Spurs Thump Thunder

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals

by Jeff Jones

“I want some nasty!” 

By now all those seriously following the NBA playoffs have heard this quote SEVERAL times over – many to the point of annoyance.  Unfortunately for those already annoyed, just because the quote has been over-hyped doesn’t make it any less true or less impactful to the series.  Spurs head coach Greg Popovich asked his players to deliver some “nasty” during the second half of game one and in the five quarters since then, “nasty” is what the Spurs have provided!

Last night, in game two of this series, the Spurs attacked the court with the kind of tenacity and technical soundness those in my generation haven’t seen since Kobe, Shaq, and Phil Jackson put on a clinic against all opponents in the 2000-2001 playoffs.  Through the first two rounds, the Spurs (similarly to the 00-01 Lakers) have looked unbeatable – a trend that has continued even against the “formidable” Oklahoma City Thunder.

For those unable to see the basketball clinic the Spurs put on, San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in three ways: 1.) being good at what they do; 2.) Weathering a familiar storm; and 3.) Playing younger.

Two things should come to mind when one thinks of Greg Popovich, one being his unfortunate beard stage, and two being his relentless desire to stress basketball fundamentals.  Though his beard has yet to make an appearance in this series, those basketball fundamentals have been VERY present.  San Antonio’s pick-and-roll offense paired with its stifling defense (lead by the number two all-time playoff shot blocker Tim Duncan) proved to be a fundamentally sound mixture that was too much for the Thunder to handle.

Being ill-equip to handle this barrage of fundamentals, Oklahoma City chose to switch things up midway through the third quarter and employ a strategy very familiar to basketball fans – the "hack-a-whoever" game-plan.  This time 'whoever' was backup big-man Tiago Splitter.  When looking at Splitter’s free-throw percentage from game two (50%), it appears as though this strategy would make the game competitive once again.  Instead, this altered game-plan stayed in place for about seven minutes and only helped OKC diminish San Antonio’s lead by a single point.

Lastly, an aging Spurs team found a way to close the game out by playing younger and faster than the young Thunder team.  This could be seen in 36 year old Tim Duncan’s ability to block shots, display a nasty dunkface, and sprint after loose balls more often than any member of the opposing squad.

Admittedly, this series is far from over – and I very much expect OKC to steal a game or two – but at this point, all indicators point to this being Greg Popovich and those nasty San Antonio Spurs’ series to lose.