Thunder vs. Spurs Game 5: Depth Will Allow San Antonio to Regain Series Lead

The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the Western Conference Finals with consecutive wins, but the San Antonio Spurs will use their depth to regain momentum and the series lead at home in Game 5.

With the strike-shortened season forcing teams to play extra games in a short amount of time, most analysts believed that youth would dominate the league.

While Oklahoma City did not disappoint, using its fresher legs to win 47 regular season games, San Antonio was able to take the No. 1 seed by resting its older players and getting great production from its bench.

This depth has not only allowed the Spurs to keep its superstars on the court, but coach Gregg Popovich is now able to trust more players to perform well in key situations.

The Thunder have three great scorers in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. However, a team that can slow down even one of these men will have a huge advantage in the game.

When the team needs help off the bench, veterans Derek Fisher and Nick Collison are the only players besides Harden that get significant minutes off the bench. 

On the other hand, the Spurs can count on a lot of players to produce when the game is on the line.

They can match their opponents with an elite scorer off the bench in Manu Ginobili. Backcourt players like Gary Neal and Stephen Jackson know how to do the little things necessary to win games. Even DeJuan Blair, who has not played much in the playoffs, can be a dominant force up front when in the game. 

The starters on each team are very evenly matched. However, the minutes will start piling up for the Thunder.

In the fourth quarter, a fresh Tim Duncan and Tony Parker should be able to defeat the tired legs of their opponents.