The story of the first two games of the Western Conference Finals was the precision of the Spurs, and for the next two, it was the return of Serge Ibaka and the athleticism of the Thunder becoming a deadly combination.
In the pivotal Game 5, San Antonio found its offensive execution once again, and by running away with a 117-89 victory, took a 3-2 lead in a series that feels destined to go the full seven games.
In the early going, it appeared as though the Thunder would continue to go about their business the way they had at home, getting out to a seven-point lead with just under three minutes remaining in the first period by scoring seemingly at will on almost every possession. Russell Westbrook was active as he was in his 40-point performance in Game 4, OKC was getting whatever they wanted at the rim thanks to Matt Bonner replacing Tiago Splitter in the San Antonio starting lineup, and the Spurs had yet to find their way.
But after taking that first punch, San Antonio began to roll in the way that they would for the rest of the night. Three-pointers from Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and Patty Mills all splashed home, and all of a sudden the game was tied at 32 apiece by the time the quarter came to its conclusion.
It was a sign of things to come, as San Antonio couldn’t be stopped offensively the rest of the way. The spacing was a bit better and the ball movement was much crisper than it had been on the road, and every player on the roster seemed to be able to knock down shots when the ball landed in his hands.
Ginobili turned in a masterful performance with 19 points on just nine shots, to go along with four rebounds and six assists in just 21 minutes off the bench. Tony Parker got going a bit in the second quarter, and helped push the lead to double digits. And Diaw played great on both ends of the floor, especially during a sequence that saw him reject a dunk attempt from Kevin Durant at the rim, before hustling down the floor to make a key pass to the corner for a three from Green on the ensuing possession.
Ibaka’s impact was minimized, thanks to the Spurs abandoning their insistence on going inside on most possessions, and instead moving the ball and using smart decisions to take the best available shot. Three-pointers were falling at a 50 percent clip due to how open they were, and overall the Spurs finished the night shooting better than 51 percent. Ibaka finished with just six points and two rebounds in over 27 minutes of action.
The Spurs delivered a sustained punishment that resulted in a knockout early in the fourth quarter, when Scott Brooks conceded by having his starters on the bench a little more than three minutes in. It was important for San Antonio to win by a large margin after the way the team dropped the previous two, in order to regain a bit of confidence while putting some doubt into the minds of a Thunder team that was beginning to believe in its dominance at the same time.
But most would expect Oklahoma City to return the favor when the series shifts back there for Game 6.
