Aging Spurs Not the Deepest, Not Even Close

The scenes are just as entrancing as always. It was fairly evenly matched. But it's not that close now. What happened Monday night might have decided the winner of the Western Conference Finals, with the Oklahoma City Thunder only one win away from securing a spot in the NBA Finals.

Before the Spurs-Thunder series, we heard all the positives about the Spurs. But the rhetorical notion that the Spurs were so experience, so deep and so disciplined wasn't exact. There's a reason Tim Duncan had a worried look on his face as he walked off the floor forlorn and unhappy. His facial expression was all indicators that the Spurs were done. Fighting for survival for now on, old age and torpidity equates to late-season struggles.

The Spurs, on the verge of elimination and trailing the series 3-2, are the oldest NBA team with five members of their roster at age 33 or older. The timing is bad to suddenly falter, but with all the disadvantages for a team that once built a dynasty, the Spurs are struggling because they are simply broken and exhausted, even if they are equipped for a championship. In a stunning turn of events -- with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series -- San Antonio dropped three straight games.

There is a theory -- fatigued and slow to run the floor -- that age has a cumulative effect on one's ability to perform at such a physical level. The evaluation of talent was a misguided conception and it wasn't what it appeared as the Spurs are one loss away from vacation with Kenny and Charles and the rest of the TNT cast. Because this is the Spurs, an NBA team that has won four titles between 1999 and 2007, and because they have what is considered the big three in Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Duncan, expectations are heavy for a well-accomplished franchise.

But now, against a quicker, fresher and younger core, they are close to planning summer vacation, losing to the Thunder 108-103 in the Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. If they go on to lose, consider it a disappointment, a sentiment of misfortune and doomsday when the Spurs had the goods to extend their domination. There's not much time left, which means the Spurs are on barrow time and apparently not suited to contend with the fastest and strongest as much of the roster is almost eligible for senior citizen discounts.

Now, you hear much about how the Thunder, a small-market team whose emergence is what defines the NBA, are exciting, jelling together and growing as consistent troops on a mission to conquer a title. Since we have been brainwashed into thinking the Spurs are completely dominant, after having their impressive 20-game winning streak snapped by these Thunder, fans across the land have been inundated with buzz.

It was a lack of duration and energy that vitiated them, smearing a championship campaign after all the hype centered the four-time winners. If the Spurs fail to force a Game 7, which they probably will with all the momentum and confidence riding on the Thunder's side -- and everyone is stunned -- it would be a real shame on their behalf simply for discrediting a team that proved to be more athletic and physically active and well-proportioned. The clock is ticking and the Spurs have to make adjustments if they want to stand a chance against the youthful Thunder.


It would be a tall order, not to mention that Oklahoma City will return home for Game 6 where the crowd brings energy, for the Spurs to travel to the loudest NBA venue and grind out a pressing victory in a hostile territory. By the time it was all over, Manu Ginobili released his frustration by clenching his fist and striking the defenseless scorer's table. It was one of the lamest moments for the Spurs, and these painful times were illustrated after the left-handed sixth man missed a three-pointer that bounced off the back of the rim at the buzzer. He was the absolute best on this particular night, and whether he's growing old in the twilight stages of his accomplished career, Ginobili had one of his flashy playoff runs as a member of the Spurs, where he has been prone to injury throughout his career.

It's folly to ignore what he and the Spurs have collectively done this postseason. But then the same could be said for the Thunder, a team that simply outplayed San Antonio. In their current state, the Spurs are dangerously faced in a predicament within sight of wasting one of their greatest seasons by letting a 2-0 lead slip away. We may have seen the last of them. This Spurs team may never have another chance to compete at the highest level. It won't happen if this current roster separates after major redevelopment, a franchise that could aim for a new direction, an organization that could say farewell to Duncan.

After spending years in the league, Duncan's exit would be fitting if he does consider retirement, and call it a well-achieved career. They are now left with no other choice but to win on the road, needing to make a statement for us to believe in them again, as we were confident at the beginning of this series, particularly after the 26-point performance by Ginobili in Game 1 and after Parker compiled 34 big ones on the scoreboard in Game 2. This is the moment that no lead is ever safe, and as it turns out, the Spurs are victims, eyewitnesses to blown leads.

In response to two consecutive losses, the Spurs came out attacking the Thunder, fighting and delivering early. For the third quarter, the Spurs opened with an 18-4 spurt that sent an energized crowd into delirium. And all season, the big three have been resilient, refocusing and bouncing back after rare losses, with the wisdom and intellectual capacity of Gregg Popovich, the brilliant mind of all coaches for making adjustments and finding solutions to normally correct the problem.

But, this time, he and his players had no solution, although they were well on their way to a potential win but blew it when Russell Westbrook drove and earned free throws to shift momentum. Popovich -- over on the bench -- was biting his nails nervously and watched the Thunder outscore the Spurs 25-10 to manage an 81-72 lead with 12 minutes remaining. Without much youth, or fresher bodies, the Spurs are suddenly at the end of their reign, no longer feared or intimidating to their opponents, as one can see.

And in view of the demise -- the latest disintegration that only leaves behind precious memories for a once unbreakable dynasty -- it figures that now the Spurs will have better hopes and plans for the future to refurbish. More often than not, particularly in this game, Oklahoma City's sizable, taller defenders forced the Spurs into 21 turnovers, folding offensively with a mountain of mistakes and mental lapses.

Not only did the Thunder snap San Antonio's winning streak, but also they have them on the brink of elimination, and it is hard to imagine the Spurs advancing out of this round without any bumps and bruises when all the momentum and hopefulness was sucked out of them. By seeing this, one can argue that the Thunder are built hereafter, the scariest team in the west for the next few years. Missing in action was Danny Green, the Spurs regular shooting guard who was benched in favor of Ginobili.

There was no possible way Duncan could operate alone, as old as he is now, needing breathers every now and then. Not that he was a rickety point guard, but Thabo Sefolosha was a defensive fix assigned for guarding Parker and, after all, he was a better defender and maybe even faster than him as Parker was throttled. Another difference was Gary Neal, the Spurs outside shooter, who was fairly quiet and missed a number of shots. And even DeJuan Blair was useless in the first half.

It was only a matter of time before the Thunder gained full control of this series. And certainly, it happened. That's when Popovich, remember, a man known for his adjustments, inserted Ginobili into the starting lineup. By doing so, he scored 34 points in 38 minutes for the deepest team ever, as many described San Antonio.

In reality, it was not the deepest, maybe the most experienced, but definitely not the most complete team. At least it doesn't seem that way at this very moment. They could bounce back from this, and then again, maybe not.

Only time will tell.

Sefolosha Gives Thunder New Life

For a while there, we had predicted the Spurs to beat the Thunder, given the first two games of this best-of-seven series, ready to project San Antonio's place in NBA history. Now it's a different story, after Oklahoma City finally came out to play, avenging a pair of agonizing losses on the road.

For one of the extraordinary NBA tales to resonate a striking climax with reference to a franchise that relocated to Oklahoma City and gave celebratory fans something to embrace, it was substantial that the Thunder ease back into the Western Conference Finals. The adjustments made by Thunder head coach Scott Brooks worked in Oklahoma City's favor, and also, they were in a favorable position after returning home for Game 3, where the crowd was electric and saw the Thunder beat the Spurs 102-82 on Thursday night. The expiration date on the Spurs 20-game winning streak went bye bye when Oklahoma City snapped its opponents' perfection and, better yet, kept its season alive by winning a pivotal game to avoid a 3-0 series deficit.

“We’re human. We had a good run. It’s just one loss,” Spurs forward Stephen Jackson said.


What it should remind us is that the Thunder, remarkably, are skilled and frightening, after all -- extremely aggressive and built with plenty of weapons to tie it in Game 4 on Saturday night. It would be a mistake on America's behalf, your behalf, or my behalf to put the Thunder on the back burner. The star of the night was Thabo Sefolosha, a guard from Switzerland, setting playoff career-bests with 19 points and six steals. What happened Thursday night will keep everyone buzzing until at least after Game 4, depending on how well the Thunder perform in a must-needed game for the second straight meeting against the Spurs.

It's beyond absurd to even conceive that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Sefolosha will back down and not engage in a monumental playoff campaign. It was so much to be excited for, after this game. It was a total team effort, it was a brand of basketball we are used to seeing from the Thunder -- role players showed up, they played their style of basketball and were exceptional defensively, to uphold high regards based on a respectable performance.

“We never thought these guys had an advantage over us even though we lost a few,” said Durant. “We came out with the sense of urgency that we need to play with for the rest of the series.”

The chances of them winning the Western Conference Finals are still roughly plausible. Durant had 22 points, as usual, making shots from the floor, and Sefolosha had a right-handed dunk off a lob pass from Westbrook, who fueled the crowd with a two-handed slam shortly after and finished with 10 points and nine assists. The run was perpetuated when Sefolosha finished with a reverse layup on another turnover to expand it to an 86-63 lead late in the fourth.

"We wanted to bounce back after two losses like that. We had to play better and we did that tonight," said Sefolosha. "We played with energy, we played with passion in front of our home crowd. They did a great job giving us a lift."

From there on, the Thunder went on a 9-0 run, which the Spurs were exhausted and couldn't stifle fast break opportunities. It led to a blowout that reminded us of something usually seen in an NBA Live video game, and before you knew it, the Spurs were trailing to the Thunder by double-digits. Late in the fourth quarter, when Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich's head was ready to explode, he had benched his entire starting lineup and inserted his second unit. Over on the bench, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan were flummoxed and starred dazed, only to be pummeled when we thought the Spurs were unbeatable.

And finally, despite a horrendous beatdown, Duncan had five blocks to surpass the great Kareem Abdul-Jabber's NBA record of 476. For a man who scored only 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting -- exhausted and aging every time he takes the court -- Duncan couldn't care less about individual accomplishments. He would instead tell everyone that he prefers to win another championship than reaching the heyday of his career. But here we are, second-guessing ourselves, not leaving out the Thunder after the damage they did in one game. This is the type of performance that scares the hell out of the NBA. If there's the possibility of Oklahoma City tying this series, which can happen if the Thunder have regained their swagger with thunderous roars from local fans, then there's a great chance they can muster momentum and take full control.

So not so fast, Spurs. This is not over, folks. And both teams could be in for a long, long series. This was a whole different game for Parker, who entered Game 3 coming off a 34-point performance. But this time, Sefolosha was assigned to muffle Parker, an All-Star point guard. Not very much to bring, he was held to 16 points and four assists, while his antagonist, Sefolosha, was the star on his own stage and deserved much credit for being a two-dimensional player. It was one defensive switch that changed the whole dynamic, giving the Thunder life in Game 4.

With plenty of talk floating around that the Spurs were potent and championship-built, maybe even the top and most experience team in these playoffs -- as much had been made about experience topping youth -- it's a new series now, a game of unpredictability and exhilaration. Perception and reality are what defines this series suddenly, assuming the Thunder will have the momentum and confidence, with the next game in their own gym where they have been wonderful all season. And the last we seen Westbrook, he was quiet but finally arrived in time and appeared to be more active and sprightly.

There's no place like Southern Home Cooking. And at home, in front of the loudest NBA crowd, Durant and the rest of his team normally eat well. Which is thought of even more so, when the Thunder are roughly deeper and younger, capable of playing a full 48 minutes, as the aging Spurs became fatigue and mentally drained by the second half. Not sure there's much Popovich can plot to alter things back into his favor. The one way the Spurs can extend their lead is by Ginobili having another amazing effort, a left-handed sixth man who can hit the three-pointer, storm to the basket and knock down timely layups.

"I can ask Scotty not to play him," Popovich said calmly after Game 3. "I don't know how I can change what Sefolosha's going to do. He did a good job."

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how the Spurs respond, as much as it will be to see if the Thunder breaks out with all firepower and more energy.

It is, however, far from over.

NBA Playoffs 2010: Are The Spurs The Only Team That Can Stop The Lakers?

Let's face it, for the past three years, the Los Angeles Lakers have been the most unstoppable and dominant team in the West and possibly in the NBA.

Last year marked that they were number one for sure. 2007 marked that they were close, but the C's were simply just better. This year, they're more experienced but still the best team in the West.

So it brings up a question: Who can stop the Los Angeles Lakers? They have such a great lineup.

They have a veteran leader at point guard in Derek Fisher with a great backup in Jordan Farmer; the best SG in the NBA with Kobe Bryant, who is simply impossible to stop at times; a defensive-minded SF in Ron Artest, who will play physical; a playmaking PF in Pau Gasol, who can rebound and score just about whenever he wants to along with a great sixth man in Lamar Odom; and finally a dominating center in Andrew Bynum.

A mega-all-star lineup there.

So, who can stop them? There's only one team out there, and there name is the San Antonio Spurs. Their lineup isn't half bad:

They got a fast/veteran PG-combination in Tony Parker and George Hill; a streaky shooting guard in Manu Ginobili, followed by Roger Mason behind him; a decent SF in Richard Jefferson; a future HOF PF in Tim Duncan, followed by an intimidating rebounder in DeJuan Blair; and finally a decent C in Antonio McDyess.

Again, another mega lineup here.

Both teams have had their share of championships this decade and all have a huge superstar who has been in all of the team's Finals this decade: Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant.

The Spurs have an advantage at PG with George Hill's youth and Parker's leadership against Fisher and Farmar. But Fisher can sometimes make plays when you need them and Farmar sometimes is reliable.

SG is no question: Lakers win there. But it is still a hard-fought match-up with Ginobili in the mix. SF will be entertaining with Artest over Jefferson. PF's gonna be good with Duncan vs. Gasol and Blair vs. Odom. Bynum vs. McDyess? Decent.

But can Bynum still dominate, even with an injury at hand. I have a strong sense the Lakers will stop the Utah Jazz. Already up 2-0, they can get it. Spurs are down 1-0, but shouldn't worry. They were down to the Mavs and succeeded.

They can get the Suns in six or seven. Lakers can get the Jazz in five or six, though.

I think these two teams are destined for the Conference Finals. Who will be on top in the Wild West? I just don't see the Suns getting success over L.A. It just doesn't seem like it. With the experienced teams, it'll have to be San Antonio and Los Angeles.

But whoever goes to the Finals out of these two teams, this Conference Finals is gonna be helluva entertainment, no doubt!

Good luck to the four teams in the West and in the East.

Keep watching the playoffs!

NBA Playoffs 2010: Keep Trashing Mavs, You Know You're Gonna Get Beat

We remember what Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban did last season during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. After the Nuggets humiliated the Mavs in a critical game, Cuban was furious and eventually went up to Kenyon Martin's mother saying he was a "thug."

There was a heated contest between Martin and Cuban during that time. It seemed Cuban was in for it. But however, the Nuggets ended up winning the series.

But now, Cuban is looking to cause more trouble for his Mavs. It feels that his Mavs will slip by the Spurs. Sure, they're old, but they can still work. Just like the Celtics. But I have had enough of Cuban, and the Mavericks as a whole.

Said Cuban of San Antonio and the rivalry between both teams:

"No, I mean I hate the Spurs. I have a hard time being civil to [Spurs owner] Peter Holt at the board of governors meetings and he has a hard time being civil to me even though we both like each other. It's what it represents. We can both be 0-80 and if those last two games are Spurs-Mavs, it's going to be like a playoff game because we dislike each other that much."

It doesn't seem as harsh as what Cuban did last season, but I still feel the Mavs have this trash-talking sense. I'll just say it right here: The Mavs won't win it all. Hell, they probably won't even get past the first round.

I vote for the Spurs. Sure, they got that nice veteran in Jason Kidd. Sure, they have Caron Butler. Yes, they do have Dirk Nowtizki. Yes, yes, that all sinds nice and all, but seriously!

We've seen a better Mavs team a few years ago as they were No. 1, and look: they lost to the No. 8 seed Warriors in the first round. The Mavs are known for choking. Their great regular season performance doesn't surprise me at all.

Yes, they did beat San Antonio last season. So what? Right now, I feel the Spurs are the better team.

And look at the Finals back about four-to-five years ago against the Heat. They choked, once again. They were leading the seires 2-0 and then the Heat got this click, and eventually won four games in a row to win it all.

The Mavs won't win it all. They don't have it in them. Though it will be a tough, hard-fought battle between both teams, I see Tim Duncan to make a move or two. Tony Parker is finally returning, so expect something from the kid. How about Manu Ginobili? There's a lot of guys that still make impact to this squad.

I say the Spurs in seven. The Mavs aren't ready, once again. I just don't see them. I ain't feelin' them.

What do the Mavs have? Prove me wrong. I mean, even if they do win this series, what makes you think they'll win the Finals? Maybe even make the Finals? Hell, even making the Western Conference Finals!

What can they do?