Thunder vs. Spurs: Adjustments OKC Must Make to Win Game 2

The San Antonio Spurs gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a lip-pursing taste of their own medicine in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder could do little but watch as the Spurs flipped their nine-point advantage into a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter on the way to a 101-98 loss.

The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers feel your pain, OKC.

As good as the Spurs have been, particularly on this 19-game winning streak, it was still stunning to see the Thunder salt away what appeared to be a decisive lead after playing so well for most of the game. But where did Scott Brooks and his squad go wrong, and what can they do to make sure it doesn't happen again in Game 2?

Power Surge

Brooks fielded plenty of fire from the media after the game for sitting Serge Ibaka for the entire fourth quarter. Basic logic would suggest that OKC gave up 39 points over the final frame because Ibaka, the runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, was warming the bench for his buddies. Said Brooks of his decision on Monday, per ESPN:

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"I think every decision you make, if it doesn't work out, you say, `Why did you do that?" Brooks said. "And I'm with you on that. I wish I would've played Serge last night."

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That's all well and good, but the impact of Ibaka's absence is a bit more nuanced than simple math and 20/20 hindsight. In truth, Ibaka isn't particularly proficient defending the post or the pick-and-roll. In those respects, the Thunder are better off with Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison.

The problem with having either of those two on the floor with Scott Brooks' small-ball lineup, and not Ibaka, is two-fold. For one, neither can quite protect the rim like Ibaka can. Without Ibaka looming, the Spurs, most notably Manu Ginobili, were able to get to the rim with little impedance.

Secondly, Ibaka, unlike OKC's other two bigs, isn't a liability on the pick-and-roll on offense. He's more than capable of knocking down mid-range jumpers, thereby opening up the floor for whomever he's picking and rolling with, be it Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

In fairness to Scottie, it had been customary to leave Ibaka on the sidelines in the fourth quarter, this current playoff run included. After all, his small-ball lineup minus Ibaka had worked so well against the Mavs and the Lakers in the first two rounds.

But the playoffs being all about adjustments, featuring Ibaka in the fourth quarter would appears to be one that Brooks should, and likely will, make. 

Not-So-Small Ball

Speaking of small ball, the problem with playing a quicker, more perimeter-oriented lineup against the slick Spurs isn't so much which bigs are on the floor as much as how many there are.

And by that I mean, why in the world was Derek Fisher on the floor for so long in the fourth?

It certainly makes sense from the standpoint of having a veteran guy with championship experience to lead the way and make big shots down the stretch. Fisher, in particular, comes with the added bonus of being a Spurs killer, to which his 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in Game 1 stand as a testament.

But the guy is 37 years old now and has trouble enough keeping track of his own shadow let alone guarding the likes of Tony Parker and Ginobili. He was the weak link of a defensive unit that surrendered 22 points over the first seven-and-a-half minutes or so in the fourth quarter.

Granted, San Antonio went on to score 16 more points thereafter, but by the time Fish was pulled, OKC's nine-point lead had been flipped into a six-point hole.

Give some of Fisher's fourth quarter minutes to, say, Thabo Sefolosha, and the Thunder have another athletic perimeter defender out there who, like Fisher, is capable of knocking down the corner three and, unlike Fisher, might be able to cut off San Antonio's parade down the lane. Put Ibaka in there, and the Thunder will have someone to protect the rim while sliding Westbrook and Durant onto Parker and Ginobili, respectively. 

Big Game James

Now, 27 points might seem like an excellent output for any quarter, and it certainly was a solid total for OKC in the fourth, but when push came to shove, the Thunder offense slowed to a crawl while San Antonio's kept churning along. The play-by-play will say that James Harden was a force, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the last 12 minutes, but a look at the game itself would suggest otherwise.

First and foremost, six of those points came on back-to-back three-balls in the final three seconds of the game, when the Spurs had already wrapped up the Game 1 win. A third cut the Spurs' lead from 10 to seven with 1:50 remaining. In reality, half of Harden's points on the night came when the game was already well in hand.

Harden spent most of his time in the fourth standing in the corner or around the arc, letting Durant and Westbrook dominate the ball and waiting for his chance to shoot.

But to put Harden in those positions is to misappropriate his prodigious talents. Harden can score and shoot with the best of 'em, but he's a playmaker first and foremost. He proved himself capable of taking over games in the first two rounds of these playoffs, most notably against the Mavs. He's arguably OKC's best passer and most fluid creator in every sense.

And yet, Harden, who averaged nearly four assists per game during the regular season, had but one measly helper against the Spurs. Meanwhile, Durant and Westbrook combined to shoot 2-of-8 from the field in the fourth quarter.

Granted, Harden's two charges early in the fourth didn't inspire much confidence in his ball-handling abilities.

That being said, if OKC is going to play with its Big Three on the floor at the same time, the team would be well-advised to let Harden initiate the offense and create easy opportunities for Westbrook and Durant rather than the other way around.

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