Game Thread: Western Conference Finals: OKC Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs

[bksballer89]

For sure and I don't see anyone immediatly blaming. What i see and feel is sour grapes thinking if only they were healthy.

Is what it is but for sure the spurs scoring 120 makes me sick yet the grizzles and clips did the same to us and the thunder overcame that.

Not flipping my lid over game one. It's a long series.

Last time these 2 teams met, Spurs held serve in the first 2 before OKC ran off 4 straight. BTW SAS put up 120 in one of the first 2 games in that series as well

 

[trojanfan12]

I'll be 53 later this month.

And to be clear, I think NBA refs often influence the results of games because in general they make so many bad calls. Historically, the home team gets more of the 50/50 calls, hence the importance of home court when 2 good teams are competing in a series.

Example. Inaccurately calling a 2 nd foul on a key player early in the 1st qtr can force a coach to make game altering changes from that point.

Yesterday, the refs were not even close to being the reason the Heat lost.
They were out-everythinged for basically the entire game.

Turned 52 last week, so yep, basically the same age. No question the refs can influence a game. They can influence just by whether or not they are calling the game "tight" or whether they "let them play". But they don't cost teams games.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

SPURS are dropping 20 point beatdowns on everyone these days


That offense might be the offense that I have ever seen from the Popovich era.


it is not some "gimmicky" run and gun offense. It is just a precision well oiled passing machine.


They simply don't take any bad shots.


All the shot don't always go in. They don't always win, but the offense just seems to always generate the best possible shot for each circumstance.

Agreed... definitely the best passing team ... There as unselfish as it comes...

 

[trojanfan12]

Last time these 2 teams met, Spurs held serve in the first 2 before OKC ran off 4 straight. BTW SAS put up 120 in one of the first 2 games in that series as well

That was 2 years ago. Plus, this Spurs team is on a mission to get back to the finals and get the title that they let slip away last year.

 

[trojanfan12]

SPURS are dropping 20 point beatdowns on everyone these days


That offense might be the offense that I have ever seen from the Popovich era.


it is not some "gimmicky" run and gun offense. It is just a precision well oiled passing machine.


They simply don't take any bad shots.


All the shot don't always go in. They don't always win, but the offense just seems to always generate the best possible shot for each circumstance.

I'm not certain there has ever been a more consistent team in league history than the Spurs under Pop. No matter how the game is going, they just keep running their stuff and trusting their system. Because of that, they almost never beat themselves.

 

[bksballer89]

I understand that TF12 but I'm just saying as a Thunder fan, I'm not driving myself crazy. The offense scored well but they need more from a few more guys but the Spurs aren't scoring 120 every game

 

[trojanfan12]

I understand that TF12 but I'm just saying as a Thunder fan, I'm not driving myself crazy. The offense scored well but they need more from a few more guys but the Spurs aren't scoring 120 every game

Agreed. I just don't know that they could beat the Spurs even with Ibaka. The Spurs are just playing at a different level than rest of the league right now.

The Thunder definitely have the talent, even without Ibaka, to turn this around and win it. But beating a team like the Spurs 4 times in the regular season is a whole different thing than beating them 4 out of 7. The Nets just learned that lesson courtesy of the Heat.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Turned 52 last week, so yep, basically the same age. No question the refs can influence a game. They can influence just by whether or not they are calling the game "tight" or whether they "let them play". But they don't cost teams games.

Game 7 West finals 1993 ... Sonics vs Suns...

Suns 64 free throw attempts ... 57 points from the free throw line... 41% shooting from the field
Sonics 36 free throw attempts... 28 points from the free throw line.... 50% shooting from the field

Suns win 123 - 110

NBA get's there Barkley vs Jordan match-up .... 64 FREE THROWS!!!!!!! Buried the Sonics... It was all one sided and it was all BS... Even Seattle players said there is nothing good to take from this loss... It stunk... Refs made dam sure the Suns were in the finals that year.... PERIOD...

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

They have scored 109, 111, 116, 114, 118, 92, 104, 125 in their last 8 games.


They are doing it all in the halfcourt mostly. It is not some crazy Phoenix Suns running offense.


Its fun to watch. For years, the Spurs were known for grinding it out 81-78 games.
The Spurs spent the first 15 years of Duncan being forced to play a sluggish physical defensive style.


They can still win with defense, but they also have offensive firepower as well.

 

[ThruTheEyesOfRuby]

to the Spurs. Didn't catch the game but, indeed, very unusual to see a score like "122" next to their name. Kudos.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Turned 52 last week, so yep, basically the same age. No question the refs can influence a game. They can influence just by whether or not they are calling the game "tight" or whether they "let them play". But they don't cost teams games.

I don't quite follow that thinking as a general statement.

If the refs made a bad call against Kobe ( his now 2 nd foul) early in the first qtr which forces him to sit 8 minutes, and then call a ticky tack foul against him early in the 2 nd qtr when he returns forcing him to sit numerous minutes for the remainder of the half, how can you say that couldn't easily cost the
team the game?

I think the refs more than likely cost the Clippers game 5.
You can't say with certainty that the Clippers would have made FT's, but the call giving the ball to Ok City was horrible regardless of the lame rule interpretation that was handed out the next day.

 

[trojanfan12]

Game 7 West finals 1993 ... Sonics vs Suns...

Suns 64 free throw attempts ... 57 points from the free throw line... 41% shooting from the field
Sonics 36 free throw attempts... 28 points from the free throw line.... 50% shooting from the field

Suns win 123 - 110

NBA get's there Barkley vs Jordan match-up .... 64 FREE THROWS!!!!!!! Buried the Sonics... It was all one sided and it was all BS... Even Seattle players said there is nothing good to take from this loss... It stunk... Refs made dam sure the Suns were in the finals that year.... PERIOD...

If the NBA is so crooked, why watch? There is no conspiracy and the refs don't rig games. And players from the losing team crying about the refs doesn't help your case.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

The Spurs were in cruise control in the regular season. Popovich knows what it takes to get to the playoffs and then he has the team lite it up. No coach has done as much with so little

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't quite follow that thinking as a general statement.

If the refs made a bad call against Kobe ( his now 2 nd foul) early in the first qtr which forces him to sit 8 minutes, and then call a ticky tack foul against him early in the 2 nd qtr when he returns forcing him to sit numerous minutes for the remainder of the half, how can you say that couldn't easily cost the
team the game?

I think the refs more than likely cost the Clippers game 5.
You can't say with certainty that the Clippers would have made FT's, but the call giving the ball to Ok City was horrible regardless of the lame rule interpretation that was handed out the next day.

Bad calls happen all of the time. It's up to the players to adjust to the game and if a couple of bad calls are made and a star player has to sit out more than normal, it's up to his teammates to pick up the slack.

The refs did NOT cost the Clippers that game and giving the ball to OKC was the correct call. The league even came back after the review and said as much. The rule that showed it was the correct call was shown during the game. The only thing that the refs got wrong on that was the ham-handed way that they explained it.

Replays clearly showed Barnes hand on the Thunder players wrist as well. There were actually 2 possible correct calls. OKC ball out of bounds or a foul on Barnes and free throws for OKC.


Along with making their free throws, how about if CP3 doesn't turn the ball over twice and foul Westbrook shooting a 3 in the last 50 seconds? That might have helped.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

I hope Diaw is fine for game 2 though....


That Adams dude always seems to be involved in some injury to the opponents.


I don't think he did it on purpose, but he is a danger to anyone on the court with his flailing elbows and knees.

 

[ThruTheEyesOfRuby]

I'm not certain there has ever been a more consistent team in league history than the Spurs under Pop. No matter how the game is going, they just keep running their stuff and trusting their system. Because of that, they almost never beat themselves.

There is a ton to be said for that. They just don't get phased. Hard not to respect a team that can spit out ice cubes when boiling water is forced down it's throat.

 

[bksballer89]

Adams is a bitch

 

[Kold]

If someone else can take over the offense consistently when TP gets guarded by a longer defender, u can cancel the conference and nba finals.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Bad calls happen all of the time. It's up to the players to adjust to the game and if a couple of bad calls are made and a star player has to sit out more than normal, it's up to his teammates to pick up the slack.

The refs did NOT cost the Clippers that game and giving the ball to OKC was the correct call. The league even came back after the review and said as much. The rule that showed it was the correct call was shown during the game. The only thing that the refs got wrong on that was the ham-handed way that they explained it.

Replays clearly showed Barnes hand on the Thunder players wrist as well. There were actually 2 possible correct calls. OKC ball out of bounds or a foul on Barnes and free throws for OKC.

Most NBA teams have 1 or 2 players that are much more talented then the other players on the roster.
It's not near as easy as you want to make it seem for some other player to just step in and pick up the slack.

People here are debating how much of a difference Ibaka would have made.
Why couldn't the Thunder who had time to prepare for the game without him come up with a solution?



As far as the Clippers, as discussed earlier, you can't call a foul from viewing a replay, and the refs explanation AT THE TIME was wrong. Their explanation when it happened ( couldn't tell who touched it last) had nothing to do with what as said by the league after the fact.

The poor play leading up to the bad call made it much more critical, but so what?

Many times teams blow late leads but still find a way to win the game.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

I have never seen so many Miami Heat fans so worked up about the Spurs winning - they must be really scared of the Spurs bad enough to pee in their pants - but if they are that upset - Walmart as adult diapers they can buy and wear - lmao