Spurs vs. Thunder: Game 6 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
The 2015-16 NBA season seemed to always be building toward a Western Conference Finals showdown between the 73-win Golden State Warriors and 67-win San Antonio Spurs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder missed the memo.
The Thunder finished off their 4-2 series win over the Spurs on Thursday with a commanding 113-99 victory in Game 6. The final score was closer than the majority of the game, as San Antonio made one late charge and outscored Oklahoma City by 12 in the fourth quarter, 34-22.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant delivered on their home floor to clinch a spot in the Western Conference Finals against Golden State. Durant scored 37 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Westbrook directed the offense with 28 points and 12 assists.
It took more than the superstars to notch a double-digit win against the Spurs. Steven Adams posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Andre Roberson added 14 points and connected on three shots from three-point range.
ESPN Stats & Info noted advancing this far is business as usual for the Thunder:
On the other side, the 40-year-old Tim Duncan went out in admirable fashion in what could have been the last game of his career. The future Hall of Famer finished with 19 points and five rebounds. The Spurs also received 22 points from Kawhi Leonard in addition to 18 points and 14 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge.
Despite the loss, the Spurs took the air out of the arena early with a 16-10 lead. Duncan turned back the clock by making his first three shots, and his six first-quarter points already marked his second-highest scoring output of the entire series.
Just when it looked like San Antonio was going to pull away, head coach Gregg Popovich put the second unit in and watched the lead disappear. The Thunder battled back and seized a 25-19 lead by the end of the first quarter, but SB Nation's Pound the Rock hesitated to blame the bench:
More than the bench fell apart for the Spurs in the second quarter. Oklahoma City outscored the Spurs by 18 in the second to take an overwhelming 55-31 lead into the locker room. San Antonio was an abysmal 0-of-8 from three-point range and 14-of-44 from the field (31.8 percent) and looked done after 24 minutes.
Durant hit what appeared to be a dagger three-pointer over Leonard to end the half:
It seemed like ages ago when the Spurs won Game 1, 124-92. "Can't remember the last time a series swung this dramatically," Jonah Keri of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated observed.
Chris Mannix of The Vertical was quick to praise Oklahoma City instead of blaming San Antonio:
Things didn't get much better for San Antonio in the early going of the third quarter. A tip-in by Roberson gave the Thunder a 72-47 advantage with less than seven minutes until the fourth, and the Spurs looked too slow to keep up with the home team Thursday.
ESPN's Ryen Russillo summarized the litany of problems the Spurs were facing:
The Thunder continued to pile it on and established a 91-65 advantage heading into the fourth. The San Antonio defense was collapsing on Durant and Westbrook, which left Adams and Roberson open a number of times. They took advantage, as Adams had 15 points and Roberson had 14 on 5-of-7 shooting from the field after three quarters.
It was the type of balanced effort many have grown accustomed to seeing from the Spurs over the years, and Will Brinson of CBS Sports reflected on what could be the end of an era of dominance:
Nate Duncan of The Cauldron felt for Leonard, as most of his teammates didn't have the athleticism to match up with the Thunder: "It's just hard for Leonard being the only guy who can run or jump on this Spurs team."
The Thunder seemed to shift into cruise control in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and San Antonio trimmed the deficit to a manageable 97-84 margin with less than six minutes left. Duncan scored in the lane to extend San Antonio's advantage in the fourth quarter to 19-6, but Andre Miller set the tone as the primary ball-handler.
Oklahoma City was also having some issues playing with the lead, as Royce Young of ESPN.com noted:
However, the Spurs missed a golden opportunity when Danny Green drew a flagrant foul from Westbrook but missed the first of two free throws. From there, Duncan missed a jumper and was blocked in the lane by Serge Ibaka, and Durant slammed it home on the other end to give Oklahoma City more breathing room at 101-88 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
For good measure, Westbrook drilled a dagger three to push the lead to 104-90 a couple of possessions later, and the series was essentially over. Max Rappaport of Complex Sports had some fun with the shot that sent a sigh of relief through the arena:
"— max (@MaxRappaport) May 13, 2016"
What's Next?
Thursday's result means the Spurs will start what could be an offseason of transition. Duncan is 40 years old, Manu Ginobili is 38 and Tony Parker will turn 34 on Tuesday. The franchise may be moving from the glory years of that Big Three to a team dominated by Leonard, Aldridge and any new additions.
As for the Thunder, they will head to the Western Conference Finals and square off with the Warriors. Golden State won a record 73 games this season, and many have been penciling it in as the eventual champion for much of the year.
The Warriors were a perfect 3-0 against the Thunder in 2015-16, although they needed overtime to win one. However, the Thunder should have confidence after beating a 67-win Spurs squad, especially after two of their victories came in San Antonio, where the Spurs were 40-1 during the regular season.
Oklahoma City has already won one series that few expected it to. Now, it has to do it again if it wants to reach the NBA Finals.
Postgame Reaction
Westbrook and Durant carried Oklahoma City throughout the series, and the Thunder shared their postgame comments after the win:
As for the Spurs, many were wondering what the future holds for Duncan, and he said, “I'll get to that when I get out of here and figure life out,” per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
He wasn’t the only one pondering his next step, as Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News notes:
While his players were looking ahead, Popovich summed up the series by saying, “We met a better team,” per Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman.
That is good news for Thunder fans, as was Durant’s takeaway from the victory, per Erik Horne of the Oklahoman: “This wasn’t our championship.”
Oklahoma City is now eight wins away from its championship. The only problem is, league MVP Stephen Curry and the defending champion Warriors aren’t looking to relinquish their grasp anytime soon.
