Leonard and Aldridge accounted for 63 points while totaling 51 minutes as the Spurs ripped Oklahoma City 124-92 in Game 1 of the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals.
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It couldn’t have gone much better for the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 against the Thunder on Saturday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs do battle in Game 2 tonight at the AT&T Center.
San Antonio Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge goes up for a shot against Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during their first round playoff matchup.
Leonard and Aldridge combined for 45 points in the first half as San Antonio never trailed in the game and shot 82 percent as a team in the opening quarter. Serge Ibaka led the team in scoring with 19 points, but that’s where the highlights stop, as Kevin Durant scored just 16 points while Russell Westbrook shot five of 19 for his 14 points.
On Saturday night against No. 3 seed OKC and their dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Leonard and free agent acquisition LaMarcus Aldridge showed the world what life after Tim Duncan will look like.
After watching film and getting some of the frustration out of his system in a Sunday practice (Monday, NZT), Adams told reporters in San Antonio that the mood in the Thunder camp ahead of Monday’s (Tuesday, NZT) game two was decidedly prickly. If OKC comes out with anything short of its strongest sense of urgency, Game 2 could be over quickly, too, if the Spurs get on a roll early.
While everything was clicking for the Spurs, it was very different for the Thunder who never really had a chance since the opening tip. “We’ve got to do a lot of things better than we did yesterday”.
“It was just one of those nights”.
Westbrook shook his head and cringed when he saw Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan signal for him to run a play after the Thunder’s electric point guard slowly brought the ball upcourt and looked toward the bench in an apparent desire for a timeout with San Antonio up 17-6.
I called him out in January for his less-than-stellar play as he transitioned into the Spurs offense and adjusted his game to fit their team concept. Aldridge (25 points) and Leonard (20) outscored the Thunder by themselves.
The Thunder didn’t just have to deal with San Antonio’s choreographed offense, but with the Spurs’ equally confusing and stifling defense. It happens to everybody in the National Basketball Association, and perhaps that’s what happened [in Game 1].
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“Being able to do everything on the floor, shoot, get in the paint, post, create shots for his teammates”, Leonard said of Durant’s skills. No news of retirement after this season has been reported, but it figures if this team wins another title, he could ride out of town knowing there is nothing more he could have done in the game. The Spurs led by 23 points after 12 minutes. “I think what they did is they put us in some tough situations on the defensive end”.
