesn't hurt that Chris Bosh is still dealing with injury issues and won't play Monday night.

Without Bosh in the lineup, the Heat offense has relied on the heroics of either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade -- and little else, honestly. Both players are excellent at what they do, but our friends over at SB Nation's CelticsBlog believe that plays right into Boston's ideal scenario.

One of my main reasons for optimism is this: The Celtics are experts at taking away what another team does best. The Heat are very one dimensional - they rely on their two stars to get them points. They are going to get points, no doubt about it, but the Celtics are going to (as a team) make that harder on them than other teams might.

The Indiana Pacers will be the first to tell Boston that limiting Wade and James is easier said than done, considering that the two have done an excellent job of picking up the other's slack thus far in the NBA Playoffs. If Boston is able to pull it off, though? Bravo!

For more on the Celtics, check out SB Nation Boston and CelticsBlog. For more on the Heat, head over the SBN Tampa Bay and Peninsula Is Mightier.

The San Antonio Spurs were lauded as being a rather boring team for the majority of their dynasty seasons, but that isn't the case anymore. The team is aging, certainly, but they're also getting more exciting.

The "no longer boring" label doesn't only apply to the innovative offense and on-court product, however -- even the team's off-court incidents have become more entertaining. The latest example came Sunday night, via Stephen Jackson, following the now-famous "nasty" speech from head coach Gregg Popovich.

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The Miami Heat were able to get by the Indiana Pacers without the services of Chris Bosh, but they didn't exactly make it easy. It's likely that the Boston Celtics are going to exploit his absence a bit more in the Eastern Conference Finals, though, making the latest injury update an interesting one for Miami.

Bosh seems to be recuperating from the abdominal strain that's caused him to miss the last two weeks, but it doesn't sound as though the recovery is going quickly enough for him to be ready to play in Game 1 on Monday night. Bosh was able to go through a workout on Sunday afternoon, according to ESPN's Michael Wallace, but it doesn't sound as though that changed anything for the immediate future.

Bosh was not present on the practice court at the arena when the Heat wrapped up a workout earlier Sunday afternoon in preparation for Game 1. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after practice that there was no change in Bosh's status, and that he was preparing to be without the perennial All-Star forward going into the series opener.

"I'm not even preparing for that right now," Spoelstra said earlier Sunday when asked about Bosh's status for the series. "I'm preparing for who we have in the gym. So our focus is (Monday). And that's all I can concentrate on. We have enough to win (Monday). That's all that any of our guys should be focused on."

Bosh's presence on the floor opens quite a few things up for the Heat, but if he's unable to go, the Heat's "small" ball lineup could also give the Celtics fits as they attempt to matchup on the defensive end.

For more on the Celtics, check out SB Nation Boston and CelticsBlog. For more on the Heat, head over the SBN Tampa Bay and Peninsula Is Mightier.

The Oklahoma City Thunder looked like they might be on their way to stealing homecourt advantage with a Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night before starting to struggle on the defensive end down the stretch. There were quite a few opinions for why this happened, but it seemed one of the main concerns from the coaches on their couches was the Thunder's lack of Serge Ibaka in the fourth quarter.

Ibaka has established himself as one of the NBA's top shot blockers, but ended up playing less than 22 minutes on Sunday night. It was an interesting move from Thunder coach Scott Brooks considering Ibaka started the game, and unlike most games, he was able to stay out of foul trouble while he was on the court.

Considering the Thunder seemed to be better with Ibaka on the court, it's tough to say why he spent the majority of the game on the bench. The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry stood up for Brooks' decision in his column Monday morning, though, noting that Ibaka on the bench came out of necessity.

Everybody seems to be up in arms about Serge Ibaka not playing in the fourth quarter. Can't say I had a big problem with it. The writing was on the wall. You knew going into this series that the Thunder would play a good amount of small ball with Kevin Durant at the 4. That meant one of the bigs, Ibaka, Collison or Kendrick Perkins, would have to sit. It's been that way all season, and for the most part all season Thunder coach Scott Brooks has relied more on Collison or Perk in those situations. Brooks went with his gut and it didn't work. But by no means can you say pin this loss on that one decision.

Mayberry is right that Ibaka's presence likely would not have changed the outcome on Sunday night, but he later pointed out that it definitely would have made sense to have him in the game.

Having said that, Ibaka's presence as a shot-blocker certainly would have helped. Once Manu Ginobili got rolling, Ibaka could have protected the paint better, for sure. But here's the problem with thinking the adjustment was that simple. Had Brooks stuck Ibaka in there, he would have had to defend Duncan first and foremost. That could have led to the future Hall of Famer taking the torch from Ginobili and taking his turn lightening up the Thunder. Secondly, the Spurs, and Ginobili in particular, is savvy enough to read and react to Ibaka at the rim. Had Ibaka been there for weak side help, Ginobili easily could have dumped it off to Duncan or kicked it out to shooters once he broke down the defense. All what ifs, sure. But highly plausible ones. So, again, plugging in Ibaka wouldn't have necessarily won this game.

Considering Manu Ginobili was absolutely brilliant on Sunday night, it probably would have made sense to insert Ibaka just to see if he could have altered the course of the game when the Spurs started rolling late. As Mayberry notes, however, that likely would have just led to someone else -- likely Tim Duncan -- picking up the slack as Ibaka tried to help contain the world's greatest left-handed Argentinian.

Either way, it'll be interesting to see what Brooks does with Ibaka for the remainder of the series.

For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding The Rock. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.

The sixth man battle was certainly expected to be one of the keys in the Western Conference Finals considering Manu Ginobili and James Harden are two of the best players off the bench in the NBA. The battle didn't disappoint in Game 1 on Sunday night, as Ginobili turned back the clock to take over the game and lead San Antonio to victory.

Ginobili played 34 minutes for the Spurs, scoring a team-high 26 points on 14 attempts from the field as the catalyst for the San Antonio offense. It was one of his best games of the season, and, as Matthew Tynan pointed out over at SB Nation's Pounding the Rock, it came at exactly the right time.

Each facet of his game was on display in Game 1, but it was the scoring that turned out to be the most crucial element. Ginobili has made a career out of timely plays. Without them there would most likely be fewer banners hanging in the AT&T Center rafters. But here he was again as we'll always picture him, twisting and turning his way to the hoop, lining up and uncoiling on that funky-looking jump shot. The word ‘competitor' is most likely overused at times, but Manu defines the term.

Down 71-62 heading into the fourth quarter, Ginobili took the game over at a time when his team desperately needed him to do so. His 11 points in the final frame helped pull the Spurs out of a cold spell the No. 1 seed just couldn't seem to shake. San Antonio shot less than 39 percent from the floor through the first three quarters, but when the home team finally broke loose there was little Oklahoma City could do to stop it.

It was vintage Ginobili. Although the Thunder will likely try to limit his scoring output for the remainder of the series, he's shown Harden that he's not quite ready to pass the torch as the NBA's best sixth man. Whether Ginobili is putting up a plethora of points or driving and dishing, it's clear that he'll be an immensely important piece of the Spurs' offense this series.

For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding The Rock. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.

The Oklahoma City Thunder looked like they were on their way to stealing Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. Apparently it just wasn't meant to be, however, as the Spurs ended up coming back late and defending the homecourt advantage they earned during the regular season.

Considering nearly anything can happen in the NBA Playoffs, it's tough to tell exactly where things went wrong for the Thunder. It could have been the speech Gregg Popovich gave the Spurs about getting nasty, but more likely, it was due to the reasons our friends over at Welcome To Loud City pointed out in their reaction.

Things were looking so bright heading into the fourth quarter. The Thunder stayed in the game in the first half by dominating the paint, trapping perfectly in the back court and open court, and getting out in transition. The shooting was horrible, but they found a way through it. In the third, the Thunder opened up a huge lead by playing fantastic perimeter defense. But they weren't getting out in transition as much as they used to, and were resorting to shooting some difficult jump shots.

It worked for a while, but when things came down to it in the fourth, the Thunder couldn't hit and they responded by mindlessly driving into the lane. The offense collapsed, and the Spurs started hitting threes. But the Thunder's fate was sealed when the Spurs decided to go small, and the Thunder couldn't defend the paint worth a darn.

The good thing about this is that the Thunder should be able to learn from Sunday night's loss and change things around. The bad thing is that the Spurs have so many different options that it's difficult to gameplan against them when they could go a different route entirely in Game 2.

It'll be a fun series to watch, regardless of the outcome, but the Thunder have to be kicking themselves after dropping the opening game of the series.

For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding The Rock. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.