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Nice to see Buford joke about it.
Spurs shaken by Thunder
By Mike Monroe - Express-News
It is simple to pinpoint the highlights of the Thunder's inaugural, 2008-09 season in Oklahoma City after their ugly, politically charged departure from Seattle.
After all, the Thunder started the season by losing 29 of their first 32 games and won only 23 games all season.
Two of the victories, however, came at the expense of a Spurs team that would win 54 games and the Southwest Division le. One of them came at the AT&T Center on March 31, a dramatic, 96-95 victory that was one of their most meaningful of the season, their lone road victory over an elite team.
The Thunder won only five games over teams that finished the season with winning records. They regarded both victories over the Spurs as evidence the rebuilding job undertaken by general manager Sam Presti, the former Spurs player personnel assistant, was on the right track.
The Spurs viewed their losses to the Thunder as proof of something else: the need to get younger and more athletic.
“It added to the body of evidence,” said Presti's former boss, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford.
“I'm not sure it was any more of an indicator than anything else.
“I think the AARP magazines that kept showing up at our players' lockers might have been an indicator, too.”
Tonight the Spurs will get their first opportunity to find out if the upgraded role of 23-year-old George Hill, plus the additions of 29-year-old Richard Jefferson, 29-year-old Keith Bogans and 20-year-old DeJuan Blair give them a shot at matching the energy of a Thunder lineup led by three players under 25: forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and point guard Russell Westbrook.
Injured stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker practiced Friday. Parker missed the last three games with a sprained left ankle, and Duncan was scratched from the past two games with a sore left ankle.
They are officially listed as questionable for tonight's game.
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili painfully recalls watching the final Spurs-Thunder game of the 2008-09 season. He had just learned he had a stress fracture in his ankle, so he watched the telecast of the game with a mixture of sadness and analytical delight. His teammates responded to the bad news with a determined effort against the Thunder to produce a 99-89 victory.
“I don't know for what reason, but they were always a tough matchup for us,” he said. “They always had great games, Green and Durant. Westbrook is a tough cover, too.”
Presti added another talented rookie to the Thunder's mix when he selected James Harden, a 20-year-old, 6-foot-5 rookie from Arizona State, in the NBA draft.
Harden has been in coach Scott Brooks' player rotation in each of the first eight games. He finished Wednesday's game against the Clippers at point guard, filling in for Westbrook, who turned his left ankle.
He is averaging 5.9 points and 3.5 assists, second only to Westbrook among Thunder players.
“They're getting more talent now,” Ginobili said. “We've really got to respect them, compete as if we are playing Dallas, and everything will be good.”
Ginobili called Wednesday's 92-83 victory over the Mavericks their most energized effort of the season, a result of historic hostility.
Mustering up enmity for the Thunder is nearly impossible, even for veteran Spurs who recall a tough, 2005 Western Conference semifinal playoff series against the Thunder's prior incarnation, the SuperSonics.
Forward Nick Collison is the only remaining player from that Seattle squad.
“It's hard to relate Oklahoma City Thunder to the Seattle SuperSonics, because they changed so much,” Ginobili said. “When they started to change, they really changed. I take it like it's two different franchises and everything. Oklahoma City's the new thing.”
Kevin Durant is well on his way to becoming a Super Star. An excellent offensive player.
Of course. I thought he can achieve more than Lebron.
Finally, we've got guys who have enough athleticism and youth to match up against the Thunder.
Durant is a stud.
AARP? nice
TD and TP missed the last 2 gamesInjured stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker practiced Friday. Parker missed the last three games with a sprained left ankle, and Duncan was scratched from the past two games with a sore left ankle.
Monroe is worst than McDonald
All the mistakes both McDonald and Monroe make are pathetic. And, this is what they do for a living?
Buck Harvey blows these guys away.
And Ludden makes them all look like high school journalists.All the mistakes both McDonald and Monroe make are pathetic. And, this is what they do for a living?
Buck Harvey blows these guys away.
Last season, the strategy of younger teams that hosted the Spurs on their home court seemed to be run, run, run because they knew, as an older, slower team, the Spurs couldn't keep up. Opposing coaches implored their squads to get out and run, pick up the pace, keep them on their heels. Road losses to teams like the Thunder, Nuggets, Blazers ensued. I even remember hearing Blazers' coach Nate McMillian literally pleading with his team to "run those old guys off the court", during a 2nd quarter timeout of a game in Portland.It is simple to pinpoint the highlights of the Thunder's inaugural, 2008-09 season in Oklahoma City after their ugly, politically charged departure from Seattle.
Two of the victories, however, came at the expense of a Spurs team that would win 54 games and the Southwest Division le. One of them came at the AT&T Center on March 31, a dramatic, 96-95 victory that was one of their most meaningful of the season, their lone road victory over an elite team.
The Thunder won only five games over teams that finished the season with winning records. They regarded both victories over the Spurs as evidence the rebuilding job undertaken by general manager Sam Presti, the former Spurs player personnel assistant, was on the right track.
The Spurs viewed their losses to the Thunder as proof of something else: the need to get younger and more athletic.
“It added to the body of evidence,” said Presti's former boss, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford.
What was disturbing to me last season, was not just the fact that the Spurs were losing road games to inferior teams, but it was the way they were losing. Many of those losses were 2nd half blowouts for the Spurs.
That was exactly what occurred during the final meeting between Spurs & Thunder, in OKC. The Thunder "blew the doors off" the Spurs in that game. The Spurs struggled mightily to match the energy, effort and efficiency of the young Thunder team. The Spurs simply couldn't keep up with them. It was an especially sad exhibition to watch.
If there were ever any questions about the Spurs need to get younger and more athletic, that game provided the best indication.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 11-14-2009 at 11:25 AM.
Some things never change.
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