Post Up: Back in Control

Spurs 117 – Thunder 89 (San Antonio leads 3-2)

Was it super windy inside the AT&T Center last night, or was that just the home squad blowing out the opponent per usual in this Western Conference Finals?

…Probably the latter, considering Marv Albert said it was a beautiful 82-degree night in San Antonio yesterday. That, and the game is played indoors.

It’s been an unfailing trend this series so far—the home team wins the game by many, many points. We haven’t seen a close battle yet.

Last night, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Gregg Popovich—let’s be honest, pretty much the entire team in black and white—showed they weren’t about to abandon the fad.

It’s getting old now, calling Mr. Timmy D. (and the Spurs in general) old. Every time someone does that, The Big Fundamental turns around and puts up numbers like he did last night, 22 points and 12 boards.

What didn’t follow trend yesterday was Coach Pop starting Matt Bonner in place of Tiago Splitter. There wasn’t much of Matt on the stat sheet, but seeing as the Spurs were up 33 at one point during the game, no one can deny the validity of Pop’s decisions.

The Spurs had six players in double figures in Game 5. Along with Manu and TD, Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Boris Diaw hit shots. The Thunder only had three of its players do the same—all starters—and the San Antonio bench outscored OKC’s 55-26.

The Thunder did have a little going for them though. Reggie Jackson’s ankle looked okay, and Russell Westbrook did this:

Game 6 is set for tomorrow night, 8:30 p.m. EST in Oklahoma City. It’ll be a road game for San Antonio sure, but there’s a clear wisdom and advantage that comes with experience and having almost enough rings to fit on each finger of your shooting hand. Duncan wants to get one more for his pinky, and after yesterday’s Game 5, he and the Spurs are only five wins away from accomplishing that goal.

There’s not much wind predicted in OKC’s weather report for Saturday night, so here’s to hoping for multiple lead changes, buzzer beaters, and a Game 6 that goes down to the wire.