OKLAHOMA CITYâ€"The Celtics did what they had to do Friday night, just as the Thunder had done here the night before. So we have two NBA conference finals series that could get very compelling.
But basketball fans don’t really have squat until one of those series is tied up at 2-2. OKC is first up to try to make that happen.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to even its series with the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4. (AP Photo)
A win this evening would push the Thunder deeper into the playoffs than they’ve ever goneâ€"they won only one game in the 2011 West finals vs. eventual champion Mavericks.
That Dallas series was the ultimate letdown for Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Scott Brooks and the rest of one of the most promising young teams the NBA has seen in many years. After splitting the opening two games in Dallas, the Thunder blew big leads in both Games 3 and 4â€"the latter case being an all-out choke.
That’s why Thursday’s victory was so meaningful for this team, and for this basketball-crazy town. Not only protecting their home court but wiping the Spurs clean off it was a vital milestone on what could amount to a championship journey.
But first they must win again tonight. If the things that worked so well last gameâ€"unleashing Thabo Sefolosha on Tony Parker, challenging the Spurs’ pick-and-roll offense with size, running at every opportunityâ€"yield positive results in the early going of Game 4, the Spurs will be up against it like they’ve rarely been all season.
“I’m going to go ahead and guess that if things work, you might as well stick with them,†Gregg Popovich said of counterpart Scott Brooks’ game plan.
It’s on Parker, Manu Ginobili and the rest of the Spurs to handle the ball as deftly as they normally doâ€"much better than they did in Game 3, when they committed 21 turnovers to just seven for OKC.
“As quick as (the Thunder) are, when you turn the ball over it’s like a layup drill,†Popovich said.
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