Tony Parker Bounces Back After Bad Game 1 To Score 34 In Spurs Victory
Tuesday night in San Antonio, the Spurs and Thunder played once again in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs came out quickly as they jumped to a 10-2 lead. OKC had gone nearly 4 minutes again in the opening quarter without scoring before Russell Westbrook gave them their first points. Early in the 2nd quarter, Spurs continued their dominance as they jumped to as many as 13. Midway through the period, Tony Parker drove to the rim and was fouled by Russell Westbrook. The crowd in the AT&T Center thought the foul should’ve been a Flagrant as Parker was favoring his knee; but after a 2nd look at the replay, Westbrook clearly went for the ball with a clean foul. A minute later on the next ensuing play, Tony Parker decided to take Westbrook to school as he did his signature spin cycle move for an easy layup. Later on in quarter, Tim Duncan posterized Serge Ibaka in an assist from Manu Ginobli which would be the play of the game. Spurs would then go into halftime with an 11 point lead over the Thunder. In the third quarter, the Spurs went on a clinic scoring 10 points in a row to push the lead to 20. Just shy of the 2-minute mark, Thunder coach Scott Brooks tried a new technique dubbed “Hack-A-Tiago-Splitter” formerly the “Hack-A-Shaq”. OKC used this method 4 Spurs possessions in a row in which Splitter went 5-10 from the stripe. San Antonio had a 16 point lead going into the 4th quarter, with OKC only making ground of 4 points from the “Hack-A-Tiago-Splitter” due to Manu Ginobli scoring 8 straight points at the quarters end. The Thunder, led by the big 3, brought their team to within 7 points, but every time they got close to within striking distance of really putting pressure on San Antonio, Manu Ginobli hit a big shot. With a minute left in the game and OKC down only by 7 points, Manu hit a huge 3 with the shot clock expiring to put San Antonio up by 10, crushing OKC’s chances for a rally.
In comparison to his sub-par game 1 stat line, Tony Parker finished game 2 as the player of the game scoring 34 points (16 of 21 shooting) and 8 dimes. Kevin Durant finished with a thunder high 31 points (10-17) with Russell Westbrook scored 27 going 10 for 24 from the field. The Spurs who have won 20 straight, achieved a franchise best 10th playoff win a row making this the longest streak in the playoffs since the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers who previously won 12 (19 overall). Future HOF Shaquille O’Neal joked on Inside the NBA that he hopes the Spurs don’t break his record from 2001, and I’m sure the people in Oklahoma City are more worried about the streak than the Big Diesel might be. The Thunder outscored the Spurs in the final period of Game 2 by 7 and while most will say it was garbage buckets; OKC actually figured out how to be competitive with San Antonio and that was by playing street ball. The Spurs as a team are almost impossible to beat right now if you’re playing them in a basketball game, so the OKC game plan for game 3 will most likely be to push to tempo. Scott Brooks also tried something new tonight and in which he had Ibaka and Perkins subbing out for each other and moved Durant to the 4. While that may generate more offense with having Fisher or Sefolosha on the floor with the big 3, their interior defense will be comprised by doing so. Tim Duncan who went 2-11 with 11 points, played his worst basketball game in nearly a month with San Antonio still managing to score 42 points in the paint. If OKC doesn’t find a way to stop San Antonio’s paint production, this series could possibly end Saturday evening; thus the Spurs tying the Lakers previous record of 12 playoff wins a row. In Game 3, OKC should come out focused and rejuvenated in front of their home crowd to make a statement win in their pursuit to the NBA Finals, but whether that happens or not remains to be seen.
Game 2 is scheduled this Thursday on TNT with a tip-off set for 9:00 pm (ET).
Win Or Go Home.
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder | Spurs Lead 2-0
Game 1: San Antonio 101, Oklahoma City 98
Game 2: San Antonio 120, Oklahoma City 111
Game 3: at OKC, Thu. May 31, 9 p.m., TNT
Game 4: at OKC, Sat. June 2, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 5: at SAS, Mon. June 4, 9 p.m., TNT (If Necessary)
Game 6: at OKC, Wed. June 6, 9 p.m., TNT (If Necessary)
Game 7: at SAS, Fri. June 8, 9 p.m., TNT (If Necessary)
Bonus: Kevin Durant: The Meaning Of 35