Spurs Run Thunder in Game 2

Tonight the Thunder started off clueless against the Spurs pick and roll game. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were successfully able to get to the rim all night because of the Spurs’ big men relentlessly screening Russell Westbrook. He was left on an island all by himself because Thunder big men did not want to leave Tim Duncan wide open down in the post as a result of helping Westbrook. The Spurs started off dominating the game even though Duncan had an awful performance on from the field. Duncan was able to get open in the paint was either not able to make the shot or had trouble getting a hold of the ball. Great ball movement from Parker and Ginobili allowed Kawhi Leonard and other Spurs role players to get open shots.  The Spurs also played superior defense in the first half as Durant was the only Thunder really able to get to the rim with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Westbrook.

Splitter spent much time at the line due to the
Hack-A- Splitter technique

The Thunder on the other hand really struggled to get the ball rolling at all during the game. They had no real offense going throughout the game and most of their points coming from their Big 3. Unable to run plays, the Thunder relied on one on one basketball and fast break points for their offense. With the Spurs running all over the Thunder the Thunder decided to go to the Hack-A-Splitter strategy. It worked a little as Tiago Splitter struggled from the line. In the end it did not work as well as planned because the Spurs were able to score with the clock stopped and the Thunder failed to capitalize on offense.

Unless the Thunder can find some sort of homecourt advantage the Spurs will most likely run all over them on their way to the NBA Finals. What more can you expect from a team that seems to have everything. They have a big 3 that is capable of rebounding, scoring, and passing while also possessing a great depth of role players. This depth will help them later on in the season as they will not get tired late in games. They also have the most experience together of any of the teams left in the playoffs, Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan have been around since the end of the David Robinson era. It will be interesting to see if the Heat or Celtics challenge the Spurs in the Finals.