Search Results for: duncan
63. 36. The perfect mirroring of the two halves perfectly mirrored the 2 distinct phases of this series. For 24 minutes (and 2 games), the Spurs were the Spurs we’ve seen all season, running an immaculate offense, getting every shot they wanted (and hitting a good portion of them) and running roughshod over whatever the Thunder threw at them. With the building a complete ruckus, the Spurs came out quickly…
Got ‘em right where we want them. The rush to crown the Spurs champs after 10 playoff wins was premature; the rush to bury them and claim the Thunder as the Western powerhouse for the next decade is probably likewise premature. The truth is, 5 games have been played between these two teams, 3 have been insanely close and contested, 1 has been kind of close but mostly controlled by…
In most ways, that last play kind of sums up the last 5 days. Down 3, we get a miracle turnover and the ball back with about 15 seconds left and a chance to tie. This is the Spurs bread and butter, play calling, execution, getting good shots out of time-outs. And…I’m not quite sure what happened. I didn’t see any discernible play (which is rare from Pop); Duncan passed…
The old pivot game. Statistically speaking, whichever team wins this game will most likely go on to win the series. Erase everything that has happened in Games 1-4, as they only matter tangentially. These teams are dead even, and the 4 games have more or less borne out that truth. Here are some thoughts heading into Game 5 Monday night: –In the 2 games in OKC, the 2nd quarter was…
I’m no great basketball mind…but I do think about it. A lot. Particularly after my team gets pasted in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder made a lot of key adjustments after losing the first 2 games, overwhelming the Spurs and winning easily. As the script goes, it’s time for Pop’s counters. Again, I’m no great basketball mind. But here are many of the things I’ve been…
The problem with waiting a night for a recap in the Western Conference Finals is that within 24 hours, pretty much every corner of the basketball world has already written five articles about the game. Plus, unlike Game 1, Game 2 really had no cohesive narrative structure. So I’ll fall back on my old trick, bullet points. Here we go: • The Spurs offense reached near orgasmic perfection in the…
The ‘Inside the Huddle’ moments of NBA games are usually fairly innocuous, showing coaches giving tired cliches and non-emotional motivation to the team. This is by design, of course, as the broadcasts can’t actually show any sort of strategy on live TV during the game. Still, I always get a kick out of hearing Pop mic’d up. And tonight might have been my favorite moment ever inside a huddle, showing…
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, these Western Conference Finals are going to be a mutual admiration society. For all the rhetoric of the Spurs being the “model” franchise, there is really only one team that has successfully replicated the formula to any degree of success. It’s not surprising that Oklahoma City would find success in mimicking the Spurs, given the strong ties between front offices, management, and…
Hey, we won a close game down the stretch using superior execution and chemistry to overwhelm a quality opponent. Who knew we still had it in us? In all seriousness, winning Game 4 and closing out the 2nd round series in that manner was probably more important than winning another blowout would have been impressive. Like it or not, the tight games are coming, and while the team’s dominance has…
In honor of the victory on Tony Parker’s 30th birthday on May 17th, 17 thoughts on the game, the series, and the playoffs. Let’s start with the birthday boy. Tony Parker had a nice bounce back game, throwing in a game high 22 points. More impressive to me, though, was the toughness and the defense. When the game got ugly and physical in the 2nd quarter, Parker put his head…
