First I would like to apologise for an apparent lack of coverage on my part of the NBA Finals, which have lived up to the billing of a great series. We have had comebacks, bad referee decisions and questionable coaching along the way. Miami lead 3-1 at this stage, in a series that could so easily have been 3-1 OKC.
Miami Heat;
Playing in a league of his own.
LeBron has played out of this world. He is averaging close to 30/10/5 for the finals and has continued his postseason brilliance onto the biggest stage of them all. He has been the one constant of the big 3, not to undermine their work, but without this super human effort the Heat would stand no chance. He has been a hound in the low-block offensively, getting offensive rebounds for easy put-backs and second chance attempts on countless occasions, passing out of the double team to the open man and picking up Durant on defense when needed.
Mario shows Harden how to jump.
Outside of LeBron and his normal running mates, Wade and Bosh, the Heat have had massive contributions from Chalmers and more so Battier. Battier has been huge, seemingly unable to miss on any 3point shot he has attempted in the first 4 games, which has stretch this OKC defense out onto the perimeter much more than it would have liked to be. Ibaka has suffered the most has his shotblocking and protection of the rim has not been as prominent as hoped as he has to stay close to Battier (while playing PF), which in turn allows for easier drives to the basket for LeBron/Wade and co.
Chalmers really stepped up big in Game 4, coming through in the clutch (which Kansas fans know all too much about) and helping to bury the Thunder in a critical game to push the series to 3-1 with 25points. He has been hounded all playoffs by his own players, but inside the Miami camp they have remained constant in their backing for the point guard and see the harsh lessons as a way for him to unlock his full potential. He has never failed to disappoint on the big occasion, its just the consistency and lack of basic errors that the Heat want to iron out.
OKC Thunder;
RW has been sensational thus far.
There have been positives for this team. Westbrook's play as a whole has been stellar with a spectacular game 4 (with 43/7/5) showing the world what he is capable of, instead of focusing on the fact he is not a "natural" point guard and forcing people to realise what an amazing individual athlete he is. He has averaged close to 30/7/7 for the series, but he has still made a few questionable decisions at either end of the floor, however I can live with them given everything else he has brought to the table.
Providing just scoring won't do KD.
Durant on the other hand has mystified me. After a Game 1 performance that helped seal the win he seems to do less and less on the floor with each passing game. He still scores at an efficient clip but with just 2 rebounds in the pivotal game 4 he did little else to help the team get the win. I am rarely critical of KD but if OKC want any chance of picking up another victory in this series he has to bring it on both ends. Now a lot of his productivity was hampered in Games 2 + 3 due to some bogus foul calling by the officials (both games he picked up early fouls in all but the 4th qtr, as he sat most the game). And before you think KD's relative struggles could be compensated by one James Harden, forget it he has been AWOL all series.
Troubles down low for OKC.
Another major issue the Thunder are having, which is preventing them winning games, is so far Nick Collison has been their most productive and effective big man. I like his game so this is no knock to him, but Ibaka and Perkins finishing with 3 rebounds in a game or getting bullied in the post by James/Haslem/Bosh will not allow for victory. They have to protect the paint like they have all year instead of getting bullied on the boards and downlow by a front line with only one player taller than 6'8.
Finally to be crowned?
Overall it has been a close series, that could have gone either way at this point. Hopefully for basketball fans OKC can get a win on Thursday in Miami, which I doubt (by the way the 2-3-2 set up in the finals is pathetic) then we can get at least a game 6. We have seen some amazing basketball played at the highest level and right now it seems the King will finally get his ring. However if there is anytime in basketball right now that can pull of a major comeback win it is this Thunder team. Thursday should be fascinating.
Prediction for Game 5; Heat win by 8. Win the series. The King gets a Ring.
With Matchweek 2 underway and only Group D left to play their second fixture (France v Ukraine is finally in play after lightning delays) it seemed an appropriate time to look at the current form of some of the tournaments major teams.
Look who found the net!
Spain; Finally picked it up against Ireland as they finally had a striker score, as Torres chipped in with 2. The final score was 4-0, with the world champions dominating eactly how they were expected to against a weak IReland side. Silva had his imprints all over this one, creating two and scoring one. Despite this victory, I still don't have faith in this team repeating their recent Euro success. An interesting stat of the game, Xavi and Iniesta combined completed more succesful passes than the whole Ireland team.
Early favorites? Not for me.
Italy; Managed a 1-1 draw at against Croatia which at the start of the tournament would have been considered a dissapointment by many, but given Croatias impressive start this could be seen as a good point earnt. Pirlo put the Italians ahead with a clincial freekick, which he bent into the bottom corner as he has done all his career. However the Croatians would not be denied as they battled against the stout Italian defense and were rewarded when the ever impressive Mandzukic controlled well in the box to volley past Buffon. On this form, I have the Croaitan's and not the Russian's as my dark horse to shock the competition.
Early form favorites.
Netherlands; Another loss, as the Dutch fell 2-1 to the Germans courtesy of a double from the in form Mario Gomez. The Orange contingent managed to strike back with a later goal from Van Persie, but this did little to rattle the resolute Germans who continued to impress and reaffirm my belief that this will be their year. Although they are not out mathematically, the Dutch seem down and out and will need an impressive victory against the Portugese while needing the Germans to beat the Danes. Another let down that we have generally become accustomed to with Netherlands over the years, with 2008 more of an arbiration than the norm.
One of Cristiano's howlers.
Portugal; Played a great game against the Danish, which finished 3-2, managing a victory without goals from their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo (Pepe, Varela and Postiga all found the net) while often criticised front man Bendtner got both for Denmark. Ronaldo missed two glorious chance when through on goal, which we saw him tuck away all year for Madrid, and Portugal can only hope that he finds his club form sooner rather than later.
So far I have generally been dissapointed by tha quality of the Euros, however international football seems to have taken a backseat in terms of footballing spectacle over the years so this comes as no suprise. Russia and Croatia, among others, look to make things interesting but so far I have no reason to back away from my early prediciton as I stick with the Germans to win it all.
So the Euros kicked off this past Friday, as the controversy around the host nations selection continued to create a cloud over the tournament. Not only racism allegations from all corners of sport but also the problem that it seemed alot of games were destined to have empty seats in the stadium. The first few days of football done nothing to calm the fears of games failing to sell out and we have seen crowd problems although up until now there has been no reports of racism.
Lewandowski, a threat all game.
We kicked off with Poland v Greece followed by Russia v Czech Republic. The opening game was what we have come to expect from these tournaments; a passionate crowd with generally lacklusture football. Both teams had a man sent off, Greece in particular can feel aggreived by what their red card, while the game finished 1-1. The lone star was clearly Borussia Dortmund striker Lewandowski for Poland who netted the first goal of the Euros, with Salpigidis equalising for Greece.
Final Score; Poland 1 - 1 Greece
Arshavin was at his very best.
Russia v Czech proved a much more thrilling match, with Andrey Arshavin proving the spark for the Russians as he has done time and again. He was wayward at Arsenal but when a team is built around him, relying on him for the creative influence he truly does shine and looks a great player on his day. He pulled the strings as the Russians ran away 4-1 winners with Dzagoev finding the net
twice.
Final Score; Russia 4 - 1 Czech Republic
"Watch your legs!"..."Nuts! GOAL!"
Day 2, Saturday, was highly anticipate amongst football fans as many peoples early favorites Netherlands took on the 1992 shock winners, Denmark. The Dutch provided the flair and technique that makes them so easy on the eye but as Harry Redknapp pointed out at halftime, they are distinctly average at the back. The Danes managed to nick a goal through Krohn-Dehli halfway through the first halfhalf and proceeded to play counter attacking football, relying on the pace of an aging Rommedahl to scare the backline. It worked. As Holland fluffed chance after chance, at one point Van Persie managed to completely miss the ball on a half chance he has buried all year round. Things don't look good for the Dutch as this was the "easy" game in the group and matches are only going to get tougher.
Final Score; Netherlands 0 - 1 Denmark
Ronaldo lacked service all game.
Speaking of which Germany and Portugal entertained for the evening kickoff, in a hotly anticipated clash involving my pick for the tournament (Germany). The game was a huge let down, with sprayed passes missing their target and possession rarely kept. With the Portuguese deciding Ronaldo is best placed on the left wing, they struggled to get him involved in dangerous positions which was a shame, as the few times he had the ball he seemed to create a chance for his teammates. Mario Gomez, one of the most inform players at the tournament squeaked the game for the Germans with a header in the 72nd minute as the rest of the game played out, with little else happening until the ref blew the whistle to put us out of our misery.
Final Score; Germany 1 - 0 Portugal
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I have provided a video as a sample so you can see what we are all about;
On a must win night for the Miami Heat, who were unexpectedly (for most onlookers) one game away from elimination thanks to an "aging" Boston Celtics, they needed a royal performance from King James and he did not dissappoint.
Heat 98 - Celtics 79:
Celtics need better than 4-18 from PP.
Now I could break down the game quarter by quarter. I could analyse the performance of Rondo who put up 21/11 or the poor shooting again of Pierce and Allen. I could rant about Wade still suffereing a slump despite some 4th quarter buckets. I could even look into Bosh's extended minutes (28) and relatively low production, although this can be excused with only his 2nd game back. However doing any of this just diverts from the only really important factor of this game.
LeBron James.
45/14/5 entitles you to take a play off.
I think the ringless "king" must have heard the news that Durant was sniffing for the number 1 spot in the game. Not only did James come out on fire, he absolutely dominated the game, racking up 30points by halftime, giving the Heat at 13points lead. James was absolutely on fire last night, shooting 19-26 on route to 45 points, playing almost as many minutes (44) all while dropping 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 threes. He hit 14 jumpers, using glass, runners, low post moves or just bulldozing through the sea of green to take it hard to the hole. There was simply no strategy the cunning Rivers could draw up to slow this down. A breakout game (not to say he has struggled) was due and how he delivered.
LeBron did not only score he shut down Paul Pierce on the other end. The Truth contributed just 9points on 4-18 shooting, yes this was bad, and could find no way to help drag the Celtics into contention. James has made 4 1st all NBA defense teams and with performances like this it's not hard to see why. He uses his size to bully his man off the post, his quickness to avoid being beaten and he has the defensive awareness to guard muiltiple players. He understands when and who to rotate too while having the endurance to lock down his matchup all while torching them on the other end. Performances like this are only capable by a select few in the league and James does it the most consistently.
History with no hairline.
Recently the criticism has been harsh. His teammates, including his all world running buddy Dwyane Wade coasts through the first 3 quarters, have struggled to have any consistent impact against the Boston Celtics. He has done all he can averaging 34pts/10.8rbs/4ast/1stl/1blk in the conference finals. Read that line back and realise this is his AVERAGE. He is playing out of this world to keep the Heat within striking distance and has complained not once. This is historic territory LeBron is treading in, as the last player to have 45+/14+/5+ in a playoff game was Wilt Chamberlain with 50/15/6. That is the only other time someone has posted a line that meets this criteria in the postseason. MJ didn't do it neither did Bird, Magic, the Big O, Kareem. No one. With play like this if either Bosh or Wade can bring anything close to an A game the Heat are going to be a tough matchup for Game7 and the NBA Finals.
However in saying this if Allen or Pierce could add some genuine contribution to the efforts of Rondo and KG then regardless of LeBrons heroics the Celtics could easily win again in South Beach. In what looks like a fascinating game 7, its do or die time for the future HOF's and the King with no ring.
63 48. 59 36. 34 14 5. No not the winning lottery numbers. These are the only numbers that mattered in this game that could have gone either way.
TP was sensational for 24mins.
63-48 was the score at halftime in favor of San Antonio. They came out all guns blazing, with Stephen Jackson shooting 4-4 from long range and Tony Parker contributing 21/10 at the half! The Spurs were cool, calm and collected showing the mental fortitude that was expected from them, starting fast and not letting up. For the half the Spurs as a unit had shot over 60% and were looking like the team from the first 3 quarters of Game 2 that could just out execute anyone in the league. The only issue was the lack of rest in the 2nd quartter for Pop's aging stars as he refuesed to "spot the Thunder" a quarter as he so elequently put it throughout the series. The knock on effect of course was the worry to the fatigue issues this could create if the game got close in the final period.
Get outta here rookie.
59-36. The second half scoring for each respective team. However this time the Thunder were the team to run an efficient offense, clamp down on defense and have its star men perform. The 3rd quarter opened with a 11-2 run by the Thunder and they never looked back. They got the crowd back into the game early, which was vital for confidence and to knock the Spurs out of sync. Durant came out like a man on fire, but the rest of the team can't be ignored for their stellar contributions. Russell Westbrook was choosing his spots (25pts/8rbs/5ast) shooting an efficient 9-17 from the floor, while moving the ball and handing the keys over to James Harden late in the game to make plays. Harden himself came through with (16pts/4rbs/5ast) 3-4 on 3pt shots and orchestrated the Thunder into precise efficiient offensive sets. And finally an effective game from Derek Fisher, who like so many times in his career hit clutch shots, this time a running banker and corner 3 point bucket, as he chipped in with 9pts on 4-7 shooting. The game finished 107-99 for the OKC win, which could not have been possible without the contribution of the whole team to get it done.
It begins.
34-14-5. Kevin Durant's line for the night on just 17 shots, making 9. This does not even include the 2 blocks and steal, one block which was huge on a Kawhi Leonard breakaway dunk. Or the 4-8 from downtown. Or even the stellar 12-15 from the charity stripe (which for KD is actually a disappointing return). It seemed to being with his, what seemed impossible, last second 3 point make over Stephen Jackson to close the 2nd quarter. The shot gave the Thunder a little momentum going into the half, despite trailing 15, they knew the Spurs could not keep up their hot shooting all game long. Durant came out of the break taking San Antonino off the dribble, hitting pull up 3's from at least a foot beyond the line, driving into the teeth of the day and taking beautiful lay offs from Westbrook on the screen and roll. The 23year old transformed from superstar into the best player in the game. Not just in this game, or this series, but this final act for myself and many others cemented him as atop the pile. This is no slight to LeBron who is an unbelievably close second, but Durant has shown why in the 4th he is so feared (as he is throughout the game I must add). He can now lay it off for a teammate, take you off the dribble, knock down the long range bomb, cause nightmare mismatches on pick and rolls (or weakside pindown screens) and then kill you from the FT line if you think fouling makes sense. At 6'9 with a 7'5 wingspan there is not a single player in the league outside of LeBron who can hope to really knock him out of rhythm when he gets going and even that is a push.
What next for TD and the Spurs?
What next for these two franchises. The Spurs uncharacteristically blew a 15point lead at the half, which was the third biggest halftime lead to blow in playoff history, and genuinely seemed to crumble right in front of our eyes. The Spurs (Duncan in particular) even looked to the referee decisions, of which they did botch some calls, as an excuse for the loss. The refereeing has been questionable, as I have highlighted all series, but up until this point I thought it had swung in Spurs favor. Now with a big 3 who age another year, coming off an amazing year which can't be forgotten, it will be interesting to see what happens in free agency for this team. Who do they chase, if anybody? I'm hearing rumors they want Roy Hibbert and I definitely think this would be a major coup, he would slot right in and give them a legit big man to prolong Duncan's career.
4th qtr of the finals? I need a hug.
The Thunder? Welcome to America's and the NBA's new darlings. They built the team the "right way" through the draft, brought in hardworking talented players and got it all to piece together int 4 years. Greg Popovich post game labelled them the "best offensive team" during his tenure as Spurs head coach, quite the high praise. Couple this with a humble, young star in Durant and the sky is the limit. They have reached NBA finals with an average age of 23-24 and yet this only feels like the beginning. We know the West powerhouse's will be back, but OKC have taken out the last 3 Western Conference finals representatives of the last 10+years (Lakers, Spurs, Dallas) and will look to take on another champion in either the Celtics and Heats. They are my early favorite no matter who they matchup with, I think this team is playing a brand of basketball that can't be matched right now.
Shirts of Champions.
Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I did. Basketball at its best, with two fantastic teams going at it and what seemed like a changing of guard in the NBA. With the now heir apparent atop the Western Conference, lets just enjoy the finals and appreciate the fantastic basketball we have been treated to so far.
Also the Thunder deserved this series just on fashion style points alone.
Another pivotal Game 5 following OKC's win over San Antonio the previous night. This one was set up to be quite the match up, as news of Chris Bosh returning to the court was leaked before tip off (all be it off the bench). So with the Celtics taking their talents to South Beach the stage was set for an Eastern Conference war.
Celtics 94 - Heat 90:
Best thing Miami offered all night.
The first half was a case of Miami's Big Three against Rondo and his role players. LeBron was already dominating play with (18/9) hitting running bankers, floaters, taking numerous Celtics off the low post and just genuinely dominating play on both sides of the ball. He was finding little help however as Wade continued to struggle in all quarters that are not the fourth, as he sat on 7points on just 3-9 shooting (the Heat as a team shot 36% with 11TO's). If Miami wanted to win this game they needed more consistent play from "Flash" who had so far coasted throughout most of the series and until Game 4 against the Pacers, he has coasted through the playoffs.
Bosh was effective in limited time.
Bosh however suffered from no such problems, as he came on to a rousing ovation from the Heat crowd who recognise his importance having watched their team go through numerous offensive droughts since his injury. As they say you don't know what you got till its gone and this could not apply more so than to Bosh whose stock has risen exponentially this postseason. He came in at that half shooting just 3-7 but had 6rebounds, 5 of which offensive, and totaled 9 points. He also brought hustle and energy to a Miami frontcourt devoid of any real offensive abilities and briefly opened up the game for the Heat, but his shortcomings on defense were exposed by KG. Put this down to lack of game time as well as a genuine lack of defensive ability.
Rondo, like LeBron, was excellent for his team, keeping Boston in it at 42-40 at the half with 3pts/4ast/3reb/3stl but shooting just 1-8FG. However Rondos shooting percentage was not an overly great concern for Rivers as he can still control and effect the game like few others despite his shooting woes. Brandon Bass stepped up in the first two quarters with (10/3) which was critical as Allen shot just 1-4 and Pierce 2-10. The Celtics despite shooting 33% for the half were right were they needed to be, down 2 and with the security of knowing they could execute well enough offensively to at least get either Pierce or Allen going.
KG was on fire all night.
In the 3rd Celtics continued to double on Wade despite his struggles, in the knowledge he could shake loose, and the gameplan was clearly getting to him. The Celtics on the other hand opened with back to back lob passes down low to KG, exposing the same flaw they have in the Heat's frontcourt all series. James meanwhile had managed to total a double double by just the 9minute mark in the 3rd Quarter with his 10th rebound collected. Miami used LeBron's energy to spark a 9-0 run to break out to a 59-50 lead and it looked as if the Heat would finally put a stranglehold on their ageing opponents. However Rondo had other ideas and managed to put Boston on a run of its own, finishing the quarter 65-60 on a 3point corner shot from Dooling. During this run Garnett (26/11) who was huge for the game, also had a throwback moment as he put James Jones on a poster on a delayed fast break dunk through the lane.
The final period was a question of who would step up first, Wade or Pierce, the two teams best closers to help take the 3-2 lead in this series. The Heat even got help from Norris Cole, remember him, as he chased down Rondo on the fastbreak with a momentum changing steal from behind. This lifted a somewhat muted crowd in South Beach but it wasn't quite enough. Following the block of the playoffs from Wade on Bass, in one swift motion Rondo "outjumped" LeBron for the one handed rebound kickout to Pietrus on in the corner. It is these kind of special plays that make Rondo such a unique point guard and so special to these Celtics. I have flirted with the idea of them trading him in the past but the way he has played recently, the heart and leadership he has shown, it is up there with the very best of them.
One man show. Too often this series.
Miami struggled with transition defense all night long, whether of makes or misses, and was no more evident than when Wade hit a double clutch pump layup over three Celtics defenders to take the lead. However off the make within 5 seconds Pierce had driven to the hold and drawn two free throws (of which he made both). Celtics defense on the other hand was superb, switching between man and zone defense and even a man to man defense disguised as zone. This threw Miami off their gameplan, struggling to read what was given to them especially with no real point guard in the team.
The Truth came through. Again.
Then came the clutch. Wade had contributed 15points in the 4th but it was Pierce who stole the show. On just 6-19 shooting for the night Pierce hit the biggest 3 of the series. Following a block on a Lebron layup attempt from KG, Pierce dribbled down the clock at the top of the 3 points line, eyed up James, and just rose above him to drill a 3 with 52 seconds left and push the score to 90-86 in Boston's favor. Another game 5 win for Boston, who are 9-0 in Game 5's since 2008, as Rivers completely outclassed Spolestra on defensive schemes, offensive adjustments and effective plays out of time outs. Spolestra refused to bring Bosh back for the 4th, citing fatigue and pressure, but this seemed ridiculous given the occasion. This disparity in coaching abilities is what I feel completely swings the series back in Boston's favor.
A critical game in the series. Spurs hold a season record of 34-5 at home and were yet to suffer defeat on their home floor in the post season. The Thunder have been for the past few years a good team away from home and playing a lot of games in close succession. This one had all the ingredients of a classic.
Thunder 108 - Spurs 103:
A crucial game for the series opened in spectacularly odd fashion. Within 30 seconds Ibaka was in foul trouble and went to the bench for Collison for the rest of the 1st quarter. Then at the 10minute mark OKC already found themselves in foul trouble and were in the bonus with a huge chunk of the quarter in jeopardy. However the Thunder didn't panic, adjusted its defense and took the game to the aging Spurs. With only Manu Ginobli seemingly willing to attack the teeth of the defense (who started his first game all playoffs, desperation?) the Spurs failed to capitalise on the foul trouble and OKC close out the opening period 26-21; spurred on by Collison's 6pts on 3-3 shooting, foul trouble to Diaw and Duncan while also forcing the often vaunted Spurs ball-handlers into 8 turnovers. Even better for OKC was that they had done all this with Durant shooting just 1-6.
TD battled foul trouble early on.
The Spurs started to look almost flustered by the occasion, including Popovich, who while in the 5th game of these Western Conference Finals still couldn't seem to make up his mind regarding his rotation. He had previously mentioned getting his best players more floor time to combat the Thunder but it didn't seem as if he was sure who exactly this was. Green was benched and struggling. Neal was way wide on all his shots. He brought on Bonner for a grand total of 50seconds before subbing him back out.DeJaun Blair, the "Thunder Killer", managed a whopping 6minutes. While Pop figured out his desired rotation, due to foul trouble the Thunder brought on Cook for his first meaningful appearance and he swiftly contributed 8points (2 3's) in 3minutes to stretch the game to 40-32 midway through the 2nd. Manu kept the Spurs close throughout, as he was up to 14points by halftime and single-handedly keeping San Antonio within striking distance. That half closed 52-44 and it felt like it could have been a lot more with SA turning it over 11 times and shooting just 39%. Westbrook had proven that he could run the team, besides more struggles shooting he posted 10pts/7ast/2tos/3stls at the half, with KD on just 5/4 and failing to register a shot attempt in the 2nd quarter.
OKC started after the after with two straight turnovers, as Spurs capitalised with a 6-0 run to pull it to 52-50. This seemed to stun the Thunder as the ball movement ground to a halt, Serge got in quick foul trouble again (the 8minute mark). Spurs seemed to sense a momentum shift and duly picked up on it continuing the run to go on a 18-4 run, with again Ginobli being the catalyst. Again the quarter was plagued by foul trouble as Sefolosha, Ibaka and Duncan found themselves on 4 fouls. Just as the spurs sensed they could take this in the quarter Oklahoma went on a furious rally, going 20-5 to close out the quarter (81-72) on a turnaround fade-away by Durant at the buzzer. Westbrook and Durant ran the pick and roll to perfection toward the end of the 3rd, giving the Spurs defense fits as the two best players opened up the whole floor for their team.
"He's on fire!" ouch it hurts!
Entering the 4th quarter the Spurs seemed down and out as the Thunder continued their dominance stretching the game to 101-88. Then Ginobli decided to have one last push, hitting 3 pointers, driving to the rim and setting up teammates to pull it to a 2 point game. Duncan and Parker contributed but never felt like they were dominating their defensive assignment, instead just playing a role instead of a "big 3" force they need to be to win. Ginobli did find help from Stephen Jackson as he brought intensity and hustle on both ends of the court, while contributing 13points (3 of which were beyond the arc) as he seemed to step up when nobody else would.
"Big Game" James?
Crunch time. Down 2 and with Durant struggling to find space in the 4th like he did in the 3rd, Harden had the ball at the top of the 3 point line trying to create for KD. With 7 seconds to go and nothing on he checked the shot clock, dropped a crossover on Leonard and rose up for the 3. Nothing but net. Game set and match as the Thunder closed out perhaps their most impressive victory of the postseason yet 108-103.
The once daunting Spurs, most peoples favorites to win only a week ago, now find themselves staring up at the young energetic Thunder needing a win at Oklahoma's fortress to stay alive. While OKC seem to be transitioning from young aggressive upstarts to kings of the west way ahead of any optimistic schedule. Now is a big test, the close out game at home, to make the NBA finals against the most successful team in basketball of the last 15years.
In the past two nights we have had to contrasting styles of NBA basketball. One grind it out, low scoring, physically defensive slug fest in the East (that reached 184points combined with OT) and a flowing, offensively focused, execution based heavyweight bout in the West (212 points in regulation).
WCF Game 4: Thunder 109 - Spurs 103;
In an absolutely crucial game 4, the Thunder and their home crowd came out roaring. They knew how key it was to tie up the series before returning to San Antonio, where they now need to win at least one game (Spurs are currently 6-0 at home in the playoffs), thanks to the inspired play of Kevin Durant and the Thunder front court.
There were many questions before the game; What adjustments would Popovich make after the game 3 mauling? Could the Spurs halt their turnovers against this active OKC defense? Could Parker shake lose Sefolosha to free himself up and get this Spurs squad going?
Blair finally got time. Effective too. No really
To address the above Popovich started with the same lineup to start the game, while running the same high screen and roll game that brought success throughout the playoffs this year. The spurs ball movement was better, more precise and quicker from strong to weak side. One of the expected introductions was DeJaun Blair, known as the "Thunder Killer" in Oklahoma, although this wasn't till midway through the 3rd Quarter. His contribution was immediate, which involves clogging the lane, playing tough basketball on both ends and keeping the Thunder bigs occupied as the Spurs closed the quarter on an 18-7 run shortly after his introduction.
The Spurs stopped all form of turnovers, committing 10 for the game, 6 of which were uncharacteristically from Manu Ginobli. This limited the transition fast break points for the Thunder, which wasn't of great importance this game as OKC decided that they can pass and execute just as well as their counterparts.
Parker was again limited to a low output, 12points on 5-15 shooting, with just 4 assists. He needs to find a way to get around Sefolosha's smothering defense if he has any intention of making an impact on this series.
You mean we are allowed shots tonight?
The Thunder were paced by their big men in this one. Perkins, Collison and Ibaka combined for 22-25 shooting (49points and 16rbs combined). Serge Ibaka was historically good, shooting a perfect 11-11FG and 4-4FT (2nd best "perfect" shooting performance in NBA playoff history), dropping in layups, putbacks, dunks and 18 foot jump shots. This stretched the Spurs defense, catching them unaware and made Pop's troops play a game of pick your poison.
With the OKC big men deciding this was the game for their breakout party, Harden and Westbrook struggled shooting a combined 6-23 (18pts/12ast/11rbs combined). However, Westbrook in particular, acknowledged early on his touch was off (2-10) and adjusted accordingly. He moved the ball on the perimeter, kept the Spurs on their toes with his drive and kick game while playing all world defense on the Spurs ball handlers.
Kid Clutch. Durantuala. Mr 4th Quarter. Or just KD.
Finally, Kevin Durant, will show up in the final segment of this report just as he did in the final quarter of game 4 for OKC. With the period opening up 75-71 in advantage of the home team and Duncan keeping it to withing 4 at 86-82, Durant took over. He proceeded to score 18 of his 36 points (36pts/8ast/6rbs) in the final 7minutes. At one point Durant scored 16 straight points for Thunder, which was interrupted only by a dump off pass from Durant through a double team to an open Harden for a back breaking 3. He used floaters, fadeaways, post up move and alleyoops to put the nail in San Antonio, showing an array of moves that few can rival in the league. Durant scored over Parker, Jackson and Leonard in the stretch as he adjusted to whatever the Spurs threw his way and made them pay with either superior quickness, height or length. Despite this after the game KD stated he believes he can continue to improve in these situations and grow as a player, showing humility and the drive that got him to this stage in the first place. Gary Neal afterward plainly said "all you can do is hope he misses" and Pop calmly snapped "he witnessed Durant take over" with no defensive scheme standing a chance.
"Eww whats that on his head?"
Game 5 is tonight, back in San Antonio with what sets to be a pivotal point in the series. Will the Spurs finally lose on home field? Can the OKC role players turn up again? Will Durant burn them for more than just a quarter now that they have left home comforts?
Prediction - I'm going to be bold and go for OKC by 10.
A night full of potential, a raucous sell out crowd and the two best teams in the league as of right now in a potentially decisive (for OKC at least) game 3. And it did not disappoint for 2 and half quarters. A lot to cover on this one but here we go.
OKC 102 - Spurs 82:
Scott Brooks said pregame he planned to stick with what the Thunder had been doing, play and hard and attack the shooters. He claimed that no drastic changes were needed, which he needed to do so the young upstart team didn't get disheartened. However this was far from the truth as from the tipoff the Thunder went after this in a different manner from Game 2 especially.
Happy Slap TV!
OKC came flying out the blocks and raced to an 8-0 lead. They were causing havoc on the defensive end, switching defensive assignments and denying entry into the lane (as best possible) to disrupt the super efficient drive and kick game that Tony Parker had dissected them with in San Antonio. When Parker lined up for the high screen and roll at the top of the key instead of leaving Westbrook to fight through the screen and close him out alone, the Thunder big men hedged Parker away from driving the lane. This forced him into spots he was not accustomed to and passing the ball up to other teammates, taking the Spurs stalwart out of the rhythm generated in the previous two encounters. The Thunder bigs throughout were phenomenal, closing out the space for the Spurs ball-handlers, forcing them out of the flow of the vaunted Spurs offense or into isolation plays.
"Perkins, on the perimeter?!"
At one stage Perkins took it upon himself to close out Ginobli on the perimeter, challenging him to a duel at the top of the three point line and succeeding with a block and fastbreak alley-oop for the Thunder. Following this play and throughout the first half Perkins was having a back and forth with the courtside TNT crew, apparently unhappy with Game 2 comments regarding his lackluster defense. You tell'em Perk, show that hard man act you worked so hard on by starting on retired announcers, that will show the world you mean business.
Get used to this TP
Now in the ECF Game 2 we saw a monumental effort by Rondo to keep the Celtics close. Well in this game there was nothing quite of that stature but Sefolosha put in a series changing performance. His play has been something I called for previously to put on Parker as his length, defensive prowess and 3pt ability would cause problems for the Spurs. Well he finished with 19pts, 40%3pt and 6 steals and a blocked shot. He harassed Parker into 5 TO's and caused mayhem for the Spurs perimeter offense all night long. His presence was invaluable as he played almost double the minutes as Fisher and Harden was limited to "genuine" 6th man minutes at 26min. This allowed the Thunder to use him as a spark as appose to a constant threat, which gives OKC more options and less predictability.
The influence of Sefolosha was even more apparent as the Thunder went small with Westbrook, Harden, Sefolosha, Durant and (Perk/Ibaka or Collison). The length and athleticism allowed the Thunder to switch on all rotations and cause the Spurs to play isolation sets and play inside out through Duncan (who shot 5-15 in just 26min). Now TD missed some shots you can rely on him making but this strategy clearly worked for Scott Brooks as the fluidity of the Spurs offense evaporated and they were caused to go one on one with the Thunder. Considering I have already stated my belief that as individual players the Thunder are more talented this worked heavily against the Spurs as the team element that makes them so dangerous was no longer a factor.
TD seriously. Use Sure. Phew
Now although Westbrook had his least impressive statline of this series so far (10pts/9ast/7rbs/4stls/2blks) which is still pretty good, it was the way in which he ran the offense that made the difference. On one play he played a beautiful drive, got three Spurs defenders in the air and mid flight wrapped the ball around all of them into James Harden for the corner three (Rondo style). His offense was calm, collected and he encouraged from the offset and trickled down into the team throughout. The other Thunder man under the spotlight, Serge Ibaka (14pts/5-9FG), finally started to hit down those open jumpers as well which allowed for easier attacks at the rim for Durant and co.
Finally the referees finally had a presentable game for the first time in either conference final. Both teams went to the line 15 and 19 times respectively, while Fisher was the only representative in serious foul trouble (5 in 20 minutes, his defensive liability is shocking). They missed a goaltend on a Serge Ibaka block but they generally let these guys play, although they still called "soft" fouls (handcheck rule) but this is an NBA problem and not a series issue.
For game 4 we know Popovich will adjust. Perhaps give DeJaun Blair will see more time as he posted (10/6) in 9 minutes and brought a toughness to the team, ableit in garbage time. The Spurs will come back on Saturday, move the ball and bring new schemes to counter the Thunder. This is now on Scott Brooks to adjust again and not rely on the same formula to get the victory because that will not work. So even though the momentum is with OKC, Spurs streak got snapped and it was a blowout that the Spurs haven't suffered in months, the advantage still feels like its in San Antonio's camp and the Thunder are playing catchup. Game 4 could change this and with that crowd behind them again don't put it past OKC to take another one, but can they summon this sense of urgency again? That remains to be seen.
Prediction - OKC to win by 5.
Oh and congratulations to Timmy Duncan for becoming the ALL TIME leader in blocks in the playoffs. Just another medal on this HOF career.
