And with that, Game 1 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals is in the books. My brief thoughts to follow:
In case you've been living under a particularly heavy rock for the last few months, I have some news for you: the Spurs are playing really well right now. Like, historically well.
The Spurs haven't lost a basketball game in 46 days. That's 19 straight wins, including 9 in the playoffs. Playing in the playoffs against supposedly superior competition, the Spurs have defeated teams by an impressive average of 14 points. 7 of 9 wins have been by double digits, and fully half of the wins have been by more than 15 points. That's not just winning, that's dominating.
And by dominating so thoroughly, the Spurs find themselves in the perhaps not-so enviable position of heavy favorites against a very young, very dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder team. Frankly, it makes me a bit uncomfortable. As a Spurs fan, I'm used to the media and fans of other teams writing the Spurs off for being too old or oft-injured to compete for a championship. Of course, I knew better to believe that. The injury concerns have always been legitimate, but the production of the Spurs' "over the hill" duo of Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan has, on a per-minute basis, not declined considerably.
That said, I welcomed these criticisms simply because it, in my opinion, led to the perpetual underrating of San Antonio. Basically, we could surprise people. Well, in these playoffs, there are no secrets, and we are surprising no one. The Spurs run through the playoffs has been as subtle as a hammer to the face, and everyone is taking notice of how efficient and terrifying this team is. The Spurs have been so good that I find myself continually waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, I'm happy to report, it hasn't dropped yet. Although it came dangerously close.
Through 3 quarters, many of my fears going into this series were played out. The Thunder were aggressive, and used their youth and aggression to run over the Spurs. Manu looked to be our only savior (he ended with 26 points, 11 in the crucial 4th quarter) as Duncan and Parker struggled (only 6 points apiece in the game). Then, prior to the 4th quarter, Coach Popovich implored his team to get "nasty" and unleashed the equivalent of the Balrog from Lord of the Rings, Captain Jack himself, Stephen Jackson.
Jackson, who was quoted after the game as saying "my name is nasty", pestered and prodded Kevin Durant for the entire 4th quarter, setting the tone for his teammates. With Jackson draped all over him, Durant did not attempt a shot for the first five minutes of the 4th quarter, and the Thunder as a team mustered only 27 points in the final quarter. The Spurs, meanwhile, were off to the races led by Ginobili and Tiago Splitter (9 points in the game). The silver and black roasted the Thunder for 39 points in the 4th, the most of any playoff quarter this season, and the most of any 4th quarter all season. After that onslaught, the final result was academic.
It is that final stat, about the 4th quarter scoring, that will likely haunt the Thunder going into Game 2 of this series. As heavy underdogs against a much more seasoned Spurs team, the Thunder squandered an incredible opportunity to steal Game 1 on the Spurs home court and gain some much-needed momentum. Instead, the opposite happened, and Spurs experience and poise won out as they swiped the game away in the clutch.
This series is far from forever, but I expect that it is that edge in experience in the Spurs' favor that will continue to make the difference.
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