Posted on 05/30/2014 7:55:10 AM PDT by laotzu
The last time the Thunder walked out of San Antonio the team left with a series deficit that at the time seemed insurmountable.
But in the back of everyone’s mind was history. It was the one thing the Thunder and its fans had to cling to when searching for a reason to believe this team could march back to the NBA Finals.
Then Serge Ibaka came back. And then the Thunder won twice in Oklahoma City to tie the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece.
Before we knew it, a repeat of 2012 looked not just possible but likely.
But when the Thunder walked out of AT&T Center on Thursday night, history was no longer on its side.
The Spurs sent the Thunder to the brink of elimination with a thorough 117-89 thumping in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead and end the possibility of losing four straight to the Thunder as they did in the 2012 Western Conference Finals after taking the first two games.
San Antonio led by as many as 33 points and cruised after halftime to put all the pressure on the Thunder, which is now staring at a must-win situation Saturday night inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The San Antonio Spurs have an astonishing 62 wins this year to lead the Western Conference, followed closely by the Thunderous 59 wins of Oklahoma. The Phoenix Suns, long ago finished for the year, had a dismal 48 wins, placing them 9th out of 15 in the West.
The Spurs are one of the few teams in the league who avidly seek foreign talent. Half or more of their players are non-Americans. Non-American players have teamwork drilled into them which fits Popovich’s no stars style. Of course, it helps that Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili were/are great players, but Popovich expects every player to forgo individual glory and play for the team. Contrast that with many of the super egoes on other NBA teams.
Cohesion overcomes better talent.
Even though he made great progress during his freshman year at Pitt, I thought he made a mistake turning pro after the season. He proved me wrong. And I'm not the only fan predicting good things for Adams. Many other people are doing the same.
We found that out with our "Dream Teams" in 2002 and 2004.
No doubt to it; the Thunder is a strong team. But eliminating the Spurs will not suddenly give them 20 division titles, or mean they made the playoffs in 24 of the last 25 seasons.
Win or lose, the Spurs will remain the most successful team of all time.
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