Duncan’s first title was achieved as he played second fiddle and learned from another Hall of Famer in David Robinson.
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Russell Westbrook tries to bring Oklahoma City back, but Steven Adams has to tip in his miss.
“Getting off to a rough start, trying to generate a little offense, trying to get some stops”, Donovan said of why he stuck with the starters.
“The guys in our locker room are going to want to come back and respond”. “We’ve just got to play better”.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard outscored the Thunder 45-40 in the first half. Green’s season-long shooting slump – he finished at 33 percent from beyond the arc – was offset by his development into an All-NBA defender, but without his shooting, the Spurs’ offense would not be capable of what they did in Game 1.
Most people probably had the Spurs winning Game 1, but I don’t think many people would have predicted such a margin of victory for what is supposed to be a tight series. The San Antonio run was ending, and Oklahoma City promised to own the conference for a decade. “Whether he makes shots or doesn’t, he’s our starting two-guard. It was just a steady kind of improvement and recognition as the year went on”.
“Just one of those games”, Aldridge said. He’s always allowed to take those threes. We’ve got to go out and contest more shots.
They were led by Aldridge’s 38 points (on 18-of-23 shooting) and six boards, and Leonard’s 25 points (10/13 FG), five rebounds and five assists, as well as some lockdown defence on both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
“New players, different system”, Green said. “I felt like our defense was really locked in”. “I just tried to stay confident the whole game”. Me personally, I never look at the guy in front of me.
The Thunder hardly fired a shot all night, toggling between pitiful pick-and-roll coverage, woeful transition defence and poor ball movement on offence as they let the Spurs dictate from the off with a disconcertingly dominant all-round display.
Their 33-point lead heading into halftime is the sixth time in National Basketball Association history that a team had 33-plus lead at the end of two quarters. Durant (16 points) was also quiet; with the game out of hand early, he never established a rhythm. Durant is no slouch on defense but Leonard is a superstar not only because of his defensive prowess but his offensive game has improved dramatically and his ability to shoot outside and get into the paint will be a challenge for Durant. Parker’s assists per game, 5.3, is down from his prime of three and four years ago, but his turnovers are way down, too.
“For me, it’s just running the team and making sure they’re in the right position and have the ball in a good rhythm”, Parker said. “So it’s an easy job for me”.
The Spurs are now 8-0 in Game 1s after a sweep in the previous series under Gregg Popovich. “Move on”, said the NBA’s 2014 MVP Kevin Durant. Incidentally, San Antonio was the last team to accomplish this feat during the 2006 NBA Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings. There’s got to be more of an urgency for us than there was yesterday. The Thunder have always been this. All around, they’re going to change the game plan on him, and he’s going to have to be ready for that.
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During an otherwise respectable regular season, OKC’s biggest crime was an inability to beat the Warriors – join the club – and settling in as the third wheel in the West. That, coupled with a five-game first-round series with Dallas put the Thunder where they thought they belonged all along: a showdown with San Antonio.
