Not too many people saw this coming in the Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals Series. In fact no one gave the Thunder a fighting chance following games one and two in San Antonio. However, when this series shifted to Oklahoma City for games three and four the momentum shifted with it. Last night in game four the Thunder put on a remarkable show that featured Thunder Forwards Serge Ibaka and Kevin Durant. Ibaka was a perfect 11-11 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line. The result was a 26 point night for the big man which was backed by Kevin Durant who sealed the win for OKC down the stretch; finishing the night with 36 points. The Thunder toppled the Spurs 109-103 and for the second straight game the seemingly un-touchable Spurs walked off the court in defeat. The Western Conference Finals is now guaranteed to go at least six games with the series knotted 2-2.
San Antonio clearly made adjustments headed into this one following their game three collapse. The Spurs went back to their bread and butter buckets in the paint and early on it proved effective. OKC held tight and weathered San Antonio's early attack by continuing to smother the Spurs' guards defensively.
It was no surprise that Thunder Guard Thabo Sefolosha continued to defend Spurs Point Guard Tony Parker. An adjustment OKC stuck with after it clearly worked in game three. Parker was held to a series low 12 points and was a non-factor in game four. The Spurs have to find a way to get Parker going again. He was the biggest threat on the floor in games one and two, but OKC has found ways to shut him and San Antonio's "pick and roll" down.
Despite the perfect night for Ibaka; Kevin Durant still managed to steal the show. The Thunder had built a substantial lead late, but San Antonio wasn't going away. With six minutes remaining it looked like the Spurs were going to forge ahead. Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili hit big shots to rally the Spurs. Kevin Durant however, blacked out and went off. Durant went 7-7 from the field in the final six minutes; scoring 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter. The Spurs tried many different defenders on Durant, but he was un-stoppable.
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich after the game via his NBA post game press conference, "His play was better then anything we did defensively that's for sure. He finished it off in fine fashion."
Durant's performance to close the game was special. Very rarely does a player zone in and go off on the big stage. Watching him hit tough shot after tough shot had to remind people of some of Michael Jordan's playoff performances. Durant will really take that next step if he can duplicate his close out masterpiece on the road in San Antonio for game six or seven (if necessary).
These two wins should give OKC a lot of confidence headed back to San Antonio. If they are going to win this series they will have to win a game on the road. The Spurs are still in the driver seat for this very reason. They have home court in their back pocket and they know it. San Antonio played terrific at home. Now, both teams know how important this next game will be. Game five of the Western Conference Finals could very well be the most exciting game all year with two great teams battling for a potential back breaking win.
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