Frank LorenzoFor the last few days, all the San Antonio Spurs have heard is about the nightmare from 2012 when they led the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-0 and lost their ticket to the finals. It’s 2014 and they are in the same position again; can they win the crucial game five and shut the bad memories down, once and for all?
For the last few days, all the San Antonio Spurs have heard is about the nightmare from 2012 when they led the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-0 and lost their ticket to the finals. It’s 2014 and they are in the same position again; can they win the crucial game five and shut the bad memories down, once and for all?
“Reminding people about what happened in the past helps in some way, but we have to go out there and execute and do things,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said.
With the series tied at two games per side, the Thunder and Spurs meet this Thursday in a must win game for both at 9:00 PM ET, at the AT&T Center.
None of the games in the series have been close; all won by the home team with a tremendous differential. For OKC the game changer has been Serge Ibaka, who changed everything with his presence in the paint. The Thunder is 6-0 with Serge Ibaka in the lineup against the Spurs this season; he’s the mismatch here.
“I don’t think there’s no way we can match their athleticism, so we’ve got to play smart and take advantage of a few situations because that athletic part is not going to be matched.” Popovich said.
The NBA betting spread has the San Antonio as 4.5 point favorites for game five, and the game total is at 206.5 points. Consider since Ibaka came back OKC is limiting San Antonio to 21.0 fewer points per game.
