While Tony Parker and Tim Duncan spent most of the second half of Game 4 looking like someone shit in their cereal, Russell Westbrook and the young Thunder swaggered all over the court.
Serge Ibaka’s return had an immediate and dramatic effect on the Western Conference Finals, and after we saw he was healthy in Game 3, we knew this was a series, but I don’t think anyone expected things to turn around this drastically. Just look at these numbers:
San Antonio shot 54% from the field in Games 1 and 2 vs. 39% from the field in Games 3 and 4
The Spurs had an incredible 55:21 AST:TO ratio at home vs. a pedestrian 39:29 ratio on the road
And perhaps the most telling statistic, the Spurs 120 points in the paint in the first two games dropped to 76 points in the next two as they’re shooting nearly 75% in the restricted without Ibaka on the floor vs. 41% when he is patrolling the paint.
The veterans wanted to come out and put the Thunder away early on Tuesday night, squashing any thoughts of a repeat of 2012, but couldn’t build on the momentum of a hot start. Now the Spurs worst nightmares are becoming a reality as Kevin Durant is realizing he’s the best offensive player in the world, Westbrook is mixing jumpers with unstoppable drives to the basket while avoiding costly turnovers, and the youngest members of the Thunder are jumping on board the swag train.
It’s going to be a monumental task to strut into San Antonio and handle this aging squad in similar fashion, but with the Thunder’s defensive anchor back, nobody should doubt which team is more confident.
