Spurs Thrash Thunder to Face Heat Again in NBA Finals
Bianca Ortega | | Jun 02, 2014 04:29 AM EDT |
The San Antonio Spurs had eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Western Conference Game 6, giving them a chance to face the Miami Heat again in the NBA Finals.
With only 10 minutes left before Game 6 started, Tony Parker had told coach Gregg Popovich that he couldn't play on Saturday because of a left ankle injury. Still, Popovich managed to lead the Spurs into yet another remarkable victory that gave them their second consecutive appearance in the upcoming NBA Finals, according to Sports Illustrated.
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The home team had already won five of the game series and Parker's situation would have pushed them to do a Game 7 in Texas on Monday. On the other hand, aggravating Parker's injury would possibly affect his availability for the potential seventh series, or even the Finals.
Popovich decided to let Parker play a bit while keeping a close eye on his response. The injured player managed to score eight points and a couple of rebounds in the first half, but was unable to stop Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson from posting 27 points at halftime.
The Spurs coach decided against risking Parker's injured ankle and pulled him out of the second half against his will. Popovich then proceeded to put together a lineup consisting of players that have clocked in zero minutes since the 2013 season until the 2014 playoffs.
Cory Joseph, Danny Green, Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, and Kahwi Leonard won the third quarter together by a 37-20 count. The Thunder was the first team to break down, and coach Scott Brooks explained later that they made the mistake of making too many jump shots and turnovers during that period.
The mistakes continued to pile on for Durant and Westbrook, who were no match for the Spurs' group offensive approach. Later on, Durant praised their opponents' teamwork and "good system."
Duncan had also worked his magic in Game 6, even though he only scored 12 points, by setting up drop steps and pivots that helped the team come up in the game. Manu Ginobili was all praised for Duncan, who he explained gave them "solutions" every time they had a hard time scoring against their opponent.
In just three minutes, Duncan had helped San Antonio gain seven straight points. Diaw also contributed with the final touches, escorting his team to a 112-107 victory over the OKC Thunder.
The Spurs has clinched its second consecutive trip to the finals with this victory. They will again face two-time defending champion Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
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