Just a few short days ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder was written off, just an asterisk on the storied resume of the San Antonio Spurs, who were essentially being given a costless pass to the NBA Finals.
The Spurs’ offense was flowing, and their defense had the Thunder flummoxed and confused. NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant was scoring 10 points lower than his season average, and the rest of the Thunder was not picking up the slack. The “fork” was ready to be “stuck,” as they say, because Oklahoma City was done.
However, Serge Ibaka made his unlikely return from a calf injury for games three and four, both of which the Thunder won going away, and things suddenly began looking up in OKC.
Of course, the Thunder boasts league MVP Durant and fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook, two of the best offensive powers the NBA has to offer. But having Ibaka back patrolling the paint has been the difference maker. In the words of a popular soft drink additive, "It changes everything."
The tentative play is gone. The "will I or won't I?" defensive attitude has all but disappeared. OKC players are once again taking the fight to the Spurs, as evidenced by the Thunder's 20-6 advantage in combined steals and blocks over games three and four. And the overall results have been more what the Thunder expects.
"We just play well with Serge," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of his top interior defender. "We can do things with Serge in the lineup that we can't do with other guys."
Indeed, Ibaka has helped the Thunder put the defensive clamps on what was an unstoppable Spurs offense in games one and two. The presence of the shot-blocking Ibaka (I-block-a?) has allowed the rest of the Thunder defenders to ball hawk on the perimeter. Westbrook has especially benefitted from his front line helper. On Tuesday, he harassed the Spurs guards with relentless pressure resulting in five steals and a few easy buckets. As a team, the Spurs were forced into 13 turnovers, 39% shooting, and zero fast break points in game four.
The situation became so dire in the second half on Tuesday that San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich chose to sit his starters, including sixth man Manu Ginobili, while the Thunder raced to victory. That decision may indeed prove to work in the favor of the Spurs, as the regulars were left to seethe over their poor performance.
"We were just not focused coming out," Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard said in assessment of their lackluster performance. "We're not playing consistently throughout the whole game. We're playing in spurts or increments. We've just got to play the whole game."
In the collective thoughts of the Spurs must exist memories of 2012, when OKC erased an 0-2 deficit against them to win the series 4-2. Whether those thoughts play out in the back or the front of their minds, they have to weigh heavily on San Antonio's psyche.
“I’m anxious to see what our approach is mentally,” Popovich said of his team's psychological status approaching game five.
Despite all the Spurs have been through in their dynamic postseason history, losing this series to Oklahoma City would add a considerable blemish to their otherwise impeccable tapestry. Certainly, while no one in San Antonio is ready to throw in the towel, the mettle of the veterans will be tested in game five tonight.
Tony Parker, who has had two straight subpar games for the Spurs, is doing his best to be a veteran leader. When asked about the strain of blowing another series lead, he responded, "I think we shouldn't think like that. Each game is different. Each series. Each year. We worked hard all year to have home-court advantage, and now, it's our job to protect home court."
To be sure, each spring, it seems, NBA experts and fans sentence the Spurs to the proverbial pasture saying they are on their last ride. Yet they keep hanging around. Tonight's game five is crucial to maintaining their legacy.
On that same note, the Thunder is attempting to build its own legacy, and another trip to the Finals would help speed up the process. On the other hand, a series loss would likely mean the end of the road for Brooks, and there would undoubtedly be player movement. With so much being said about Durant’s desire to win a championship, he will not stand for coming so close and being shown the exit door yet again.
The stakes are high for game five, both in the immediate future and in the long run for each team. While so much is uncertain headed into the Alamo City tonight, NBA fans can expect a whale of a game.