NBA Playoffs: Will Spurs Be Able To Rebound From Flat Performance?

The San Antonio Spurs had a pretty impressive winning streak heading into Thursday night's Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That streak was snapped, and now Spurs' supporters are trying to figure out just went wrong to ruin their undefeated record so deep into the NBA Playoffs.

Gregg Popovich called a timeout with 9:11 remaining in the first quarter. Two minutes and forty-nine seconds into Game 3, the Spurs were 0-3 from the field and had committed 4 turnovers. The Thunder were up 8-0 while committing zero turnovers. That was the game. One team showed up and the other did not. It was over within three minutes and we all knew it.

However, none of us wanted to wave the white flag that early in the game. And so we watched. It was painful, but we held onto the hope that the Spurs would win. Who can blame us? We've become accustomed to the type of magic that can make a bad half disappear.

Unfortunately, the bad half turned into a bad third quarter. It wasn't awful; it was simply insurmountable. On the road, a team must play significantly better to withstand the officiating. Instead, the Spurs succumbed to it. It was depressingly difficult to watch.