2014 Western Conference Finals: #1 San Antonio Spurs vs. #2 Oklahoma City Thunder

[superjames1992]

Okay, we're going to try this again and have the other thread locked. There was too much off-topic stuff in the other thread.

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And, so it begins...... The matchup for the WCF most of us probably predicted before the postseason began. It's a rematch of the 2012 WCF, which the Thunder won in six games. It is probably a rematch of last year's WCF if Westbrook hadn't gone down with an injury in the first round. And, in any case, it's the Spurs' third-straight trip to the WCF. It's a matchup of the two best teams in the West over the last few seasons. The real question is whether the winner can finally beat the Miami Heat.

The big news is that Serge Ibaka is going to be out for the remainder of the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what OKC does. Ibaka has been a real PITA for the Spurs when they have met in the past (such as the 2012 WCF). Will OKC go with more small-ball or will they insert Adams and Collison into the lineup more often?

Game 1 will be on Monday.

Full 2014 Western Conference Finals Schedule:

Game 1 Monday, May 19 Spurs vs. Thunder 9 PM EDT TNT

Game 2 Wednesday, May 21 Spurs vs. Thunder 9 PM EDT TNT

Game 3 Sunday, May 25 Spurs at Thunder 8:30 PM EDT TNT

Game 4 Tuesday, May 27 Spurs at Thunder 9 PM EDT TNT

Game 5* Thursday, May 29 Spurs vs. Thunder 9 PM EDT TNT

Game 6* Saturday, May 31 Spurs at Thunder 8:30 PM EDT TNT

Game 7* Monday, June 2 Spurs vs. Thunder 9 PM EDT TNT

*If Necessary

[cabra1]

Spurs in 7

[MattUM]

Spurs in 6.

Will be interested to see Kawhi match up defensively on Durant. If Kawhi sticks on KD every minute he's on the floor and with Ibaka out, Westbrook will result to playing hero ball again. You can't play like that against the Spurs.

[superjames1992]

Quote: Originally Posted by MattUM

Spurs in 6. Will be interested to see Kawhi match up defensively on Durant. If Kawhi sticks on KD every minute he's on the floor and with Ibaka out, Westbrook will result to playing hero ball again. You can't play like that against the Spurs.

I would have to think Danny Green will be matched up on Westbrook (when Green is in the game). I think the proper strategy will be to try to lock down Durant as much as possible and just hope Westbrook can't win the game on his own. I'd expect Kawhi to be in for almost the whole time Durant is in (unless he's in foul trouble) and Danny Green should also play a lot of minutes, especially if the games tends towards small-ball.

If Kawhi gets in foul trouble, Green can guard Kawhi decently, IMO, and Manu even had some success irritating him in one of the regular season games earlier this season.

I would expect OKC to use more Sefolosha in this series as a Parker-stopper. We'll see how that works out.

I have the Spurs in 7. I don't really see SA winning a closeout game on the road. I could see the Spurs in 5, though. I think it depends on how much the Ibaka injury impacts the Thunder. It should allow Tony and Manu to have more success penetrating into the paint and getting more easy layups without Serge's shot-blocking ability altering and blocking shots.

[darkknightrises]

When the playoffs started I would have said spurs in 7 if these 2 teams played eatch other but spurs have looked even better so I am now saying 6. For the spurs to beable to beat Portland in just 5 games and to blow them out in like all 4 wins or 3 at least was very impressive.

[The__Answ3r_i3]

Spurs in 7

[BlastX21]

LeBron and KD are 2 guys that are so good, it makes no difference who the defender is. Kawhi is great, but I doubt he'll affect KD's numbers in any significant way. Against other great defenders such as Jimmy Butler and Paul George, Durant's numbers are actually better than average. Limiting KD will be more about the Spurs' help defense. I also want to see how the Spurs use Duncan. Perkins usually makes his post game obsolete.

[Boltman]

Spurs in 6.

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