Game Blog: Spurs vs. Thunder - Game 5

[ace3g]

what a wasted performance by '05 Manu...

Manu and SJAX really the only guys showing emotion out there.

We have to close out quarters better.

Have to take care of the ball, too many TOs when driving into the paint.

[T Park]

Ibaka hit shots. Harden made a killer.

Tip your cap they're the better team.

No shame in losing to the better team.

[ace3g]

what a wasted performance by '05 Manu...

Manu and SJAX really the only guys showing emotion out there.

We have to close out quarters better.

Have to take care of the ball, too many TOs when driving into the paint.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Duncan looked slow the entire game, had not played good defense the entire series.

Duncan looked scared in crunch time, did not want to take open jumpers


Parker played great defense in second half but it obviously gassed him.
So much for that "I'm only 29" talk


We wasted a good manu game, but set the same time, he turned it over way too much


On tip of that, the refs fucked us multiple times on our own court

[JohnnySixString]

Yeah, fuck all this "pride" and "heart" bullshit. They fucked up as an entire team 3 losses in a row.

[sammy]

Proud of Manu and Jackson! :toast Played hard the whole game! Fucking refs made it difficult for them to come back and played against 8 all night! So close, the ball was out on OKC touched his arm, but what do we expect they were against us all night! Fucking fans didn't chant refs suck until it was too late! Lame as fans! Not giving up yet on my Spurs! They hadn't had a losing streak in a while so they can win the next 2! I still believe in this team! Go Spurs Go!

[DPG21920]

Ibaka hit shots. Harden made a killer.

Tip your cap they're the better team.

No shame in losing to the better team.

Except the Spurs completely morphed to a turnover prone, no ball movement defensive seive.

[outmap]

George Hill would have played better at point than Neal. :(

[dunkman]

Deep is overrated in playoffs, the best players make the difference. The OKC big 3 were better than the Spurs big 3. Spurs bigman rotation is not quite as good as OKC's.

The game was lost in the second and third quarters, it was difficult to come back against OKC being 12,points down. Kudos to Manu for great offensive game, Parker disrupted Westbrook and the OKC offense that's the adjustment to make for game 6, Duncan and Jack made some clutch shots.

The Spurs had to play hard earlier, not just in the 4-th.

[Mal]

Proud of Manu and Jackson! :toast Played hard the whole game! Fucking refs made it difficult for them to come back and played against 8 all night! So close, the ball was out on OKC touched his arm, but what do we expect they were against us all night! Fucking fans didn't chant refs suck until it was too late! Lame as fans! Not giving up yet on my Spurs! They hadn't had a losing streak in a while so they can win the next 2! I still believe in this team! Go Spurs Go!

Please, dont blame refs.

[Mugen]

Harden & Westbrook both hit amazingly tough jumpers in the final minute.

Props to them.

Hope we take Game 6.

[Ice009]

If only they called that goaltend

After that goaltend what was the next play? Was that the 4 point play by harden?

If so, that was a huge momentum turner.

[Mal]

Deep is overrated in playoffs, the best players make the difference. The OKC big 3 were better than the Spurs big 3. Spurs bigman rotation is not quite as good as OKC's.

The game was lost in the second and third quarters, it was difficult to come back against OKC being 12,points down. Kudos to Manu for great offensive game, Parker disrupted Westbrook and the OKC offense that's the adjustment to make for game 6, Duncan and Jack made some clutch shots.

The Spurs had to play hard earlier, not just in the 4-th.

There is no big 3 in OKC. Westbrook is piece of shit. They have Durant, who is clutch as hell, with Harden and then there are roles Ibaka, Westshit, Fish, Perks, Cook, Collinson. No big 3. Dont give any title to Westbrook

[Ice009]

Duncan looked slow the entire game, had not played good defense the entire series.

Duncan looked scared in crunch time, did not want to take open jumpers


Parker played great defense in second half but it obviously gassed him.
So much for that "I'm only 29" talk


We wasted a good manu game, but set the same time, he turned it over way too much


On tip of that, the refs fucked us multiple times on our own court

It's all about conditioning. If TP doesn't play that way on a regular basis and then has to do it now, of course he's going to get gassed.

Cutting minutes back doesn't build stamina. Players have to be conditioned and build stamina at the same time. Something Pop doesn't seem to know shit about.

[$pursDynasty]

like the announcers say, no one played good except Ginobilli and maybe SJax. I can't be too mad at Tony he carried us all season BUT he couldn't even get off against Fisher, it's not just the myth of Sefalousha

[Obstructed_View]

No fast break - no win. Big fucking surprise.

BTW, how's that genius job of tanking game three to let the Spurs sit there and think about it working out?

[Ice009]

There is no big 3 in OKC. Westbrook is piece of shit. They have Durant, who is clutch as hell, with Harden and then there are roles Ibaka, Westshit, Fish, Perks, Cook, Collinson. No big 3. Dont give any title to Westbrook

Westbrook is playing a little smarter, otherwise they wouldn't be up 3-2 in the series. They've ripped off the Spurs game and are beating us at our own game with ball movement.

If Westbrook totally bought into it and didn't go off on his hero mode plays then they probably win tonight's game by more. He froze out his teammates at times tonight.

[td4mvp21]

They can't get stops anymore when they absolutely must. Defense is still > offense.

[Ice009]

No fast break - no win. Big fucking surprise.

BTW, how's that genius job of tanking game three to let the Spurs sit there and think about it working out?

Only losers tank. Spurs never tanked games in their championship years.

It never works out.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

No fast break - no win. Big fucking surprise.

BTW, how's that genius job of tanking game three to let the Spurs sit there and think about it working out?

They're too fast

Every thunder player beat their man down the court every time

[Ice009]

They can't get stops anymore when they absolutely must. Defense is still > offense.

Well maybe Pop can say to himself the offense was good enough, but the defense wasn't good enough.

In 2008 when we lost to the Lakers in 2008 WCF he said the defense was good enough, but the offense wasn't good enough.


Hey Pop, it was always about defense.

[Darius Bieber]

Jax being real in his interview
"If they can do it, we can do it."

We're going to be in the Finals. Book it.

[SpursFaninMS]

The Thunder are just better--too fast, too long, and especially more clutch this series. Every single time they have NEEDED a shot in the last three games, they have gotten it

They are growing up before our eyes, including Brooks as a coach, and unfortunately we are the victims.

It is not impossible, but it does not look likely right now.

I don't think there's anything left for Pop to do. I'd like to see us take some more chances on defense and risk them getting by you for a dunk. This whole giving Ibaka jumpers bullshit is not working.

[therealtruth]

Only losers tank. Spurs never tanked games in their championship years.

It never works out.

That's what I am thinking. If they had competed in game 3 they might have actually had a chance. That's a looser mentality that they were going to turn it on for game 4.

[Ice009]

Jax being real in his interview
"If they can do it, we can do it."

We're going to be in the Finals. Book it.

I love Jackson and am glad I was one of the only people here for the last 3-4 years that wanted him back. Actually make that 8 years cause I wanted him back in 2005.

It's up to Pop is game 6. I have no idea with Pop's crap coaching and lineups if we'll have a chance to follow through on what Jax said.

[ploto]

LOL, you've got it backwards. That's the way the Spurs played to get the #1 seed and to win 31 out of 33 games. The real fluke is what we were seeing in games 3-4 and part of game 5.

Spurs won 20 games in a row but that really does not matter when the first 18 of those were not against OKC. We saw 1 good quarter in game 1 and a good game 2. Utah and the Clippers just are not very good.

[Quiet Strength]

Nothing left for Pop to try.

The Thunder are just better--too fast, too long, and especially more clutch this series. Every single time they have NEEDED a shot in the last three games, they have gotten it

They are growing up before our eyes, including Brooks as a coach, and unfortunately we are the victims.

It is not impossible, but it does not look likely right now.

Yeah there is something left.. pop has to play his best players heavy minutes.

[Bruno]

Props to the Thunder. They have some great players and for a team that young they show a lot of character.

Spurs fought hard. Some players could have played better but, overall, Thunder seems to just be the better team. It's a serie between 2 great teams and 1 has to lose it. Suck it's Spurs but that's basketball.

Thunder will be heavily favorite in game 6 but Spurs have to show up and fight hard like tonight. After that, you never know.

[Ice009]

Manu and Jackson are two players who should always be playing for a team that has a chance to win a Championship.

They're just supreme competitors and aren't scared of big games or big shots. Both should always be on a team that has a chance to win it.

[SpursFaninMS]

Yeah there is something left.. pop has to play his best players heavy minutes.

Looking at the box, who are you talking about?

[Obstructed_View]

They're too fast

Every thunder player beat their man down the court every time

So the key to completely stimying the Spurs' 120 point per game offense was "get back on defense"?

[Quiet Strength]

Looking at the box, who are you talking about?

Same players that ended the game.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

So the key to completely stimying the Spurs' 120 point per game offense was "get back on defense"?

Unless the spurs were purposely running slow

The thunder played very disciplined, focused transition defense, and you have to credit them for that

There were times when we had 3 on 2 or even numbers, and by the time the ball was in their court, they had turned the numbers to their favor

Also, the Parker 1 man fast break ALWAYS.disappears deep into the playoffs

[DPG21920]

Spurs fought hard - in spurts. Enough to be happy but leave you questioning them when you study the 3 straight losses in the WCF including being the only team to lose at home in the WCF while having not lost 3 straight all year coming off of 20 straight wins of playing solid crisp and composed basketball.

[Spurologist]

Excellent postgame interview from manu.

[Obstructed_View]

Unless the spurs were purposely running slow

The thunder played very disciplined, focused transition defense, and you have to credit them for that

There were times when we had 3 on 2 or even numbers, and by the time the ball was in their court, they had turned the numbers to their favor

Also, the Parker 1 man fast break ALWAYS.disappears deep into the playoffs

I haven't seen a single long outlet pass from a rebound in the last three games. Either the Thunder are developing into the best defensive team we've ever seen, Scott Brooks is the greatest coach since Phil Jackson, or the Spurs have just forgotten what got them 20 wins in a row.

[SpursFaninMS]

Same players that ended the game.

Parker: 40
Manu: 38
Duncan: 33
Leonard: 35
Jax: 30

[Budkin]

I just finished the game on DVR. Im just sitting here stunned. How could we have not won this game? How?

[Ice009]

Excellent postgame interview from manu.

What did he say?

[PublicOption]

The Thunder are just better--too fast, too long, and especially more clutch this series. Every single time they have NEEDED a shot in the last three games, they have gotten it

They are growing up before our eyes, including Brooks as a coach, and unfortunately we are the victims.

It is not impossible, but it does not look likely right now.

I don't think there's anything left for Pop to do. I'd like to see us take some more chances on defense and risk them getting by you for a dunk. This whole giving Ibaka jumpers bullshit is not working.


your the kind of suckers the league is made for.

[Quiet Strength]

Parker: 40
Manu: 38
Duncan: 33
Leonard: 35
Jax: 30

Jax and leonard could handle more minutes and manu could have played 40 like parker. Neals defense hurts the spurs.. especially against a great offense team like okc. If he cant hit shots.. he shouldnt play.

[Manu-20]

I just finished the game on DVR. Im just sitting here stunned. How could we have not won this game? How?
hurts but im staying postive there is a chance the spurs can win game 6 in OKC.

[Ice009]

What did Manu and Sjax say post game?

[SpursFaninMS]

I haven't seen a single long outlet pass from a rebound in the last three games. Either the Thunder are developing into the best defensive team we've ever seen, Scott Brooks is the greatest coach since Phil Jackson, or the Spurs have just forgotten what got them 20 wins in a row.

Our team didn't forget what won them 20 games. Our offensive system won us 20 games. We just can't run our offense.

Brooks isn't a genius. He realized what everyone else in the NBA does: If you can simultaneously stop Parker's penetration, especially off the pick and roll (and in many cases, not even allow him to get to the pick), while still being able to get out on the wings: You will beat us. Brooks, unlike others, happens to have the personnel to do it. What in the hell took him so long to put Thabo on Parker, I don't know.

Tony Parker, as we have known him this season, has been taken out of the picture. He scored 20 tonight, yes, but I have never seen him work harder for 20 and hit more difficult shots. Most importantly, though, he is not the facilitator we are used to. He can't penetrate. He's typically not being allowed to get to the pick and roll and when he does, their length keeps him from doing anything with it. We've had two full games to figure out how to get him going again, and it hasn't happened. No reason to think Game 6 will be better.

It may not be sufficient, but it is necessary for Ginobili and Duncan to both have huge games (COMPLETE GAMES).

[SpursFaninMS]

your the kind of suckers the league is made for.

Why? Because I don't bitch about everything and put it all on the coaches and players? Or because I can admit when my team is getting outplayed?

[JRHernandez88]

Tonight was an awesome game even though we lost. I was in the stands and the arena was absolutely going bonkers. If Manu would of hit that 3 at the end it would have exploded! Oh well, GOOD TIMES... If we win this series it's gona be SWEET as hell... Damn who would of known it was going to turn out this way? The Spurs are with their backs against the wall and our main concern has surfaced. All playoffs we wondered what would happen when the Spurs were tested while the Thunder came into this series with clutch wins against quality oppenents. Now it's time to see what we are made of. Will we rise CHAMPIONS? :flag:

[adonis827]

This is not yet over for sure. Let's go spurs!

[therealtruth]

Why are OKC players able to hit the pull up jumper when they are run off the line while our players can't? Daequan Cook is one of the best at that.

[Obstructed_View]

Confidence.

[cutewizard]

it looks like the NBA shall have the series it craves:

Thunder vs Heat! Durant vs James!

[cutewizard]

we are all heartbroken, but that is life.....

this is how it feels, at the End of Time...

[cutewizard]

analyzing it further...

if the reptilians and the illuminati have a hand in fixing this series.....what is their point? that the young shall beat the old?

if that is their point, then who is the young and who is the old? in the larger sense of the terms....in the farthest possible sense.....

their own cleverness shall beat them someday,

book it!!!!

[LakerHater]

it looks like the NBA shall have the series it craves:

Thunder vs Heat! Durant vs James!
If thats the case, Thunder Up!

[slick'81]

fcki thought spurs were wining this one all up until hardens nail fml

[therealtruth]

Maybe we should have started Ginobili sooner if he would go for 34.

[SpurPadre]

Maybe we should have started Ginobili sooner if he would go for 34.


I was basically crucified in this board just for even raising it as a possibility before.

[therealtruth]

I was basically crucified in this board just for even raising it as a possibility before.

In all reality Ginobili going for 34 is a bad sign. It's desperation and hero ball. The Spurs have stopped playing as a team and are now relying on individuals which is not going to get it done. That's how the Thunder were supposed to be playing and now they're playing more as a team.

[SpurPadre]

In all reality Ginobili going for 34 is a bad sign. It's desperation and hero ball. The Spurs have stopped playing as a team and are now relying on individuals which is not going to get it done. That's how the Thunder were supposed to be playing and now they're playing more as a team.


That's not Manu's fault, see the JA Adande thread here on TP.

[Budkin]

God I'm still so pissed about this loss I can't sleep. These guys better come out like cornered animals in game 6.

[Durant 35]

That was one crazy game...

[therealtruth]

Westbrook is playing a little smarter, otherwise they wouldn't be up 3-2 in the series. They've ripped off the Spurs game and are beating us at our own game with ball movement.

If Westbrook totally bought into it and didn't go off on his hero mode plays then they probably win tonight's game by more. He froze out his teammates at times tonight.

[therealtruth]

Except the Spurs completely morphed to a turnover prone, no ball movement defensive seive.

It's how we're losing that's troublesome. We're losing as a poor man's version of the Thunder from the regular season.

[TampaDude]

Turnovers. That's why the Spurs are losing. Too many fucking turnovers.

[BRs.Ganso]

google translator portuguese to english, my opinion. :lol

the ball stopped three of the team down and died ... Brooks saw this very clever eh.

has not been working with it pivots at the bottom of the board, without Duncan, the rest only serves to make PNR and Screen to kick wards more comfortable, they keep floating to and fro without the ball all the time in the attack. . Bonner is sucking this 20 minutes every game during the regular season, minutes that could go to developing other guys like Diaw and Splitter .. French also puts the ball just three of the Bonner gets.

I think the defense has even met - the role of defending the Thunder, no other team has two games to take them anyway ... in the first 2 games the Thunder seemed that was feeling the pressure of the finals, played with the attack and tied very slow, but then began to use the power of infiltration of the guys that is too large, the wings of the Spurs do not realize, there has to get the pivot closing the paint all the time, Splitter and Diaw do it right, there's sort of a fold and are left free to Ibaka balls and kick the other guys average, it's no wonder that the guy has 12-12FG in playoffs and that several of these shots were in this series, the guys try to get back close to the pitch but always arrive late, without conditions.

on the offensive again, fit the Thunder defense up to the Parker (not ta kick it over those balls around the head of the paint) the team's attack died, or pitch conditions over that region it has ... Green misses more free ball, I know I think it shook with the psychological guys ..

I think the San Antonio h more offensive team that defense when the ball is not falling ta, 0x3 pro OKC, there when they win the ball drops ... can happen now, but who wins the game is defense, and OKC's best defender.