Game 6: 2014 Western Conference Finals - Spurs @ Thunder

[BatManu20]

[DarrinS]

I'd like to see Kawhi knock Russ right on his arse.

[BatManu20]

[Anonymous Cowherd]

oh hey you guys, whats up?

wait, this ISN'T the Mrs. Doubtfire reboot auditions?

[SpurPadre]

Can you imagine how awesome it would be if Bonner could start suddenly hitting his three's and worry the opposing team again?

It would also be awesome if I walked down the street in five minutes and someone hands me 1 Billion Dollars but that's just not reality. Oh well, the moment he misses a shot, Pop will get Bobo ready to enter the game.

[Horry Hipcheck]

They're definitely an intimidating team when you factor their explosiveness and the insane officiating hookups. I think of the Thunderefs as a blitz krieg, which can overpower you on a given game, especially in the regular season.

Spurs are built more for a war of attrition, Stalingrad style. I just believe the Spurs' depth and diversity reveals itself over a series, when Pop can rely on wave after wave. It definitely scared Brooks when CoJo and the 2nd or 3rd stringers were still executing very well.

Should be a good game, and as long as the Spurs win the last one, it will be alright.

That war of attrition advantage you mentioned showed itself across Games 4 and 5. Some of us were ready to send Pop to the guillotine for throwing in the towel in the third, especially after the emptied bench made a game of it in the fourth. What became apparent after Game 5, though, was that Pop gambled on his bench forcing Brooks' hand, knowing they couldn't match the Spurs' depth for 48 minutes, and thus making Westbrook and Durant play 40+ while the Spurs' starters all sat. That lack of explosiveness showed itself the next game, when the Spurs were able to match the Thunder intensity and Pop's adjustments allowed for floor spacing, which only Westbrook and KD could really counter. OKC's lack of depth is beginning to create issues for them in such games, where, as you pointed out, Pop can comfortably send wave after wave of offensive production at only a handful of players at Brooks' disposal.

Whether or not that holds true in Game 6 remains to be seen, as Westbrook and KD logged 31 and 37 minutes in 5, respectively, against 30 for Duncan and Parker, 33 for Kawhi, and 28 for Diaw. I expect us to finally get a close game out of this series, and hopefully the Spurs can continue to play at a clip that overrides Ibaka and forces the Thunder out of the paint. If they can, they're going to the Finals tonight. If not, I still like their chances in Game 7.

[Dex]

For years, he has been the scapegoat. Despite being one of the best shooting bigs of all time, he's been held to his limitations ever since making the long trip down from Toronto.

And then, in Game 5...the same player who has been repeatedly called not fast enough, or not long enough, or not tall enough...the same player who has a ballyhooed reputation for checking out of the post-season....the same player who was the target of David West, who instructed his Hornets to "go at him every time"...

He finally spread the floor.

In Game 5, Matt Bonner stepped in to play the role of unlikely hero, and although he literally made no mark on the stat sheet, his presence alone seemed to confound the Thunder. In just a few minutes, the King of Plus-Minus (with a much more respectable contribution from Boris Diaw) made the lane part and suddenly, the Spurs could find the rim again. With the Spurs playing back in the comforts of their home arena and in the graces of their home crowd, El Mamba Roja and Diaw neutralized the Thunder's terrorizing defensive threat by making him run around the perimeter. The result was another San Antonio blowout that left the Thunder hanging their heads, and left Tim Duncan calling this the weirdest playoff series he's been involved with.

The Spurs didn't just hold serve and win Game 5 to take a valuable 3-2 lead, though. They put history to rest. They won against the Thunder's hydra with all heads biting. They bested the curse of Tony Brothers. Most importantly...They vanquished the ghosts of 2012.

Now, they must finish the job. Avoiding the backdoor sweep would be pointless if the Spurs still squander the series. The Spurs carry a heavy advantage with two chances to win one more game against these demons from Oklahoma City, and now they must simply get the job done and look on to their larger goal.

Remember 2012. Make them pay.

FDF.

FTT.

5.

[Horry Hipcheck]

oh hey you guys, whats up?

wait, this ISN'T the Mrs. Doubtfire reboot auditions?

I thought jeans ripped at the thigh was Beyonce's thing.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Gotta make spear chucker work. Make him move side to side, get him to bite on pump fakes. Do anything it takes to make feel that pain in his leg

[Anonymous Cowherd]

oh, it is.

[SpurPadre]

That war of attrition advantage you mentioned showed itself across Games 4 and 5. Some of us were ready to send Pop to the guillotine for throwing in the towel in the third, especially after the emptied bench made a game of it in the fourth. What became apparent after Game 5, though, was that Pop gambled on his bench forcing Brooks' hand, knowing they couldn't match the Spurs' depth for 48 minutes, and thus making Westbrook and Durant play 40+ while the Spurs' starters all sat. That lack of explosiveness showed itself the next game, when the Spurs were able to match the Thunder intensity and Pop's adjustments allowed for floor spacing, which only Westbrook and KD could really counter. OKC's lack of depth is beginning to create issues for them in such games, where, as you pointed out, Pop can comfortably send wave after wave of offensive production at only a handful of players at Brooks' disposal.

Whether or not that holds true in Game 6 remains to be seen, as Westbrook and KD logged 31 and 37 minutes in 5, respectively, against 30 for Duncan and Parker, 33 for Kawhi, and 28 for Diaw. I expect us to finally get a close game out of this series, and hopefully the Spurs can continue to play at a clip that overrides Ibaka and forces the Thunder out of the paint. If they can, they're going to the Finals tonight. If not, I still like their chances in Game 7.

I think the game will be decided by the team that has the most turnovers and it goes into the double figures. I fear we'll see many TP drives to the lane where he crashes and doesn't get a foul call which will lead to a fast break dunk on the other end and active hands forcing strips from the perimeter leading to other fast break opportunities. I see alot of intensity out of the Thunder tonight and I don't think it's really a question of whether they can keep it up, it's whether our team can withstand that pressure and keep being aggressive. I believe we will.

[Blizzardwizard]

oh hey you guys, whats up?

wait, this ISN'T the Mrs. Doubtfire reboot auditions?

He should be fined for wearing those jeans. Or suspended.

[Ron Swanson]

[$pursDynasty]

Praying we can end this all tonight. Drive for Five!

[spurs10]

oh hey you guys, whats up?

wait, this ISN'T the Mrs. Doubtfire reboot auditions?

Somebody please knock the crap out of this guy. He is probably the most obnoxious asshole that has ever played the game. Need attention much Westchuck?

[Dex]

In the name of Bruce Bowen, Chuckbrook shall not find the net tonight.

[ElNono]

don't play scared. It's ok if they steal the ball, run and get a dunk... keep playing...

Go Spurs Go

[BillMc]

London baby

Cool man!

[BillMc]

So stoked for this game. In three hours we could be celebrating the Spurs 6th final appearance!!!!!

[Ron Swanson]

don't play scared. It's ok if they steal the ball, run and get a dunk... keep playing...

Go Spurs Go

Exactly. Don't get rattled.

[timtonymanu]

Let's do this!

[DarrinS]

End this mofo

[Drachen]

Probably nothing, well, I have yet to decide how to watch the game - at night, or right in the morning thanks to DVR. If the latter, I'm gonna have some bread and Nutella, if you know what that is Nom nom nom.

Nutella on graham crackers FTW

[ace3g]

[bklynspursfan]

Splitter is starting???