ride the wave

the spurs are dogs?

Vegas knows their stuff.

A large part of me says OKC takes this one.

Hope I'm wrong.

I can see OKC winning, but not by 4+

Seems about right to me. I might even take the Thunder to cover on this, and wouldn't be surprised at all if the Spurs cruise by a dozen.

I agree with Vegas. Streak probably ends tonight. Then we can all just focus on SA bringing Larry safely home down I-35.

I might even take the Thunder to cover on this, and wouldn't be surprised at all if the Spurs cruise by a dozen.
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huh?

I meant that as dominant as the Spurs have been, I can also see them winning the game pretty easily.

But odds are pretty decent that the Thunder bring the streak to an end.

If the Spurs are going to break the streak, this is the logical night. OKC has 0% chance of winning the series if they lose tonight. If they win tonight, they still have like a 6% chance of coming back.

this is the logical game for OKC to win, but the spurs have owned these guys. I can feel a little meltdown between Westy/Durant.

I've predicted this going six with the first OKC win coming tonight

It would be awesome if the Spurs could win out for the whole playoffs, but I can't believe that will happen.

I think it ends tonight. I almost don't want to watch.

The Thunder figured a few things out in game 2 and it will be interesting to see how the Spurs handle the adjustments. How long do you leave Splitter in there if he is being hacked and missing FTs? How will the Spurs respond to extended periods with the smaller lineup of the Thunder?

I expect Parkers numbers to come back down to earth because the focus of the Thunder defense has got to be switching on those picks. However, I'm wondering if Duncan won't have a monster game against a smaller OKC lineup.

I think along with their adjustments, crowd energy, and the pride factor, OKC will be very, very difficult to beat tonight.

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I can feel a little meltdown between Westy/Durant.

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cute. this is the rest of the league's prayer for the next 5-6 years of having any chance of keeping OKC from eventually winning it all

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How long do you leave Splitter in there if he is being hacked and missing FTs? How will the Spurs respond to extended periods with the smaller lineup of the Thunder?

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I don't think this will be a factor again. I bet Pop puts Splitter out there mostly early in the second quarter (when the Spurs won't be in the bonus) and probably early in the 4th. I doubt we see much Splitter late in quarters anymore, especially on the road. I kind of wish Pop would start Splitter and go to Diaw later in the first and third.

The Thunder going small is the wild card. The Spurs also have a fantastic small ball lineup and they usually rebound well as a team when that lineup is in. I'm wondering if we see Diaw match up some on Durant for a little while if OKC does go small. That's something the Spurs did back in the regular season against OKC and Dallas (Dirk). It might be effective for short periods.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 5/31/2012 12:31p).]

I hope westbrook realizes he needs to put the thunder on his back and goes into full hero mode.

I hope westbrook realizes he needs to put the thunder on his back and goes into full hero mode.

Thunder by 15

...at the end of the third, but they lose by 8.

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I hope westbrook realizes he needs to put the thunder on his back and goes into full hero mode.

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Here's to hoping. Spurs want nothing more than a stat sheet that shows Westbrook took 34 shots.

Game 2 showed that scoring 111 points isn't enough.

Playing your bigs to shut-out Duncan works, but then Ginobili and Parker light it up. Going too small allows Duncan to work the paint.

Even with Harden, Durant, and Westbrook having good games in Game 2... its not enough because they don't have the support that the Spurs bring in.

Spurs may slip up... but they have handled OKC very well so far and I bet Pop will stay 1-2 steps ahead of Brooks the whole series as far as scheming and line-ups goes.

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I bet Pop will stay 1-2 steps ahead of Brooks the whole series as far as scheming and line-ups goes.

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This is the most intriguing point to me for tonight's game. The Thunder made an adjustment and it seemed to have worked somewhat in slowing the Spurs down.

I am really curious to see what Pop will do to counter.

Spurs win by 3 tonight...

i'm with fireag. i'm about fed up with all this "letdown" game talk. it won't be a letdown if the spurs lose because OKC would slaughter every other team in the league right now. they are pointlessly ****ing good and will be for a long time.

having said that, the spurs are already up 2-0. almost NO ONE on this board thought the spurs would leave SA up two games, and yet they are. the spurs are making in game adjustments better than OKC, and unless pop gets tossed in the first frame, they will continue to do so.

the spurs have played poorly and kept the game close. they have played well and forced the thunder into some bad play. the spurs have come down from double digits, and they have held on to big leads while surviving a furious, free throw aided rally from OKC.

unless OKC makes some kind of incredible adjustment that the spurs just can not shake (which is VERY possible with how incredibly athletic they are and how smart their coach is), there really isn't any reason to doubt the spurs.

also, for what it's worth, the only "adjustment" i worry about is if westbrook pulls his head out of his ass and realizes durant can basically score from every floorboard in the gym. seeing as how the dude teeters on the edge of metta world dumbass when it comes to basketball IQ, i can't see that happening essentially overnight.

go spurs.

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Game 2 showed that scoring 111 points isn't enough.

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Game 2 showed that the Spurs can be slowed down if OKC can manage their pick-and-roll defense better. It isn't about scoring enough for OKC. At this point it is about figuring out some way to get stops. They looked like they had figured something out in game 2.

My guess is that Pop has already implemented an effective counter for OKC's small lineup. I expect the Spurs bigs to have a very nice game tonight. I'm guessing Timmah will blow up in this one.

i still say this series goes 7

When exactly did the Thunder slow the Spurs down? They scored 120 points and their worst quarter was the 2nd when they only scored 27.

In the last 5 minutes, the Spurs scored 18 points (on pace for 173 points over 48 minutes) on 70% shooting, so it definitely wasn't then. The fourth quarter started pretty rough (10 points in the first 7 minutes, on pace for 68 points), but they seemed to figure it out pretty quickly.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 5/31/2012 4:10p).]

Hack-a-splitter was disrupting, but we were only -1 overall during that time since Splitter hit 50%.

Spurs shot poorly to start the 4th. The Thunder defense had something to do with but I also think the Spurs getting out of rhythm played a part as well.

I think the Spurs have the personnel to match the Thunder going small. If the Thunder's best strategy to slow the Spurs down is putting Splitter on the line, I think they are in big trouble. There is just too much depth. You see them out there scoring at will and realize the starters are on the bench.

The Thunder need to get stops, but when you score 111 and 80% of that comes from 3 people, you realize that really the only chance they have is to keep the Spurs in the 90's IMHO. If any of their three have a mediocre game, they are done.

"First in Sight, Ready to Fight"

Wouldn't want to lay money, but if I had to, I'd take the Spurs to cover (but not win).

I would almost like to see a hack-a-Splitter tonight. I think Splitter's FT shooting slump is mostly mental and he CAN get over it.

I would love to see him get hacked a couple of times and go 4-0 at the FT just to see OKC have to tear that play out of their scheme for the night.

Spurs win tonight but OKC wins game 4 and ends the streak.

See I think if the Spurs win tonight OKC doesn't have a prayer in game 4.