Four Behind
2016 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 6
Take the Power Back - I'd never spent that much time thinking about it. I never really needed to. His performance was too consistent, his presence too permanent. Few things in life were as reliable. Tim Duncan was the San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio Spurs were Tim Duncan. It sounds so simple yet it's the simplest things that are the easiest to take for granted. Sure, the unthinkable briefly crossed my mind every now and again. An occasional wandering of thoughts is unavoidable. But those thoughts were always accompanied by distance. The type of distance that evokes flying cars or life on Mars. On the rarest of rare occasion that I pondered the end of Tim Duncan's career, it always felt sequestered. In fact, even after the flood of emotions that I experienced watching Timmy put one finger in the air as he left the court in Oklahoma City on May 12th, 2016, up until the morning of July 11th (the last hours of his status as an active NBA player) a part of me remained steadfast that his status would never change. Heading into the summer after dealing with the pain of our shocking second round playoff exit, I certainly expected Tim to return for a 20th season and at least one more run at a Jordan-tying sixth NBA championship. Perhaps for those couple of months that followed the 2015-16 season but preceded Timmy's announcement I resorted to denial as a tactic for ignoring the writing on the wall. here's no question that I had already spent years ignoring the inevitably of a pesky little truth called biological certainty. But given Duncan's stature in San Antonio and consistency on the court, what else was I supposed to do? I had nothing else to draw upon for the entirety of my adult life. Ever since the first moment I left my parent's home as a snot-nosed 18 year old college freshman, Tim Duncan has been a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, Timmy and I both moved to San Antonio in the summer of 1997 (him to start his rookie season with the Spurs, me to attend Trinity University). In the 19 years that have come and gone since, I've moved away from San Antonio on three separate occasions (returning to live there again after the first two times I moved away). In 2004, I moved from San Antonio to Detroit. In 2006, I moved from San Antonio to Dallas. In 2014, I moved from San Antonio to Denver (Yes, I know I have a proclivity for moving from San Antonio to cities that start with the letter D). Timmy, on the other hand, has been in the Alamo City the entire time. Winning basketball games.
So yes, I'll admit it. I had not spent an adequate amount of time thinking about the end of Tim Duncan's basketball career to be prepared for his July announcement. I hadn't spent an adequate amount of time wondering what it would be like to watch his final game. Or where I would be when I watched it. Or how I would feel. I guess, given Timmy's personality and tendency to avoid the limelight, I assumed the possibility that I wouldn't even know for sure that I was watching his final game until after the fact. Like during Game 5 of the 2014 Finals, for example. The thought briefly crossed my mind that I could be watching Timmy's last game should he decide to follow in the footsteps of David Robinson by choosing to go out on top. Yet, even though the possibility crossed my mind, somehow I knew that the 2014 title wasn't the end. How could something so permanent as Tim Duncan's consistent greatness end? How could such overwhelming feelings of accomplishment and joy that accompanied Duncan raising a fifth NBA Championship Trophy be suddenly swapped out by the overwhelming feelings of loss and grief of a retirement announcement? In contrast, we knew prior to the 2002-03 season that it was going to be David Robinson's last year. So, having dealt with that reality in advance, the Spurs winning the title in his last game of his last year added to the sense of joy and accomplishment. Since it had been long assumed that Tim Duncan would not make any such announcement in advance of his retirement, it just seemed cruel to think that the devastating news of his retirement might come immediately on the heels of the joy of winning a title. That just wouldn't have fit his personality. Therefore, knowing that there would never be any advanced warning of Timmy's retirement, I was content to put the inevitable out of mind and blindly sip from the sweet nectar of eternal basketball life, year after year after year. In retrospect, perhaps I should have been thinking much more seriously about life after Tim Duncan. Perhaps I should have been preparing. Had I had the wisdom to not allow myself to be seduced by the mirage of permanency emanating off the horizon as I cheerfully trotted along my 19 year long Tim Duncan basketball journey, perhaps I would have been prepared for the violent swiftness with which such a journey ends and the next phase of life begins. One thing is for certain. I could have never imagined (during those wonderful years that I spent blissfully ignorant to the concept that the career of the greatest San Antonio Spurs player of all-time would eventually come to an end) where I would be on the day Timmy played his last game. I could have never imagined where the journey would end. I could have never imagined that as Tim Duncan's basketball career came to an abrupt end in early May on a Thursday night in Oklahoma City, I would be holed up watching him leave the court on a tiny television in a dreary hotel room in Boise, Idaho.
* * *
It's rough to lose any playoff series. Losing a playoff series where two of the games were decided by questionable refereeing that benefited your opponent? That is particularly rough. Give them credit, though. Oklahoma City played well enough to win the series. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were phenomenal. But the #BlackAndSilver played well enough to win the series, as well. When two teams are that evenly matched, it is extremely disappointing to have officiating mistakes be the difference maker in who advances and who goes home. We should look very seriously at putting in place more safeguards to prevent official error from deciding NBA playoff games because mistakes of that magnitude not only affect the outcome of one game or series, they can potentially create a ripple effect that shifts the course of future NBA events for years to come. Had the two games where refereeing played a factor in the outcome broke our way instead, San Antonio probably wins the series 4-1 in five games and the landscape-altering NBA off-season that followed the 2016 NBA Playoffs may have played out quite differently. Maybe Kevin Durant makes a different free agency decision if his Thunder had lost in the Western Semis instead of blowing a 3-1 lead against the defending champs in the Conference Finals? Maybe the James-Irving-Love Cavaliers get broken up if they don't have an end to their season that is so storybook...you'd be hard-pressed to find a fiction writer who could have done a better job writing it? Maybe Timmy makes a different decision on his retirement if he had gotten closer to tasting or had even tasted his sixth NBA championship? Maybe he doesn't lift that one finger in the air while walking off the court at the Chesapeake Energy arena after Game 6?
Unfortunately, what ifs are what ifs for a reason. In this case, the reason is that no amount of protesting the karmic injustice can change the fact that official error did indeed rear its ugly head and factored massively into deciding Tim Duncan's final playoff series. There is no redemption to be had so what we are left with is the now iconic image of Timmy lifting that one finger in the air while walking off the court after Game 6. It's only fitting that Tim Duncan is the player of the game for his final game. This is not just a ceremonial selection. TD was legitimately the best Spur on the court, logging 19 points (7-14 from the field, 5-6 from the line) and 5 rebounds in his final 34 minute NBA run. Accompanying him during many of his most effective minutes of the game was fellow 40 year old, Andre Miller. Miller only played 9 minutes, but he played those 9 minutes with Timmy and dulled out 4 assists. The pair were so in sync during a brief stretch in the fourth quarter, they sparked a Spurs run that culminated in a Danny Green free throw that cut the Thunder lead to 11 with 3:45 left in the game. Given that we were blown out of the water in the second quarter and faced a deficit as large as 27 points midway through the third, obviously the overwhelming statistical probability suggested that it was too little, too late. Still, it was nice to watch the old guys lead a comeback that was meaningful and for a brief second even made me believe. That glimmer of hope was short lived, however, because after Russel Westbrook drained a three pointer with 2:25 left in the game to extend the lead back up to 14 at 104-90, it became brutally apparent that the Tim Duncan - Andre Miller led comeback was going to come up short. Nevertheless, classy as ever, Coach Pop (perhaps knowing something we didn't, perhaps just sensing the possibility of the moment) kept Tim Duncan in the game until the bitter end, playing him every second of the fourth quarter.
It's funny how, like a chameleon, a moment can be colored differently depending on the context in which it is viewed. On Thursday, May 12, 2016, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 113-99 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals to win the series 4-2. While this series will be remembered as the last playoff series that the greatest Spurs player of all-time lost in his career, it should also be remembered as the last playoff series that Kevin Durant won for Oklahoma City before abdicating his opportunity to become the greatest Supersonic/Thunder player of all time. Sure, Kevin Durant decision to join the Golden State Warriors on Independence Day was his alone to make and I'm happy for him and his family if the decision yields fulfillment in his personal life. But coming from the perspective of a basketball historian, in my opinion, Kevin Durant's decision was the equivalent of strapping a suicide bomb to his legacy as a basketball player and pressing the trigger button. Sure, great players have switched teams in free agency before but joining a team that won an NBA record 73 games in the previous regular season and then went on to defeat the only team you have ever played for in the Western Conference Finals in a series that your team was up 3-1 and should have closed out? Unprecedented. With this decision, Kevin Durant gave away his opportunity to reach the level of greatness that could have one day put him in the conversation with the likes of a Tim Duncan. There is no shortcut for leading the NBA team that drafted you to the NBA mountaintop. It bestows upon a player a level of greatness that cannot be obtained by a player who wins a title after joining a ready-made NBA championship quality team in free agency. If Durant leads the Warriors to an NBA title or two, so what? They were already capable of winning NBA titles without him. Similarly, the Golden State Warriors (as a franchise) have relinquished their opportunity to enjoy the fruits of building a dynastic program from the ground up like Tim Duncan's Spurs before them. Any more titles that the Warriors can add to the one they've already won won't get to go in the same category. The first one was the work of a homegrown champion but, by adding Kevin Durant, there can now never be a homegrown dynasty. Any more championships they earn will be accumulated in the category of work done by a super team. In my opinion, any future Kevin Durant era Warriors titles will never carry with them the same authenticity of the first pre-Durant Warriors title.
Back to Durant's legacy as an individual player, the bottom line is that delivering one championship trophy to the Oklahoma City Thunder would have been more valuable than whatever number he ends up winning in Golden State. I mention all of this not to turn my Tim Duncan retirement piece into an anti-Kevin du-RANT (get it?). Rather, I mention Duran't decision as a point of comparison to underscore the scarcity of greatness on the magnitude of what Tim Duncan has been able to accomplish. Case in point, LeBron James. We just finished watching The King complete a challenge that (after taking a similar path of less resistance as Durant by choosing to chase championships in Miami for four years) was his only pathway back into the conversation of greatness on the level of a Tim Duncan. James' deliverance of a championship to the franchise, the hometown, the state he had abandoned five years earlier was a legacy-changing accomplishment. It was an unorthodox path, but he eventually delivered for the franchise that drafted him. Who knows, perhaps Kevin Durant will one day return to the Oklahoma City Thunder and follow in LeBron's footsteps to find a path back to true greatness but that seems very unlikely, at this point. While LeBron's latest heroics, indeed, elevated him back into the conversation of true greatness, it must also be mentioned that it took Cleveland landing three number one overall draft picks during his four year abandonment to give the team enough assets for LeBron to have the talent around him to deliver on that opportunity for greatness. Tim Duncan, in comparison, just kept grinding and pounding and building and winning for his program for nineteen years straight. Unlike KD, LeBron is still in the hunt but Tim Duncan's legacy is still significantly ahead.
* * *
It was the 2003 NBA Playoffs. 98.5 The Beat held a promotion that year during San Antonio's postseason run soliciting Spurs themed songs from local artists to play on air. As huge Spurs fans, who happened to also be dope emcees, we thought that a submission could be a good opportunity to get some name recognition for our band in advance of the 2004 release of our debut studio album. After the Spurs eliminated the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, the entire city was lit. If you weren't there to experience it, you can probably imagine the swagger emanating out of little ole San Antone when we were the city who ended Hollywood's Shaq-Kobe dynasty. It was infectious, one of the best energies the city's ever produced. So, like any respectable artists would, we harnessed our share of it by getting in the lab.We recorded Hate Us Now [Spurs Remix] on a Saturday afternoon in late May. The following Monday, we dropped off a CD copy of the track at the radio station and promptly returned to going about our business. A couple of days later, it happened. I was flipping through the radio dial when I realized that 98.5 The Beat was playing our song. I called up Brian to let him know, he turned it on as well and we both proceeded to freak out with excitement. There's a brilliant scene in the movie That Thing You Do which magnificently captures the unadulterated joy an artist feels in the moment she/he first discovers that her/his music is playing on the radio. In the scene, the bandmates jump for joy in the appliance store owned by the drummer's family as their song first plays. This scene perfectly captures our experience. I suspect it perfectly captures the experience of many artists.As you can probably guess, after first hearing our Spurs cut on the radio, we kept our ears glued to the station. A couple of hours later, they played it again. This continued for a couple of weeks. We were ecstatic. It was the first time a Rhime Divine track had ever received what we considered real radio play. Sure, we had gotten some stuff on air a few times before on college radio. But this was The Beat. You see, in little ole San Antone, 98.5 was the big league for local hip hop artists. Being on their airwaves was validating. It proved to be an important stepping stone in our development as artists. By the time that summer was in full swing, with a song in rotation on local radio and our beloved Spurs marching towards the NBA Finals, Brian and I were on Cloud Nine. On June 4, we attended Game One of the 2003 NBA Finals at the SBC Center in San Antonio. We were in the building to witness Tim Duncan's first act in one of the most dominant individual performances in NBA Finals history. TD's performance was so dominant in that series, he would go on to cap it off with a damn near quadruple-double (21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks) in Game 6 to close out the New Jersey Nets. Duncan, coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, delivered San Antonio our second championship that June. With Tim Duncan dominating the NBA and with a Rhime Divine track on the airwaves contributing to the soundtrack for a city, man...that was a good summer.
At a short press conference held at the Spurs practice facility to honor Tim Duncan on Tuesday, July 12th (the day after Timmy's retirement announcement), Gregg Popovich spoke about all of the people who had opportunity created for them because of the greatness of Tim Duncan. Coach Pop talked about all of the players, coaches, front office staffers, journalists, and so on who owe much of the opportunity they found for themselves in little ole San Antone to the greatness of TD. I'm not sure if he's aware of it, but Coach Pop can add a generation of local San Antonio hip hop artists to the list of people who had opportunity created for them because of Tim Duncan's greatness. After the 2003 Spurs song submission campaign was so successful, 98.5 The Beat decided to make it an annual tradition and kept it going for many years after. Because of Tim Duncan's greatness, the San Antonio Spurs were perennial title contenders for 19 years straight. The Beat's Spurs song submission campaign would not have been sustainable, year after year, if the Spurs weren't always in the playoffs making noise and in the hunt for championships. Because of Tim Duncan's greatness, a generation of San Antonio's local hip hop artists got to experience what it feels like to have a song get that coveted real radio play. Dozens of artists over the years felt the euphoria of landing the radio dial on their own song for the first time because of Tim Duncan. Those opportunities only came about because of his greatness.
Tim Duncan is my favorite athlete of all-time and that will never change. Brian was always a Manu Ginobili guy but (as a Spurs fan) he obviously also loved Tim Duncan. Had he still been with us, I suspect Brian would have gotten as much enjoyment out of watching the end of TD's career as I have. Perhaps he did from a different vantage point. Duncan's announcement this past July was rough. It's been really hard to say goodbye. Timmy, from one artist to another, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for the countless memories. Thank you for the championships. And thank you for giving Rhime Divine our first radio play and our That Thing You Do moment.
* * *
I didn't get to see the first half of Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. I was obligated to settle for streaming the audio through NBA League Pass as I drove around Boise, Idaho conducting home visits as part of the union campaign I was in town to work on. Now having obtained the convenience of hindsight, I could have never imagined that instead of watching Tim Duncan's final game in undistracted solitude, I would find myself at the mercy of a situation where it was necessary for the viewing of my beloved Spurs in a playoff game to take a back seat to my obligations in the real world. As referenced earlier, I also could have never imagined that I would be in Boise, Idaho (of all places) while Timmy played his final game in the NBA. Even though I didn't know at the time that this would end up being his final game, the entire episode of being in Boise working rather than at home watching the game just felt weird and wrong. Perhaps it was my subconscious sensing trouble on the horizon but something just felt off about the game and the environment I was experiencing it in almost immediately following hearing the opening tip on the radio. As Oklahoma City exploded to a 24 point lead by halftime, I felt completely vulnerable listening along while I drove from house to house conducting my home visits. There is an extra level of helplessness I always feel when listening to the Spurs on the radio instead of watching the game on television. But in a game of the magnitude of an elimination playoff game? That feeling of helplessness was excruciating. By the time that I completed my work and was able to rush back to my hotel room, the third quarter was already underway and (one valiant Spurs comeback attempt not withstanding) the writing was already on the wall.
As the final buzzer sounded in OKC's victory eliminating the Spurs, just like Coach Pop, ESPN (who was broadcasting the game) must have sensed the possibility of the moment. The network brilliantly kept their cameras locked on Tim Duncan from the second that the clock turned to zeroes until the second that Timmy finally receded into the tunnel and out of sight of the cameras. Considering that Tim Duncan had given no indication prior to the game (one way or the other) regarding his possible retirement, the fact that Coach Pop felt compelled to play him the entire fourth quarter and that ESPN felt compelled to leave their cameras transfixed on him just in case it was his last game during a moment also significant for the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise, is a testament to Tim Duncan's enormous stature in the game of basketball. As I watched the end of the game on that tiny television in my hotel room in Boise, Idaho, it dawned on me that this moment felt different than all of the end of season moments that had come before. ESPN's cameras stayed locked on Timmy just in case it was the last time one of the greatest basketball players of all-time walked off of an NBA court. Inexplicably, tears started welling up in my eyes as transfixed, I watched my favorite player of all time dutifully congratulate his opponents and then walk stoically towards the tunnel. Of course, I still didn't know it at the time but that tunnel may as well have been the history books. When Timmy somberly lifted the single finger in the air as he approached the tunnel to acknowledge the classy OKC fans who were paying tribute to him, I must concede that in the moment, the gesture had a haunting sense of finality to it. I was so overcome with emotion as, for the first time, I truly felt the weight of the certainty that Tim Duncan's career, like all the careers of great players before his, would eventually end and may in fact have already ended. As I sat helplessly staring at the tiny television in my Boise hotel room, I knew that there was nothing to do but wait for several weeks to find out if this visceral outpouring of emotion that was washing over me was going to be validated by a retirement announcement. As the broadcast came to its conclusion, with Tim Duncan tucked away in the recesses of a Chesapeake Energy Arena locker room, not knowing what else to do, I turned off the faucet of emotions, buried my head back in the sand of believing that Tim Duncan's career would never come to an end, and got in my car and drove to the union office to get back to work.
* * *
This Black & Silver blog series began back in 2011 with a post making the argument that Tim Duncan is the greatest player in the post-Jordan era. This summer upon announcing his retirement, Timmy left the game of basketball with that legacy in tact. With five NBA titles to Shaquille O'Neal's four, Duncan has the upper hand in that head to head. While tied with Kobe Bryant at five rings a piece, Timmy still edges out Kobe with three Finals MVPs to Kobe's two and two League MVPs to Kobe's one. After delivering a title to his native state of Ohio and the Cleveland Cavaliers (his third overall), LeBron James is certainly nipping at Tim's heels. Given LeBron's four League MVPs and astonishing seven trips to the NBA Finals (including six straight), an argument could be made to rank James ahead of Duncan should he ever secure a Duncan-tying fifth NBA Championship. While he already has three titles under his belt, LeBron still has a lot work to do to win two more. But if LeBron should eventually pass by Duncan, then Timmy will have to settle for being the greatest player of a generation. And in the annals of NBA history, that is not a shabby place to wind up.
As disappointing as the news was that Tim won't be joining his comrades in battle for a twentieth NBA campaign, his retirement does usher in an exciting new chapter of Spurs basketball. Should we be able to secure a sixth NBA championship trophy down in Titletown, TX, we would seize with it our opportunity to surpass the Chicago Bulls as the third most decorated franchise in NBA history. While the two franchises would be tied at sixth titles a piece, the difference that would give the Spurs the edge over Chicago is that we would have been able to win a title beyond the era of one transformational player. Having Michael Jordan involved in all six Chicago titles, the Bulls haven't been able to do that. Only the Celtics and Lakers have had multiple dynastic eras. This is the challenge ahead of Kawhi Leonard and company. Kawhi now has the opportunity to lead his team to a championship as the Spurs' post-Duncan era franchise player. Should he be able to accomplish this feat, Kawhi will start the long journey of building a legacy for himself that will never surpass but could ultimately rival the incredible legacy of the franchise player that came before him. I think Kawhi Leonard is driven to accept this challenge and to persevere. Only time will tell but one thing is for certain. Tim Duncan will be behind the scenes supporting him and cheering him on during every step of the journey.In the end, July 11th, 2016 was certainly a rough day. Once the news started hitting social media, I remember just sitting at my computer in a fog for the better part of an hour trying to wrap my head around the idea that an era of my life had just come to an end. Tim Duncan's retirement was a tough thing for me to wrap my head around. It felt horrible to know that the most consistent part of my adult life, having my favorite basketball player suiting up for my favorite basketball team was suddenly over. The overwhelming shower of emotions that I had briefly experienced as Tim Duncan put that finger in the air while leaving the court after Game 6 violently returned and this time, something as simple as returning back to work was not going to allow me to shake them. In the weeks that have followed the announcement, I've tried to focus on the positive memories from Timmy's career but I can't help it, I'd be lying if I tried to tell you that I haven't been in a funk all summer. Those emotions are still there and they are still raw. I really, really wanted one more year to say goodbye. I really, really wanted Tim Duncan to find a way to win that mystical Jordan-tying sixth championship. And even though I know that it isn't his style, I really, really wanted Tim Duncan to have the proverbial NBA legend's farewell tour. This sucks. Tim Duncan will always be my favorite athlete of all time. He was the best.
* * *
I had a dream the other night. It was a great dream. It was the first game of the 2016-17 San Antonio Spurs season. I was staying late at work phone banking union households for the election, which prevented me from being home in my favorite spot on the couch ready to go at tip-off of Spurs vs. Warriors. When I eventually arrived home and turned on the game, it was about three minutes into the first quarter. Almost immediately after turning on the game, I noticed something that at first seemed mundane but quickly became astonishing. Right when I turned on the game, I saw Tim Duncan was dropping back to defend Steph Curry as the reigning MVP dove toward the rim coming off a pick set by Draymond Green. Timmy extended his arms (without jumping) and blocked Curry's layup attempt almost as soon as he started raising into the shot. After blocking the shot, Duncan grabbed the ball and fired it over to Tony Parker before embarking on a mad dash down the court. As the teams exchanged ends, Tony flipped the ball over to Kawhi Leonard on the wing as Timmy sealed Draymond behind him down in the low block. Timmy then proceeded to signal for the ball, catch the post entry from Kawhi Leonard, rise up into Green's outstretched arms, absorb the contact, finish off of the backboard as the whistle blew to indicate a foul, and then stoically walked to the foul line to shoot a free throw. After witnessing this quintessential Tim Duncan moment, I grabbed my phone frantically and went to the ESPN.com homepage to, sure enough, find the headline article stating, "At the last minute, San Antonio Spurs Future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan decides to un-retire." I was overcome with joy for a moment until I was suddenly jarred from my sleep. When I realized that I had been sleeping, it was one of those "damn, it was only a dream" moments. Those moment are the worst. After realizing that it was a dream, I tried to fall right back to sleep in the hopes that I could re-enter my dream. It was so sweet I just didn't want it to be over. It was of no use as the dream had vanished and the reality of Timmy's retirement sunk back in. I have a sneaking suspicion that my dream was not a premonition soon to come to fruition this coming Tuesday evening. I have a sneaking suspicion that from now on, San Antonio will never ever see a four behind the screen and roll protecting the paint with a flat-footed block and then running the court in order to get in the proper position to devastate an opponent in the post the way that Tim Duncan did for 19 extraordinary seasons. It seems that seeing Tim Duncan play another basketball game in the NBA will now and forever happen only in dreams. But for the rest of the time that I'm awake, I know that I am blessed to have enough memories to last a lifetime. Thank you, Tim Duncan.
Featured Image Source: San Antonio Express-News
Three Behind
2016 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 5
Us and Them - I didn't get to see it. I listened to it on the radio on my way to the airport. So, no, I didn't see it, but I heard Bill Schoening tell me how player of the game Danny Green was tripped by Steven Adams into Kevin Durant with 54 seconds left in a ball game that was tied at 90 a piece. Yep, I heard all about how the officials missed the trip and instead awarded Durant two undeserved free throws by calling a foul on Danny. The irony. I was driving to the airport for a business trip while Danny was tripping towards Kevin Durant (a driver of NBA business). So, nope...I didn't get to see it, but I was listening as Durant proceeded to put his Oklahoma City Thunder up two points. Can you believe it? I was freaking driving the the god forsaken airport during this massive Spurs playoff game. So when Kawhi Leonard attempted to foul Russel Westbrook in the corner almost immediately after the ball was inbounded with nine seconds left and the Thunder nursing a one point lead, I didn't see it. But I heard Bill Schoening tell me all about how instead of calling that foul (which would have put Russel Westbrook at the free throw line with the opportunity to extend the lead to three at best and thus keeping it a one possession ball game), the officials swallowed the whistle then and instead called a foul on LaMarcus Aldridge three seconds later as Westbrook completed an And One opportunity. Yep, I heard all about how the catastrophic officiating blunder gave Oklahoma City an insurmountable four point lead with six seconds left. I didn't see it, but I heard all about how the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. No, I didn't see it. And I don't care. I've seen and heard enough in my 30 years as a Spurs fan to know that the officiating wasn't the reason we lost the game.
Today, for the second consecutive time after a game at the AT&T Center, the National Basketball Association released a Last Two Minute Report that admitted the Spurs were the victims of officiating errors that impacted the outcome of a home loss. I heard about the report but I didn't see it. I was too busy looking at a box score from Tuesday night's game where I found plenty to see. I saw that the Spurs shot 35-88 or 39.8 percent from the field in our own house. LaMarcus was 6-21, Tony was 4-12, Timmy was 1-6, Boris was 1-6. We lost by four points. I also saw that the Thunder out-rebounded the Spurs by 18 rebounds, 54-36, again...in our house. Eric Kanter had 13 rebounds. Steven Adams and Westbrook had 11 each and the Thunder as a team had 15 offensive rebounds. And again, we lost by four points. There you have it. I've seen all I need to see. All the calls in the world can't help a championship caliber team that is willing to settle for that type of pitiful effort against an opponent as dangerous as OKC. I mean, Russel Westbrook was dialed up to eleven all night long. He deserves credit. That dude wanted to win the game. He damn near went for a triple-double underneath our lights and our banners, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. But forget Russell and his running mate Kevin Durant. This isn't about them. This is about us. We are the better team in this series so for us to have that type of shooting performance and for us to give that type of rebounding effort at home is unacceptable. We did not deserve to win the game. Period. End of sentence. Forget the officiating. We need to play better. And we will play better. We have no choice. Our backs are against the wall now. In the past, when the Spurs have locked in with the determination to elevate our play to The Beautiful Game, we've become so dominant that it renders the officials irrelevant. As a matter of fact, it renders some of the greatest superstars on the planet irrelevant as well. The Beautiful Game. That is our unbreakable, unstoppable, unmatchable power. If we make getting back to it our focus, there is not a combination of referees and superstars that can stop us. To get past Durant and Westbrook, we need it. If we get passed them, guess what? The stars on the other side of the court only get brighter from there. We have the leadership to make it out on the other side of this rut we've been in for the last week and a half and start building the rhythm we need to remix that beloved ballad we call The Beautiful Game. Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili have seen it all and done it all. That is why we brought all four back. I have unwavering faith that tomorrow night our champions will find a path and lead us back home. The symphony isn't ending on a false note in Oklahoma City. We're just getting The Beautiful Game tuned up. Tomorrow night, we take the power back.
Featured Image Source: Basquet Plus
Headline Image Source: Hardwood Paroxysm
Two Behind
2016 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 4
Check the Rhime - Just before Thanksgiving last year, while back home visiting family and friends in Texas, I returned to the AT&T Center for the first time since the San Antonio Spurs fifth championship banner had been hung in the rafters. This was also my first time back in San Antonio since my wife and I moved to Denver, Colorado a few short weeks after our beloved Spurs had won the 2014 title. It was Monday, November 23rd, 2015 to be precise and the Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns 98-84 on that particular night. As it turns out, witnessing the five banners in person stood out to me more than anything that happened during the game (I can't even remember who was the high scorer for the Spurs that night). I do remember, however, that I was super excited to head over to the H-E-B Fan Zone and snap a great photo of the five banners to keep as a reminder of my first time seeing them in person. As a diehard Spurs fan, there aren't a ton of images that I can think of that bring me as much joy as this one does. This image makes me happy and this image makes me proud. It also serves as a reassurance. It is reassuring because this image that makes me so happy and so proud could not exist if I didn't happen to be a fan of team that has a pretty good track record when it comes to overcoming adversity.
Two nights ago, the San Antonio Spurs played a disciplined and determined basketball game for 46 minutes which gave us an opportunity to win a third consecutive road playoff game in Oklahoma City. Then, unfortunately, something happened that tends to happen from time to time: one of the greatest basketball players on the planet hit some incredible shots down the stretch to ice a National Basketball Association game. Kevin Durant led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 111-97 victory over San Antonio in Game 4 on Sunday night. Yep, unfortunately, the 2014 NBA MVP is impossible to guard when he's in the zone (see Rucker Park circa 2011). And this inconvenient fact was on full display the other night as he lit us up for eight points in final 2:26 (17 all together in the fourth quarter) of a close ball game to leave us in his dust. Game over. Series tied 2-2. When a player of Durant's caliber gets loose and starts making the types of shots he was making down the stretch, all you can do is tip your cap.
The player of the game was Boris Diaw. Bobo came up huge in Game 4 scoring 11 points on 5-8 shooting and grabbing three rebounds for good measure. Diaw's scoring came at crucial junctures in the game and his play was one of the biggest reasons why the Spurs were still within striking distance with two and half minutes left to play. A fantastic Game 4 contribution from Boris aside, in the end the Spurs should have expected that Kevin Durant was going to lead the Thunder to a home victory in this series with a performance like this. It is unrealistic to assume that a player that good can be held in check at home for an entire series. Hopefully, all of that In the Zone Kevin Durant shooting is now out of his system and remains that way for the duration of the series.
For any Spurs fans who are feeling those familiar dreadful feels about the possibility of impending doom, (while admittedly I am feeling some of those feels as well) let me give you a few reasons why I remain relatively calm and confident despite the circumstances. First, remember that the Spurs still have home court advantage in the now best of three Western Conference Semifinals and we have only lost TWICE at home the entire 2015-2016 season.Thinking back to the week of Thanksgiving when I was back in Texas, that seems like a really, really long time ago. Yeah, the Spurs have only lost TWICE in the AT&T Center since then. Secondly, the Spurs were only one point and one historically horribly officiated play away from being up 3-0 in this series prior Durant going all Durant in Game 4. Looking at things in those terms gives this series an entirely different complexion, doesn't it? The Spurs have outscored the Thunder by 21 points so far in this series. That is a pretty sizable cumulative scoring advantage for a series that is tied 2-2. Thirdly (and most importantly), the Spurs have players on our roster who have faced and overcome adversity in more playoff series than most NBA players would dare to dream of even playing in (much less winning). Once again, you don't get to raise five championship banners into the rafters without having a pretty good track record of overcoming adversity. Case in point, look at all of the times that the #BlackAndSilver have been in this exact same situation during the Tim Duncan era and persevered to raise a banner:
2003 First Round: Tied 2-2 against Phoenix Suns (Spurs win series 4-2).
2003 Western Conference Semifinals: Tied 2-2 against Los Angeles Lakers (Spurs win series 4-2).
2003 NBA Finals: Tied 2-2 against New Jersey Nets (Spurs win series 4-2).
2005 Western Conference Semifinals: Tied 2-2 against Seattle Supersonics (Spurs win series 4-2).
2005 NBA Finals: Tied 2-2 against Detroit Pistons (Spurs win series 4-3).
2007 Western Conference Semifinals: Tied 2-2 against Phoenix Suns (Spurs win series 4-2).
2014 First Round: Tied 2-2 against Dallas Mavericks (Spurs win series 4-3).
2014 Western Conference Finals: Tied 2-2 against Oklahoma City Thunder (Spurs win series 4-2).
The series now moves back to San Antonio tonight for Game 5. After the ball tips this evening, I will keep the image of those five banners in my mind as reassurance throughout the game and throughout the rest of this series. The banners are reassuring because they serve as a reminder of our proven ability to overcome adversity and persevere. Hopefully, when it's all said and done, those beautiful banners (and all they represent) will once again factor prominently in determining what separates us and them.
Featured Image Source: San Antonio Express-News
Ten Ahead
2016 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 3
Point of No Return - Well, that was not for the faint of heart. What a dogfight. I think it's safe to say we can add this one to the list of legendary playoff street brawls on the road that the Tim Duncan led Spurs always seem to find ourselves in year after year. Thankfully, somehow and someway, San Antonio escaped Chesapeake Energy Arena (one of the most hostile environments in the NBA) on Friday night with a narrow 100-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oh, and by the way, in doing so we recaptured the ever important home court advantage that we had surrendered during Game 2's chaos. It may go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. This was a huge victory. It was absolutely critical against a team as talented as the Thunder that, after coughing away Game 2, the Spurs immediately reasserted our force of will and put the series advantage back in our favor. Having now secured this hard fought Game 3 win, we've hopefully demonstrated psychologically that Game 2 was an aberration (a momentary stumble) rather than the first cracks in a dam that is there for the breaking. Can you imagine the amount of swagger that the Thunder would have been bringing into the remainder of this series if they had been able to absorb Friday's counter punch and still figured out a way to win Game 3? We have a great deal of first hand playoff experience to remind us that swagger is a major ingredient in what makes this OKC squad a dangerous animal. Ever since the Thunder were first able to break through against San Antonio in Game 3 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals (defeating us 102-82 in OKC), we haven't seemed to have an answer for the lethal cocktail of talent and confidence Oklahoma City is able to serve up any time their swagger hits peak levels. That is why I can't emphasize enough how important it is that (when it was all said and done Friday night) we were able to capitalize on securing a victory that we spent a great deal of energy putting ourselves in a position to secure. If by doing so we've suppressed even a small amount of the swagger OKC has the potential for generating, we have done ourselves a huge favor moving forward in this series.
Even though the Spurs were playing from ahead most of the night, Friday's game certainly made sure that the faith of true believer Spurs fans was tested from start to finish. There was one thing in particular that was really testing my resolve throughout much of the night. Early on in the game, I noticed a disturbing trend that was occurring. A disturbing trend that, over the years, the Spurs have too frequently been snake bitten by in big playoff games (especially on the road). This trend, which was on display for much of the game, is one of the easiest ways for a team to snatch defeat from the claws of victory. What trend and I speaking of? Missed free throws. For much of the night, it felt like the Spurs were consistently stepping up to the free throw line and splitting each pair. Not taking advantage of free throw opportunities on the road in a tight playoff game is the equivalent of playing chicken with an oncoming train. It doesn't matter how skilled you believe you are at judging speed and distance, by not creating the biggest separation possible between you and the train, you are flirting with disaster. Over these past 27 seasons rooting for the Spurs in the playoffs, I've seen it more times than I care to count: missed free throws staring me in the face as the explanation for why we lost a close playoff game. And, sure enough, missed free throws was the thing that was on my mind through the first three and a half quarters of Game 3, challenging my faith as a true believer. Through those first three quarters of play, San Antonio was a combined 13-22 from the free throw line (shooting 59 percent). As a result, we carried a measly three point lead into the final frame. Had we simply just shot slightly better than 75 percent at the free throw line through the first three quarters, we could have carried a seven point advantage into the fourth. That could have made a huge difference. Indeed, when Russell Westbrook hit a ridiculous step back three pointer with 7:11 left in the game to give OKC an 81-77 four point lead, the nine missed free throws were all I could think about. I won't lie (because of all of our past experience with poor free throw shooting during close playoff losses), in the internal struggle between faith and doubt which had been taking place in the pit of my stomach throughout the game; doubt wasn't necessarily losing in that moment when the Spurs went down four points halfway through the fourth quarter. Then, after absorbing OKCs attempt at a knock out blow, thankfully we were able to maintain our composure, hang in the game, and (for whatever reason, perhaps all of the Spurs candles that were lighting up living rooms all across South Texas had something to do with it) miraculously we were able to flip a switch and get in rhythm at the foul line down the stretch. After Westbrook's dagger three, the Spurs shot 11-12 at the charity stipe in the guts of Friday's critical ball game. The 92 percent fourth quarter free throw shooting was capped by four cold as ice clutch free throws (two by Tony Parker and two by Kawhi Leonard) in the final 18 seconds of the game to seal the victory. If you need reassurance that the Spurs have what it takes to compete for this year's trophy, you should take heart in our precision fourth quarter free throw shooting in Game 3. Championship caliber teams figure out a way to ignore the pressure of the playoffs and the pandemonium of the opposing crowd and make free throws down the stretch of tight games in hostile environments on the road. While it's only a one game sample size, on Friday night the 2016 remixed Spurs showed that we are capable of passing that litmus test.
Naming a player of the game for Game 3 was an incredibly hard decision. Kawhi Leonard was every bit the beast on both ends of the court that I predicted he would be. He was spectacular. Leonard filled up the stat sheet like someone who just got to the all-you-can-eat buffet 10 minutes before closing time. Kawhi's stat line: 31 points (9-17 from the field, 3-4 from three, 10-14 from the line), 11 rebounds (including a game-saving rebound of the offensive variety), 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Yes indeed, it's safe to say that The Klaw rebounded excellently from his poor Game 2 performance. The offensive rebound that Kawhi secured up by two points with 23 seconds left in the game was the biggest play of the Spurs season thus far. It was a joy to watch the sheer determination in his eyes as he scurried into rebounding position while LaMarcus rose to shoot a jump shot and then went up over André Roberson and Serge Ibaka after LaMarcus missed and just got the damn ball. Sounds simple but in actuality it was the manifestation of a will to win that only champions seem to have the internal fortitude to muster in those situations. Spectacular. Even though there is no doubt that Kawhi made the play of the game, I'm giving player of the game honors to Tony Parker. Tony stepped up huge in Game 3 and showed glimpses of the dominant offensive weapon that he's been for us in years past. Tony's stat line: 19 points (7-14 from the field, 3-6 from three), 8 rebounds (where did that come from?), and 5 assists. One of the adjustments OKC had made in the series after getting annihilated by both LaMarcus and Kawhi in Game 1 is to play off of Tony and allow his man to help harass our two superstars by lingering nearer the places in the post that LaMarcus and Kawhi like to operate. The adjustment paid off (at least against Kawhi) in Game 2 as the Thunder's perimeter defenders were able to give each other the help needed to disrupt Kawhi into having a bad game. On Friday night, however, Tony Parker made them pay dearly for daring him to beat them over the top. Shooting 50 percent from the field on the night, Tony hit critical shot after critical shot all game long to punish the Thunder for the tactical adjustment. In one comical second half example of the indifference OKC's defenders were demonstrating towards Tony as a scoring threat, he brought the ball down on the break and watched as four Thunder defenders all pointed at him while he dribbled past the three point line. Since none of the four defenders that were pointing actually jumped out to guard him, Tony casually drained a 20 footer. Tony's ability to relentlessly punish the Thunder by draining the shots that OKC's game plan had calculated they could live with him taking is the reason that Tony earned player of the game honors over Kawhi. Bottom line, the Spurs would not have won the game if Tony hadn't made shots. Hopefully he can remain aggressive for the duration of this series because we're going to continue to need his offense.
After Friday night's nail biter, one would hope that we could get a couple of days to catch our breath. Unfortunately there's no rest for the weary as Round Two is now coming at us fast and furiously every other day. Tonight, the #BlackAndSilver have an excellent opportunity to replicate the concentration, determination, and team play that resulted in a Game 3 road victory. It won't be easy. The Thunder are now a wounded animal who will be treating tonight's game like an elimination game. Durant and Westbrook are going to try to establish themselves early and will keep attacking us all night long. There is no question that tonight's game will be decided by our defensive intensity. Are we going to be able to maintain the concentration and maintain the defensive determination of two nights ago when we were the desperate team? If we are even the least bit satisfied with reclaiming home court advantage in Game 3 and let up even a little bit on the defensive side of the ball, we will get eaten alive and find ourselves heading home in a 2-2 series. Yo, check it tho. If, instead, the Spurs bring the Back to Black championship level defense that we are capable of tonight and leave every ounce of it out there on the floor, we will be victorious in Game 4. Check the rhime.
Featured Image Source: XXL
Headline Image Source: CBS Sports
One Behind
2016 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 2
Something in the Way - It's funny what a difference 48 hours can make for a tribe of true believers who are in the middle of a noble quest to recapture basketball nirvana. For two weeks, we had been on top of the world. Invincible. Food never tasted better. The sun never shined brighter. Ordinary, day-to-day problems didn't seem so bad. How could they if the Spurs are undefeated in the playoffs? Life was good. Until all of a sudden, it wasn't. On Monday night, we had a very hard time putting a big orange ball through the thing that a certain Canadian born former candidate for the presidency of the United States apparently calls a basketball ring. (Ted Cruz aka Mr. Basketball U.S.A was busTED after using the phrase while trying to pander to voters in the Hoosier State last week. James Naismith, fellow Canadian and inventor of basketball, must've been rolling over in his grave. But whatever, I guess Senator Cruz is back to being my native state of Texas' problem now that he's suspended his campaign. My condolences to my friends and family who are still residing in the Lone Star State but also...so long, Teddy.) And as a result now, for the second straight year, we've unfortunately given away our second home game of a playoff series after dominating the first (San Antonio lost Game 4 at home to the Clippers 114-105 last year after destroying them 100-73 in Game 3). On Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder came into the AT&T Center (after getting humiliated in Game 1 in the Alamo City 124-92) and became only the second team all season to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in our building (Golden State won 92-86 in SA on April 10th). After leading most of the night, OKC hung on to steal home court advantage away from the good guys (at least temporarily) winning 98-97 after a wild (and controversial) final play of the game.
Before we get into the bizarre final sequence, I want to make two unrelated observations. Observation #1: The predictable letdown from a fantastic Game 1 shooting performance, of course, reared its ugly head in Game 2. The Spurs shot a lackluster 42.6 percent from the floor and 26.1 percent from three in Game 2. Most notably, Tim Duncan was 1-8, Patty Mills was 2-9, and Kawhi Leonard was 7-18 from the field. If you remove player of the game (for the third consecutive game) LaMarcus Aldridge's 15-21 shooting (71 percent) and 41 points from the equation, the rest of the Spurs shot a combined 25-73 (34.2 percent) and put a meager 56 points up on the scoreboard. When you look at how poorly we shot the basketball overall as a team (I mean, we missed 12 of our first 13 shots for Pete's sake), you start wondering how we were even in the game (oh, that's right...Aldridge). Even with LA going bananas for the second consecutive game, since the two OKC superstars responded how superstars are supposed to respond to an embarrassing loss and lit us up for 57 points on 22-44 shooting (50 percent), we could not afford for Leonard to have a poor performance if we hoped to offset the fire power of Durant and Westbrook. Unfortunately, Kawhi had his worst game of the 2016 playoffs (perhaps his worst game of the 2015-16 season) scoring a pedestrian 14 points. Not to add insult to injury, but Kawhi also missed two free throws in a game that the Spurs lost by one point.
Observation #2: The Thunder out-rebounded the Spurs 48-37 and we gave up an unforgivable 17 rebounds to Steven Adams. More than blown calls or even poor shooting, second chance points killed the Spurs. It seemed like every time we were getting some momentum and moving into position to go on the run that would give us the lead, OKC was able to secure a backbreaking offensive rebound that led to a momentum killing basket. Adams in particular was a monster, not only on the boards but in setting a physicality tone for the game. What the rebound disparity and our opponent's physicality tells me is that the Oklahoma City Thunder played harder and wanted the game more than we did. On second thought, I don't need to look at the rebounding totals in the box score to make this observation. It was evident with what my own two eyes were seeing as I watched the game on Monday night. OKC played with a noticeably greater sense of urgency. Between the focused offensive effort of Durant and Westbrook and the defensive intensity of Adams and Serge Ibaka (even if they couldn't slow down Aldridge, they fought him for 48 minutes), the Thunder were the better team on this particular night and they deserved to win.
Okay, now about the bizarre final play of the game. It's always frustrating when the referees screw something up in a way that alters the outcome of a game, especially a playoff game. Had the referees either called the foul on Dion Waiters for elbowing Manu Ginobili before inbounding the ball or if they had called a foul on Serge Ibaka for holding LaMarcus' jersey as he attempted to put back Patty Mills' air ball, sure, we might have escaped with a lucky win. Sure, Spurs fans wouldn't have had to spend the past four days tormented by the "what ifs" of all the things that could have gone differently to result in that win (and of course a painful loss at the buzzer had to happen in a game that preceded an unusually long break in the series providing us more time to stew in our misery). So yes, we wouldn't have had to spend this extended time off reliving all of the pain and agony of .4, or the foul on Dirk, or the Brent Barry non-foul, or the Ray Allen shot, or last year's Chris Paul dagger. It's tempting to think that this bizarre finish could become another tragic Spurs playoff moment to add to that list. I continue to feel really confident, to the contrary, that this will instead be the wake up call that brings us together as a team and sharpens our resolve. I see this bizarre Game 2 ending as having the same feeling as the Stephon Marbury buzzer beater in 2003 or the Vince Carter buzzer beater in 2014. The reason I see what will now infamously be known as the unfortunate Waiters incident this way is because it happened early in the series just like the Marbury and Carter game winners. All of the moments on the list of all-time Spurs playoff tear jerkers happened late in those series. Because this stroke of bad luck happened early in this series, I see it as the teachable moment for the 2016 remixed version of the Spurs reminding us that we cannot have bad nights in the playoffs. We have to be ready to bring it every single time we enter the arena. I am supremely confident that the #BlackAndSilver will take that lesson to heart, play Spurs basketball and leave Chesapeake Energy tonight after snatching home court advantage and control of the series back with a convincing victory. I expect Kawhi Leonard, in particular, to come back with a ferocious performance on both ends of the court. If we can get that and also keep LaMarcus red hot, I think we will be okay (even in an environment as hostile as Oklahoma City). Despite all of the heartache and nightmares the Game 2 loss has engendered for Spurs die hards, we must continue to remember that this remixed Spurs is one of the greatest basketball teams ever assembled. Teams that set a franchise record for wins don't come along every year, especially for five time champions. We have the talent, experience, and the depth to climb out of the hole we've dug for ourselves. It's time to leave that one behind and come together in pursuit of that which we know is possible. In other words, tonight is a night to light your Spurs candles if you've got 'em. They don't call us true believers for nothing. Tonight, we've got to keep the faith. With all due respect to the fantastic talent of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the other side of the court, we did not embark on a journey that's destination is a second round playoff exit. Rather, as stated previously, we have embarked on a noble quest to recapture basketball nirvana. And this is the point of no return.
Featured Image Source: SB Nation
Headline Image Source: Texas Public Radio
Eleven Ahead
2016 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, Game 1
Gotta Lotta - Every available player entered the game for the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of our Western Conference Semifinals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. Not only did all thirteen players enter the game, but impressively, all thirteen players scored at least one field goal during the contest. When it was all said and done, the Spurs had compiled a combined 51 made field goals in the dominating 124-92 Game 1 victory over the Thunder. Considering that Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili (the greatest trio in NBA history) only scored 16 of the 124 points that we put up last night, I think it's safe to say that we've gotta lotta weapons. Indeed, it was an all around impressive performance as the #BlackAndSilver combined to shoot 60.8 percent from the field while holding OKC to 41.2 percent shooting. As overwhelming as our depth proved to be on Saturday night, there was also a pleasant surprise that helps explain how San Antonio separated ourselves so dramatically (leading by as many as 43 points) from Oklahoma City in Game 1. That pleasant surprise was the extent to which our dynamic duo outshined the Thunder's dynamic duo throughout the night. There's no other way to spin it. Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge looked like bigger superstars (granted for one game) than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Kawhi and LA combined for 68 points on 28-36 shooting while Durant and Westbrook combined for 30 points on 11-34 shooting. In other words, Kawhi and LaMarcus generated 38 more points on two more shot attempts than the two OKC superstars. It was a masterful display of locked in basketball that Leonard and Aldridge served up for the frenzied AT&T Center crowd. From the opening tip until both players were relieved from duty in the third quarter, you could see form the concentration in their faces. These two stars came to play. Take the Spurs' first possession, for example. Now this is how you set the tone for a playoff series.
Having a lot of weapons means you're often burdened because you've gotta lotta candidates for player of the game. When the Spurs have a night like last night, it can be conflicting to choose. (Yes, I hear the groans coming from fans in the twenty something NBA markets that don't seem to have this problem. But trust me, Sacramento fans, these player of the game decisions are hard when you've got seven or eight players that are capable of balling on the same level as Boogie Cousins on any given night.) I mean, last night Tony Parker was amazing. He only took three shots in 27 minutes but he ran the offense (and specifically the pick and roll with Aldridge) masterfully, tallying a healthy 12 assists in the process. Also, Danny Green showed up in a big way. Danny rained down bombs all night from beyond the arc, shooting 5-6 on three pointers (6-7 overall) for 18 points. Oh by the way, on the other end of the court he drew the main defensive assignment on Kevin Durant and harassed OKC's best player into a 6-15 shooting night. This was the type of Danny Green playoff performance we'd come to take for granted during previous Finals runs (and the type we're going to need to see regularly to get where we want to go this year). Of course, there's also Kawhi Leonard. Ho hum, Kawhi went for 25 points (on 10-13 shooting) in only 22 minutes. That's ridiculous efficiency. And, as we discussed earlier in the post, he redefined the meaning of a tone setter with his dunk to open the game. Also, you guessed it, on the other side of the ball the Defensive Player of the Year disrupted much of what superstar Russell Westbrook wanted to accomplish, shaking him into a 5-19 shooting night. But, alas, on a night where we gotta lotta star performances, there was one of the lotta who stood out above the rest. LaMarcus Aldridge was simply off the charts spectacular last night and has thus earned player of the game honors for the second consecutive contest. Marv Albert, who announced the game for TNT, described LA's performance by saying it was like watching him play a game of Pop-A-Shot. Albert's observation wasn't far from accurate. LaMarcus dropped what felt like a hundred shots from all over the court. In actuality, he went 18-23 from the field (including his first three of the season) in only 30 minutes of action. LA was able to get whatever he wanted against OKC's formidable defensive front court tandem of Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams. This was, hands down, LaMarcus Aldridge's best performance in a San Antonio uniform. And we're going to need him to continue this type of dominating play throughout the rest of this series. As convincing as the Spurs' Game 1 performance was, we have to keep perspective and remember that it's just one game. We don't get to take a 32 point lead into the start of Game 2 tomorrow night. To paraphrase Coach Pop, last night was just one of those nights where our shots went in and OKC's shots didn't which is something that happens in the NBA. The Thunder have proven in past series that they are capable of taking a whooping from the Spurs, making the necessary adjustments and finding a way to get the win that shifts momentum back in their favor. I don't care if we had won Game 1 by 100 points; if we stop fearing a team that rolls out Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook every night, we do so at our own peril. Hopefully the Spurs will come out tomorrow night with the same focus and sense of purpose that was on display last night. Game 2 is a huge opportunity for us to protect home court and take another step ahead in this season's journey to land in that place where the musical notes necessary to remix The Beautiful Game are uncovered. Just as much as before the series began, the Oklahoma City Thunder are an obstacle in completing that journey and rediscovering basketball perfected. Just as much as before the series began, OKC is something in the way.
Featured Image Source: Rap Basement
Headline Image Source: Pop-A-Shot
Video Source: NBA, playoff 2016 on YouTube
Four Left
2014 NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 6
Here Now - It was a devastating way to lose the NBA Finals. When you're up three games to two and you have a lead on the road in the last minute of the fourth quarter of Game 6, you have the trophy so close within reach that you can almost scape a fingernail on it. Even though no lead is ever safe in the NBA, the reason why you start sensing that you're closing in on the title is because if you're good enough to be in that position in the first place, it means that you're also good enough to make the right decisions, execute effectively, protect the lead, and closeout the game. By the time that you've gotten around to having a lead in the last minute of Game 6 of the NBA Finals, you've not only been through all of the possible late game scenarios over the course of a hundred game season, but you've established a proven track record that you can make the plays necessary to finish. In other words, a team that is good enough to make the NBA Finals is good enough to protect a lead during the last minute of a ball game nine times out of ten; perhaps even ninety five times out of a hundred. That is why it is so devastating when this happens. The question is, when you are that close and everything caves in around you, how do you respond? Do you grab on to a helping hand and live to fight another day or does your proximity to realizing your dream allow you to become so overcome with the moment that you plummet into the abyss?
Most teams would plummet into the abyss. You would more than likely be resigned to show up and get blown out in Game 7 after losing Game 6 of the NBA Finals on the road in devastating fashion. It is human nature if you are a player on a team in that situation to hang your head and feel sorry for yourself after squandering a golden opportunity to achieve your goal. Once that focus is broken and replaced by regret, it is an astronomical challenge to have the fortitude to prepare properly to turn around and bring the same energy and execution to match a team that is full of new life after enjoying some clutch plays but also a few breaks and perhaps a little luck to narrowly escape elimination. You see, the problem in this particular scenario is that your opponent has also proven over the course of a hundred game season to be good enough to be playing in the NBA Finals and now they have proven that they are also good enough to find life in the face of imminent death. All losses being equal and as the road team, you are probably better off in your pursuit of the ultimate goal of winning the title if you get blown out in Game 6 than you are losing in heartbreaking fashion when you should have won. You can chalk up a blowout defeat on the road to just having a bad night and then try to come back with better focus and energy in Game 7. If, however, you blow the lead in the last minute of Game 6, all you have is "what ifs" torturing and distracting you like an uninterrupted nightmare during the days leading up to Game 7. You've let your best opportunity slip through your fingers and the worst part is that your opponent also knows this. Considering that this Finals series is being played in the (now defunct) 2-3-2 format, regardless of whether the circumstances that led to your Game 6 demise were you choking or your opponent coming through in the clutch (or a combination of both), that other team is patiently sitting at home counting their blessings, enjoying life, and getting ready to wipe the floor with you in Game 7. As a team that is carrying all of the baggage of just having blown your shot to close out the NBA Finals on the road in Game 6, you are expected by everyone to "fold like a cheap hooker who got hit in the stomach by a fat guy with sores on his face" in Game 7.
Indeed, most teams facing those circumstances would be toast. The 1988 Detroit Pistons, however, were a team that refused to fold after coughing up Game 6 of the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers 103-102 at the Great Western Forum in LA. Game 6 was not only a devastating loss for the Pistons but it was one of the most heartbreaking beats in modern professional sports. Detroit led Los Angeles 3-2 in the series and 102 to 99 in the final minute of the game before Byron Scott scored with 45 seconds left to cut the Piston lead to two. On the ensuing possession, Isiah Thomas missed a a baseline jumper which set up one of the most infamous plays in NBA Finals history. With 14 seconds left in the game and Detroit still leading by one, Bill Laimbeer was guarding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he attempted his signature skyhook shot. Kareem missed and Dennis Rodman was in position to collect the rebound and more than likely the Pistons' first championship trophy. The problem was that one of the officials had the audacity to call a foul on the shot attempt. There was minimal contact on the play (especially by late 80's standards) and this series altering call has gone down in infamy in Detroit lore as the "phantom foul." Kareem sunk both free throws to give LA the lead. On the Pistons next possession, Joe Dumars missed badly on a desperate attempt. Byron Scott collected the rebound and was fouled immediately. Although he missed both free throws, the Pistons were out of timeouts and were forced to attempt a half court shot at the buzzer.
After being so close to winning the title just to have the game taken away by a ridiculous foul call, it was hard to imagine that Detroit would be able to regroup and compete in Game 7. Everyone assumed that the Pistons would get slaughtered by Magic Johnson and the "Showtime" Lakers. Against all odds and to almost everyone's surprise, this did not happen. It turned out that the 1988 Detroit Pistons were a special basketball team. Somehow, they found the mental strength and inner fortitude to compete in Game 7 in Los Angeles until the bitter end. Down four points with six seconds left, Bill Laimbeer drained a 28 foot three pointer to cut the Laker lead to one point. Detroit went for the steal which allowed LA to advance the ball to A.C. Green who was wide open for a layup with two seconds left. As Laimbeer looked to inbound the ball so the Pistons could attempt a game tying three pointer, it became quickly apparent that the Pistons not only faced the five Laker players in the game on their final attempt but also the defense of the Laker bench as well as several dozen Lakers fans who were already storming the court. It seems mind-boggling today, but the referees made no attempt to clear the court and allow Detroit a fair opportunity to tie the game. Laimbeer, given no other option, threw the ball to the front court to Isaiah Thomas who was promptly knocked down by Magic Johnson. Shockingly, no foul was called and the game ended. Lakers 108 - Pistons 105.
* * *
After surrendering a lead in the last minute of the fourth quarter and eventually losing Game 6 of the NBA Finals on the road, it was hard to imagine that San Antonio would be able to regroup and compete in Game 7. Everyone assumed that the Spurs would get slaughtered by LeBron James and "The Heatles." Against all odds and to almost everyone's surprise, this did not happen. It turned out that the 2013 San Antonio Spurs were a special basketball team. Somehow they found the mental strength and inner fortitude to compete in Game 7 in Miami until the bitter end. Kawhi Leonard hit a three point shot with just over one minute left in the game to cut a five point Heat lead to two, 90-88. After Shane Battier missed a three point attempt, Manu Ginobili secured the rebound with exactly one minute left on the clock and the Spurs advanced the ball with an opportunity to tie or take the lead. San Antonio worked the ball in to Tim Duncan in the post. Noticing that he had the smaller Battier defending him, Timmy drove immediately towards the middle of the paint to attempt a point blank jump hook; a shot that he had made hundreds if not thousands of times before in his career. He shot it long off of the back rim but immediately responded by attempting to tip it back up and in (something he has also done hundreds of times in his career). The tip attempt failed and Chris Bosh secured the rebound. With 28 seconds left in the game and clinging to a two point lead, LeBron James drained a clutch 17 foot jump shot to put Miami up four. After Manu Ginboli missed a three pointer on the ensuing possession, the Heat closed out the game by hitting three out of four free throws. Heat 95 - Spurs 88.
The thing about special basketball teams who have the fortitude to compete on the road in Game 7 of the NBA Finals after being less than a minute away from winning a championship in Game 6 is that they have a demonstrated ability to regroup. Sometimes 48 hours just isn't quite enough time to come all the way back from something so heartbreaking... but a year certainly is. After experiencing that and still having the fortitude to comeback and claim the best regular season record in the NBA the next season (1988-89 Detroit Pistons: league best record of 63-19, 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs: league best record 62-20), no amount of playoff adversity can seem to derail you from your quest for redemption. Last Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs trotted out for the second half of Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in Chesapeake Energy Arena (a building in which we had lost 9 straight times) trailing by 7 and with Cory Joseph in the game at the point guard position. It became quickly apparent that Tony Parker, our leading scorer, was out of the game due to injury. The TNT broadcasting team subsequently reported that Tony would not return. Despite this unfortunate turn of events, San Antonio (with Cory as our floor general) put together one of our most dominant quarters of the postseason. The Spurs outscored the Oklahoma City Thunder 37-20 in the period by picking the OKC defense apart with the type of precision ball movement that has been the team's trademark this season. Up ten points on the road with an opportunity to close out the Thunder heading into the fourth quarter, it seemed inevitable that league MVP Kevin Durant and his sidekick Russell Westbrook would make a run to save their season. Sure enough, they did exactly that. Oklahoma City kept chipping away at our lead throughout the fourth quarter and finally, with 32 seconds left in the period, Durant made a driving layup to give the Thunder a 99-97 lead. A year is a long time to think about redemption. On the ensuing possession, Manu Ginobili (who had missed a crucial three pointer in the last minute of Game 7 of last year's NBA Finals) came free off of a Tim Duncan pick and just buried the go-ahead three point dagger with 27 seconds left. Even still, after Kevin Durant turned the ball over and Manu split a pair of free throws, Russell Westbrook re-tied the game 101-101 by making a pair of free throws. Manu got a clean look at the buzzer to win the game, but back rimmed it.The two Western Conference heavy weights traded punches for most of the overtime period until Tim Duncan found himself in the low post with a smaller defender on him clinging to a one point lead (108-107) with less than 30 seconds left in the overtime period. A year is a long time to think about redemption. Timmy (who had missed his jump hook in the last minute of Game 7 of last year's NBA Finals with the smaller Shane Battier on him) noticing he had the much smaller Reggie Jackson on him turned to his left into a leaning jump hook with Russell Westbrook closing frantically to double team and rattled it home to earn player of the game honors. Trailing by three, Kevin Durant missed a good look at a three pointer to re-tie the game and Boris Diaw (who had a monster night with 26 points) made two out of four free throws down the stretch to secure the victory and send the #BlackAndSilver back to the NBA Finals. Spurs 112 - Thunder 107. A year is a long time to think about redemption.
* * *
I was hanging out in the studio the weekend that Brian and Eric recorded this song in 2005. I remember that the three of us, along with our friend Matt, went to a Spurs game that Saturday night to break up the grind of a marathon recording session. I couldn't even tell you anymore who we played on that particular night, I just know that ever since then I have associated this song with Spurs playoff runs and I guess that is the reason. After Saturday night's epic closeout victory, I blasted this song on my living room stereo and basked at what the Spurs had just accomplished while also thinking about my best friend. Indeed, we are here now with the opportunity to secure ultimate redemption for our devastating Game 6 defeat to the Miami Heat in last year's NBA Finals. This is the first rematch in the Finals since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls defeated Karl Malone's Utah Jazz in both 1997 and 1998. The time before that? That was 25 years ago in 1989 when the Detroit Pistons were able to regroup and overcome any and all playoff adversity on their quest for redemption to set up their opportunity for a rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 7 of last year's Finals, I witnessed the same heart in the San Antonio Spurs that I remember witnessing from the 1988 Detroit Pistons in their Game 7 against the Lakers. The '88 Pistons weren't on my mind, necessarily, when I sent out my tweet immediately following San Antonio coming up just short in Game 7 last year but the rare inner fortitude that both team's shared was and that was what gave me the confidence a bold prediction and the faith that we would be exactly where we are tonight; on the eve of our opportunity to finish off some overdue business. A year is a long time to think about redemption. Tomorrow night, the San Antonio Spurs will embark on revolution 1: the art of teamwork perfected. There is something cyclical about this beautiful game that we call basketball. I've had this feeling for a while now that the 1988-1989 Detroit Pistons and the 2013-2014 San Antonio Spurs are kindred spirits. How did the '89 Pistons fare in reaching their ultimate goal of redemption? They swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the 1989 NBA Finals four games to zero. I'm just saying.
Headline Image Source: ESPN
Five Left
2014 NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 5
C.R.E.A.M. - Championships rule everything around me, C.R.E.A.M., get the trophy. Baller, baller skill y'all. For the seventh consecutive home playoff game, the San Antonio Spurs blew out our opponent last night defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-89 at the AT&T Center to take a 3-2 lead in the 2014 Western Conference Finals. In a surprising tactical adjustment, Coach Pop started Matt Bonner instead of Tiago Splitter in order to stretch the court and pull Serge Ibaka away from the basket. While Bonner struggled from the field (0-4 for the game), the adjustment seemed to make a difference as Serge Ibaka's defensive presence was less disruptive (2 blocks in 27 minutes) and didn't lead to back-breaking Oklahoma City fast breaks. Also, Bonner's defense seemed to have an effect on Ibaka's shot, as well (Ibaka missed his first 5 shots with Bonner guarding him and finished the game 3-10). After a tense first quarter (the game was tied 32-32 after one) in which OKC came out looking poised to repeat Game 5 of the 2012 WCF and seemed to be carrying a great deal of confidence from having the Ibaka "Serge" momentum in the series, the Spurs calmly and systematically started imposing our will in the second quarter by moving the ball on offense and hustling on defense to build a 10 point half time lead. The flood gates opened in the second half as San Antonio put together a dominant performance on both sides of the basketball outscoring Oklahoma City 52-34 in the third and fourth quarter combined. The Spurs dominated every facet of the game last night out-rebounding OKC 48-35 and out-shooting them 51.3 percent to 43.2 percent. We more than doubled them up from behind the arc, as well, going 13-26 (50%) from downtown to their 6-24 (25%). Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were held to a manageable combined total of 46 points.
While the Spurs got big-time contributions across-the-board, Manu Ginobili's stood out as he had a memorable throwback performance scoring 19 points in 21 minutes on 7-9 shooting (3-4 from distance) with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. He even, albeit accidentally, bitch slapped the 2014 NBA MVP while going for a steal late in the third quarter. Not to be outdone in the "Throwback Thursday" department, Tim Duncan snatched player of the game honors away from Manu because he also had a vintage performance scoring 22 points on 8-13 shooting while hauling in 12 rebounds and adding one of the most emphatic blocks in recent memory against the no longer in our heads (thanks Cory Joseph) Serge Ibaka. While there was most definitely palpable tension in the air throughout the city of San Antonio over the last couple of days after our disappointing performances in Oklahoma City earlier in this week, the Spurs answered the call at home once again to put Spurs fans minds at ease. Although the circumstances of coming home with the series tied 2-2, in and of themselves, didn't necessarily warrant the panic Spurs fans were experiencing, it was the demons of the 2012 Western Conference Finals that caused a "here we go again" overreaction from late Tuesday night until the tip-off of Game 5. But last night those demons were fully exorcised as the Spurs proved that the Oklahoma City Thunder are still miles away from competing at a level that would allow them to win the game that they need in San Antonio in order to advance to the NBA Finals.
Now that Serge Ibaka has come back down to earth from the Hakeem Olajuwon perch he had played on in Oklahoma City after returning from vacation (err...I mean injury), the Spurs must capitalize on this opportunity to end this series in Oklahoma City and punch our ticket to the 2014 NBA Finals. San Antonio has lost 9 games in a row to the Thunder in that building. We are too good of a basketball team to lose to any team 10 times in a row in any building. We are due for a victory in the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Tomorrow night, I want to see that "the Starburys taste like Starburys" incarcerating 2003 on the road at American West Arena in Phoenix 87-85 swagger. You know what I'm talking about, right? I'm talking about that 2003 dynasty crushing, "Shaq and Kobe as a tandem" derailing, "Zen Master heart attack" inducing on the road at Staples Center in Los Angeles 110-82 "step on the champs' throats" swag. I mean, I want to see that "Dirk and Nash 'best buds'" separating, "dust off Steve Kerr to twist three point daggers into Mark Cuban's heart" executing 2003 on the road at American Airlines Center in Dallas 90-78 precision chutzpah. Am I making myself clear? I'm looking to see that "Jesus Shuttlesworth was only good enough to win rings as a third or fourth wheel" proving, "come and steal the SuperSonics and Kevin Durant away from Seattle" opportunity creating, "how did I not remember that Antonio Daniels played for the Sonics that year" memory questioning 2005 on the road at KeyArena in Seattle 98-96 swagalicious boisterousness. I know you're digging where I'm going with this, right? I know you know what I'm talking about right here. The San Antonio Spurs have gone on the road in Game 6 of a best of seven series four times and closed out an opponent en route to the NBA Championship. It only seems fitting that we should do it for the fifth time in pursuit of our fifth ring. We have finally put the "Serge Ibaka is in our heads" nonsense to rest (not only did we put it to rest, but we crammed so much Nyquil down its throat that it is practically in a coma) and we are overdue for a W in Oklahoma City. If the #BlackAndSilver play our game tomorrow evening in Chesapeake Energy Arena, no amount of athleticism on the other side of the ball can beat us. We are the better team. We here now. Let's get this done.
Featured Image Source: Ruth Gwily Illustrations
Headline Image Source: Concord Monitor
Six Right
2014 NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 4
Californication - Last night, an irrationally unsettled Scott Brooks played Russell Westbrook 45 minutes in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 105-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Midway through the third quarter, with the Spurs down by 20 points, Gregg Popovich pulled his top six players and let his third string play the remaining 18 minutes of the game. After the Spurs bench started playing the way the Spurs starters had failed to play for the second straight contest (moving the basketball on offense, hustling on defense), Scottie Brooks, in his infinite paranoia, countered by playing his Big Three (Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka) a combined 121 minutes in order to prevent the Spurs C Team from stealing the game. Even when the #BlackAndSilver bench cut the lead to 10 points, Coach Pop did what no other coach in the world has the stones to do in such an important game: he stuck with the unit that had showed the desire to compete. In the end, the superstar forces of Durant and Westbrook were too much for the Austin Toros reunion team to overcome. Congratulations, OKC on winning the battle. By the way, Russ, you may have won said battle last night, but when you feel compelled to stare down the opposing team's third string point guard when you are ahead by 27 points, are you really winning? Sometimes when an All-NBA point guard acts like a bully, the kid whose lunch money was just stolen dusts himself off and fights back. The greatest advantage that the Thunder had going for them in trying to pull off yet another come from behind series win against the Spurs was that Serge Ibaka's defensive presence was in our heads. Thanks to player of the game Cory Joseph, that is no longer the case. Get some rest, OKC. See you tomorrow night in San Antonio.
“France has lost a battle. But France has not lost the war.” - Charles de Gaulle
* * *
C.R.E.A.M.
Here we go again.
Another late spring collapse?
Nope. This is our year.
Written May 2014 in San Antonio, Texas
* * *
C.R.E.A.M. (Championships Rule Everything Around Me)
Featured Image Source: Rant Sports
Headline Image Source: Avenue Six Left
Five Right
2014 NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 3
Hot - The writing was on the wall from the first Oklahoma City shot attempt of the ball game. When Serge Ibaka calmly drained the first bucket with his lethal mid-range jumper and the crowd exploded as if Jesus had taken the stage at a Pat Robertson led evangelical revival, it was more than clear that the Thunder had meticulously planned for Game 3. This meticulous planning, however, did not take place on the practice court. No, the organization did not focus its energies during the extended break between Games 2 and 3 working through offensive or defensive adjustments that could give them a reasonable shot at slowing down a Spurs unit that had used machine-like precision to annihilate OKC in San Antonio. Considering that the Thunder had lost the first two contests in "taken out behind the woodshed" blowout fashion, OKC seemed to have come to grips with the reality that they could not compete in that chess match. Rather, the Thunder had meticulously planned to counter the Spurs through the mind games that they had been waging from their front office. Oklahoma City wagered that their best hope was to manufacture every single last droplet of drama that they could muster out of the return of Serge Ibaka, ratcheting the intrigue up to Willis Reed like proportions, with the hope that the 'chesapeake' energy this sideshow would ignite from the OKC crowd would carry the Thunder players somewhere that they seemed incapable of getting to on their own, namely - the winners circle in the conference finals. To their credit, the dog and pony show worked. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs last night 106-97 in a victory that saved the Thunder's season (at least temporarily) and showed just how valuable that Serge Ibaka is to that organization.
While NBA MVP Kevin Durant is a once in a generation offensive talent, after seeing the impact that Ibaka's presence had on the defensive side of the basketball in Game 3, it is hard to imagine that had KD been the Thunder player injured for Games 1 & 2 of the series (instead of Serge) that the Thunder would have lost those two games by a combined 52 points. Of course I wouldn't argue that Ibaka is more valuable to OKC than Durant, but Serge is the Thunder's defensive MVP and it was on that side of the ball that they failed to show up in San Antonio. Even with a miraculously healthy Ibaka disrupting the Spurs offensive rhythm, the Spurs could have probably made the necessary adjustments over the course of 48 minutes to put ourselves in a position to win Game 3 in the fourth quarter if it were simply Ibaka's physical presence on the court that we were trying to overcome. But his emotional presence (which was fueled by the ridiculous spectacle that the organization put on in disclosing information on his injury status over the course of the past two weeks) proved to be too much for San Antonio in Game 3. The Thunder, led by Durant and Russell Westbrook, were almost certainly too good to get swept anyway. So even if Serge had remained sidelined, San Antonio dropping at least one game in Oklahoma City was probably bound to happen. The question now is can the Spurs toss this game out the window by chalking it up as OKC's 'pride' game and start refocusing for Game 4, or are we going to allow the ghosts of 2012 (which have been hovering around in the backdrop of this series) to really begin to haunt our psychological mindset moving forward into one of the most important Spurs playoff games in recent memory.
Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals has now become a must win for the San Antonio Spurs. We cannot allow the Thunder to parlay the life jacket that Serge Ibaka's return from injury provided them into a perfectly executed home stand that evens this series at two games apiece. While I would still consider the Spurs heavy favorites to win the West in that scenario (with home court advantage over the final three games), the ghosts of 2012 could morph into fully functioning demons at that point. Demons are an extremely dangerous malady to have to deal with in the playoffs. Demons spread a dangerous disease and are extremely contagious since they can move unabated through an NBA locker room. The disease that demons spread seems to cripple some of the highest functioning NBA title contenders each and every year and can infect an entire roster in devastatingly modest amounts of time. What is the disease of which I speak? Doubt. If the Oklahoma City Thunder are able to win tomorrow night and even this series at two games a piece, there is a chance that (even though I would still consider the Spurs heavy favorites to win the series) the Thunder would take advantage of whatever doubt these 2012 demons infect the 2014 Spurs with to obtain a psychological advantage beginning in Game 5. However, if San Antonio can get back to crisp ball movement and if each player can show up to match the focus demonstrated by player of the game, Manu Ginobili in Game 3 (in other words, the type of focus that made us the best road team in the NBA this season), the Spurs will have a good shot a beginning the process of squeezing the life out of the Thunder's season with a prototypical #BlackAndSilver road playoff win in Game 4.
The 2012 OKC Thunder flipped the script on the 2012 SA Spurs by elevating their overall play as a team and matching the Spurs offensive ball movement in a 'student becomes the teacher' dominating way. That is not what transpired last night. The Thunder's offense was still stagnant for big stretches and they still turned the ball over more times than the Spurs (18-16) over the course of the ball game. Last night, OKC relied on the manufactured energy of the courageous return of Serge Ibaka to make a few more plays than the Spurs in key stretches of the game. San Antonio lost the game because we were not quite mentally ready enough to absorb the blows and get right back to playing our style of basketball. OKC showed nothing, however, last night to indicate that they had flipped a switch to become the better overall basketball team as they did in the 2012 series. This looked, more than anything, like a sloppy road performance by the Spurs where we had an off-shooting night and couldn't establish enough of our own pace to deal with the crazy, delusional crowd energy generated by the heroic return of 'Willis' Ibaka from the toil and suffering of an entire week on the injured list. Gimmicks and manufactured energy might get you a playoff win agains the 2014 San Antonio Spurs, but it is going to take something more sustainable than that to beat us four out of five times. Even though the Spurs now face our first legitimate 'must win' game since Game 7 of our first round series with the Dallas Mavericks, I fully expect the Spurs to be ready for the Game 4 challenge and to put ourselves in a position to put the Thunder up against he brink. Sure, the Hollywood scripted triumphant Ibaka return to the lineup has made the task at hand exponentially more difficult and yes, I'm sure that for the betterment of the californication of the NBA, the league has high hopes that the Ibaka storyline will continue to prove fruitful and help propel league MVP, Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City into the Finals to face LeBron James in another ratings bonanza, but the Spurs have worked too hard and come way too far to allow the inferior Thunder to derail our bullet train journey back to the finish line. Hollywood gimmicks are fun for a night, even for a night in a place as different from Hollywood as Oklahoma City, but real story telling takes hard work and a tenacious ability to overcome adversity, which in the end is the essence of the Willis Reed story. There is, however, a real Pulitzer Prize worthy story being written during these 2014 NBA playoffs. And it is a tale about redemption.
Featured Image Source: AllHipHop.com
Headline Image Source: 3 Man Weave
Six Left
2014 NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 2
All Along The Watchtower - There are two things that you need to know about Danny Green. The first is that Danny Green loves animals. And the second? Danny Green lives downtown and apparently his property is conveniently located near a KFC with a great lunch special because if you give him an ounce of daylight, Danny Green gets buckets. The Oklahoma City Thunder are quickly learning that the San Antonio Spurs' high powered offensive attack is extremely potent and in order to take something away, you are going to be forced to give something else up. Right now, Danny has his three point jumper locked in which means that his is not a poison that you want to pick. Green obliterated OKC's undermanned roster on Wednesday night dropping three point dagger after three point dagger over the Thunder's scrambling perimeter defenders. When it was all said and done, he had put a brutally efficient 21 points on the scoreboard on 7-10 from downtown. Through the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, Danny Green is now 11-15 from the arc and is currently making Scottie Brooks' already difficult task of disarming weapons in San Antonio's offensive arsenal virtually impossible. Oh my goodness, my apologies. There is actually one more thing that you need to know about Danny Green. Besides loving animals and living downtown, Danny also enjoys dabbling in public relations during his free time. His passion for the sanctity of the written word was undeniable earlier this week because Danny, who earned player of the game honors, was able to find some time in his busy schedule to serve as the head writer of the emphatic 112-72 Game 2 statement that the Spurs authored Wednesday at the AT&T Center.
If the 2-0 cushion that the Spurs have laid out for ourselves in the 2014 WCF seems familiar, that is because we have now put ourselves in this position for the third straight season. If this familiarity somehow seems eery this time around, it is probably because we blew the first of these 2-0 WCF leads two years ago against this very same franchise. However, while the skeletons of that terrible collapse (the Spurs lost 4 straight to relinquish the 2012 Western Conference championship to the Thunder) are souring what is otherwise quite a joyous time to be a Spurs fan, it is important to remember that while this is the same franchise that turned the tables on us two years ago, it is not the same team. James Harden is not walking through the door to lace 'em up for OKC alongside Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant tomorrow night at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Serge Ibaka is not walking through the door to lace 'em up for OKC alongside...wait (Jon Stewart Daily Show-esque pause to listen to the voice in my earpiece)...I'm being told that Serge Ibaka is probably walking through that door. In a stunning development that could also be labeled as the least surprising news to come out of the 2014 NBA playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder have announced that Ibaka's status has been upgraded from 'out for the remainder of the playoffs' to 'day-to-day.' While the return of Serge Ibaka will certainly galvanize a Thunder team that needs just such a jolt to rebound from the shellacking they took in San Antonio, we should also keep it in mind that Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs are carrying the same skeletons from the 2012 series (which are currently clouding over the Alamo City's otherwise jubilant demeanor) up to Oklahoma City with the team this weekend. The Spurs will arrive up there ready to play basketball with the 'appropriate fear.' The core unit of the team that blew that 2-0 series lead in 2012 is walking into Chesapeake Energy Arena tomorrow night, not only playing as a superior unit to the 2012 squad, but also focused on not repeating the mistakes of the past. So, yes, this Spurs fan hopes that the Thunder are at full strength for tomorrow night's contest and that Serge Ibaka is able to add something to that team that was clearly missing here in San Antonio. I am confident that even with the defensive presence of Ibaka on the other side of the basketball, the Spurs will show the Thunder that their trouble in keeping pace with us has had less to do with their injury woes and more to do with the fact that we are simply too hot. If the #BlackAndSilver continue to play our game, our good neighbors to the north will receive the press release soon enough that there is a man from San Antonio who lives downtown, loves animals, and gets buckets.
Featured Image Source: Home Waters
Headline Image Source: Lifestyle Mirror
Seven Left
2014 NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 1
Around the Block - Legend has it that there is a gunslinger who resides out west with a draw that is so fast that it defies the physical laws of time and space. They say that he is so quick that he can do what takes the fastest of shooters almost a second to do (namely catch, TURN, and shoot) in just a fraction of that time. Yes, rumor has it that this man is so speedy that he stopped training with Usain Bolt during his off-season in the summer because he was tired of being held up. This gunslinger, who spent the better part of the last decade searching for precious metals out in California, is so freaking speed of light shattering velocious that he has already had the iPhone 6 for a month but has decided to stop using it because he finds its processing speed too cumbersome to keep up with the Tianhe-2 velocity that his fingers type text message responses like "No Kobe, I still think you're better than Kevin" or "Hey Phil, I'm sorry but it's over...It's not you, it's me." By around 2011, people were starting to think that tales of this mythical gunslinger might just be made-up fables that parents in Los Angeles have their nannies tell their children as bedtime stories at night while they are out on the town networking to land their next reality television audition. But then a couple of years ago, as if out of nowhere, Derick Fisher turned up down in Oklahoma. Apparently, Kobe Bryant's coattails had just become so worn and tattered that he thought he might give Kevin Durant's a try. Last night, 'Point Four' Fisher returned to Texas and the AT&T Center, the scene of his most infamous robbery, to once again face the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs.
The old gunslinger came out firing in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, scoring 16 points on 4-6 shooting (all three point attempts) and helped keep his Oklahoma City Thunder within striking distance during the first half of a game that could have very easily gotten away from them early. Fisher, seemingly was the only player that was able to remain calm and help Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook attempt to deal with the dangerous proposition that the Spurs are coming. The grizzled veteran was OKC's third leading scorer on the night but, in the end, it was an exercise in futility as the Spurs indeed were coming and coming in waves. Tim Duncan, on his way to player of the game honors, led 5 Spurs players in double figures with 27 points on 11-19 shooting and was able to score at will in the paint in the absence of Serge Ibaka. As a team, San Antonio shot 31-43 down in the interior (72.1 percent) for 62 points in the paint. While league MVP, Kevin Durant, and his all-star teammate, Russel Westbrook, played well in stretches, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs' perimeter defense to contain the electric duo to a manageable 53 points on 19-40 shooting. Oh, Kawhi also did this last night.
Considering that OKC's superstars received next to no help on the offensive end, other than Fisher and Reggie Jackson (who chipped in 13 points), they were hard-pressed to have a realistic chance to keep pace with the Spurs offense (and the easy shots it was creating) for 48 minutes. The Thunder were forced to experiment with unconventional lineups and were never able to get into a sustained offensive rhythm as a team. In the end, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-105 last night to strike first in the 2014 Western Conference Finals. While the victory seemed to come almost as easily as we have been generating wins since Game 7 of the series with the Mavericks, Spurs fans should continue to remain cautiously optimistic. As long as Durant and Westbrook are on the court, no lead in a game or in the series is ever secure and we need to continue to bring the same focused teamwork tomorrow night for Game 2 that we had last night in order to beat them again. And even if we are able to win tomorrow and protect home court advantage, the KD led Oklahoma City Thunder are one of only two teams that have forced the Spurs to surrender a 2-0 advantage in a seven game series during the Tim Duncan era (2012 Western Conference Finals). The 2004 Los Angeles Lakers were the other team to force the Spurs to blow a 2-0 series lead and Derick Fisher was one of the biggest contributors to that comeback series win. While I will go to my grave believing that if it is impossible to catch and shoot in three tenths of a second, then it must also be impossible to catch, TURN, and shoot in four tenths of a second, the Spurs have plenty to be focused on in the here and now. The Oklahoma City Thunder, even without Ibaka, are one of the most dangerous opponents that the Spurs have faced in recent playoff runs and we must be locked in for 48 minutes in order to beat them. The old gunslinger, Derick Fisher, will be trying to round up a posse that can keep the game close tomorrow night and put him in the position to have a shot to rob the AT&T Center blind one last time. But as long as the #BlackAndSilver play as a team and look out for each other by keeping our eyes on the fastest draw in the west from all along the watchtower, San Antonio will put ourselves in a position to show Oklahoma City how insurmountable a 2-0 series lead might be in 2014.