It's probably safe to say that Tuesday night's Western Conference Finals game outcome was due more to what the San Antonio Spurs did right than what the Oklahoma City Thunder did wrong. There's a reason the Spurs are undefeated this far into the NBA Playoffs, after all.
NBA Playoffs: Where Did The Thunder Go Wrong In Tuesday Loss?
The alternative is to look at where the Thunder could do things differently, however, as they try to avoid being swept out of a chance to reach the NBA’s championship series. In that case, SB Nation’s own Welcome To Loud City has some ideas of what Oklahoma City could have done to change its fortune on Tuesday night.
OKC’s only hope was to go into the halftime while still within striking distance and retool their offensive strategy. They HAD to slow the game down, because if they continued to play too fast they were just going to trade baskets with the Spurs at best. Unfortunately, the Spurs came out of halftime and never relented. They hit their first 5 shots of the half, the lead ballooned to 16, and the Thunder ship was about to get capsized.
To their everlasting credit, OKC did not give up, but the ending to this game was similar to the game the two teams played on March 16. When a team falls behind by so much, there are precious few chances to ever turn the tables - one play perhaps, and maybe two if they’re lucky.
It'll be interesting to see what approach the Thunder take when they host their first game of the series on Thursday night. It's tough to tell if anything will help, but Scott Brooks and his staff have to keep trying.
For more on the Spurs, be sure to visit Pounding the Rock; for the Thunder, Welcome to Loud City. And for news, analysis and everything else revolving around the NBA Playoffs, be sure to visit SB Nation’s NBA page.
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