If The Spurs End Up Losing...

… They’ll want to point to two third-quarter possessions defensively. On one, everyone fell asleep on a baseline out of bounds, giving Kevin Durant a wide-open three-pointer. On the other, Stephen Jackson let Durant get right around him easily with a drive from the top of the circle, and nobody stepped up as Durant waltzed down the lane for a layup.

Crunch-time possessions matter most simply because there’s less time remaining to rectify the mistakes made on them, but every play truly does matter. These were two critical possessions the Spurs’ defense botched.