The old cliché of one team’s loss being another team’s gain held true in the latest round of the 2014 NBA playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs crushed the undermanned Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, winning 122-105 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
With power forward Serge Ibaka out for the series (calf), the Spurs ran roughshod over Oklahoma City in the paint. They outscored the Thunder by an overwhelming 66-32 margin. The ever-crafty Tony Parker and ageless Tim Duncan dominated inside without an interior presence guarding the rim.
However, this postseason battle between the West’s top two seeds began on a competitive note that endured through the third quarter.
The Thunder enjoyed an early 5-4 lead behind five straight points from Kevin Durant. The league MVP added another five-point stretch and scored 10 in the quarter.
Duncan, a two-time MVP in his own right (2001-02, 2002-03), powered San Antonio with 12 first-quarter points. Mr. Do Everything Kawhi Leonard dropped in seven, as San Antonio led 30-27 after one.
Durant and Duncan exchanged three-point plays at the start of the second. The former’s supporting cast then took over for Oklahoma City. Reserve backcourt duo Derek Fisher and Reggie Jackson combined for 15 points, keeping the deficit to single digits.
But it was the Spurs starting contingent that owned the quarter. Duncan scored another nine points, while Parker and Danny Green each contributed eight. The halftime score displayed a 67-59 advantage for the home team.
Following Green’s three-pointer in the opening seconds of the third, the Thunder steadily climbed out of their 11-point hole.
Dynamic point guard Russell Westbrook scored nine straight from all areas of the floor. His 19-foot jumper at the 5:09 mark provided the first lead for Oklahoma City since early in the opening frame. He and Durant combined for 21 of their team’s 23 points in the quarter.
Unfortunately, Durant’s eight-foot jumper 30 seconds later was the last time the visiting squad led in this game.
Argentinean legend Manu Ginobili scored seven of his nine third-quarter points following Durant’s make. His driving layup into a wide-open interior helped put the Spurs up 89-82 entering the fourth.
Then—as they say—the route was on.
Marco Belinelli’s technical free throw, Green’s fourth three-pointer and Leonard’s lay-in following a defensive rebound extended the double-digit cushion. Caron Butler’s free throw, which cut the deficit to 10 points with just under six minutes left, marked Oklahoma City’s final stand.
Leonard’s powerful dunk following his own steal and Ginobili’s bomb from 26 feet effectively sealed the deal. Both squads removed their starters with the Spurs leading 118-97 at the 2:15 mark.
Durant made 4-of-7 from distance and compiled a game-high 28 PTS. Yet his six turnovers reflected his overtaxed state and overshadowed his nine rebounds, five assists and one block.
Westbrook collected 25 PTS, 5 REB and 7 AST, but also had four giveaways. Fisher, Jackson and Butler, meanwhile, combined for a respectable 37 PTS off the bench. Sadly, Oklahoma City’s three other starters (Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha) gathered a whopping five total points.
The Thunder’s 16 turnovers were 16 too many and led to 21 irrevocable points for San Antonio.
Duncan paced the Association’s No. 1 team with 27 PTS and 7 REB. Leonard amassed 16 PTS, 6 REB and 3 STL, while Green wasn’t far behind with 16, 4 and 2. Ginobili returned to form with 18 PTS off the bench and Parker scored 14 on top of his phenomenal 12-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Spurs, in addition to their 34-point advantage in the paint, generated 28 assists (plus-nine) and shot over 52 percent from downtown and overall.
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks will try and figure out a more effective rotation when these conference finals resume for Game 2 on Wednesday night at 9:00 PM ET.
Follow me on Twitter @jlevitt16