Brandon Lucero here, Journalist and Photographer dedicated to covering the San Antonio Spurs. I served onboard the USS San Antonio while in the United States Navy! I utilized my GI Bill and went to college where I received my Associates and Bachelors degrees in Journalism and Photography!
Spurs: The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122 to 113 in a game where obvious calls should been made and the Spurs beat themselves! S. Castle (25pts,5rebs,8ast) did his best to compete against the Thunder, but it was not enough as his 9 turnovers and the lack of calls did not do San Antonio justice! He did have what could be considered the dunk of the year on I. Hartenstein in this game! V. Wembanyama (21pts,17rebs,6ast,4blks) had a decent game compared to the standard of game 1! He seemed tired and was held on a majority of plays by Hartenstein, but he needs to realize that will happen and will be expected until the refs adjust or actually call a foul. Getting Wemby in the post will help him catch his breath and help in getting more foul calls on Hartenstein! D. Vassell (22pts) and K. Johnson (10pts,5rebs) had a tough time getting to their spots but they eventually got going. D. Harper (12pts) left the game and did not return. Hopefully he is not hurt and can return sometime in this series! L. Kornet (4pts) in 11 minutes is not gonna cut it against a solid opponent! He needs to step up so Wemby can get an actual rest and show he has the heart of a champion! The Spurs bench was outscored 49 to 25 and continues to be a liability when the starters sit. Hopefully in San Antonio they can get some momentum and help the starters get the lead in the series!
Thunder: The MVP found his shot and the game plan was obvious that SGA (30pts,9ast) would attack the opposite side that Wemby was on. I. Hartenstein (10pts,13rebs) was a pest all game and got away with plenty of missed fouls. It was obvious that his entire job was to foul and take shots at Wemby and the Spurs. He did play a good game but he was doing tactics that would make Meta World Peace mad! J. Williams (6pts) left the game early and seemed to be hurting. Hopefully he will return to the series and the injury is not serious. The Thunder bench helped win them this game. A. Caruso (17pts) A. Wallace (12pts) and C. Wallace (12pts) were responsible for the Thunder outscoring San Antonio’s bench the entire night. The Thunder also scored 27 points off of the Spurs 21 turnovers. Game 3 should be another classic!
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 122 to 115 in an epic game where the final outcome was decided in double overtime! V.Wembanyama (41pts,24rebs,3blks) was the best player on the floor! He was dominant early and made sure the Spurs would not loose this game! The amount of difficult shots he made while been fouled and also controlling the paint was remarkable! D. Harper (24pts,11rebs,6ast,7stls) was amazing in his first playoff start! He started slow but really picked up momentum when he adjusted to the pace of the game. S. Castle (17pts,6rebs,11ast) was also clutch down the stretch for San Antonio! He had 11 turnovers, but he and Harper had to do a lot more with Fox being out! D. Vassell (13pts,6rebs,2blks) and J. Champagnie (11pts) hit timely shots! Vassell even had a clutch block on Holmgren at the end of double overtime! K. Johnson (13pts) was a bright spot for the Spurs bench. San Antonio out rebounded the Thunder 61 to 40 and dominated the paint scoring 52 to 38. This game was amazing and will be one to remember!
Thunder: The Thunder played like a team who was living life on easy street through the first two rounds. J. Williams (26pts,7rebs) came back and almost lead the Thunder to a win. SGA (24pts,12rebs,5stls) was off most of the night. He saw many different looks from the Spurs defense and was out of rhythm all night. C. Holmgren (8pts,8rebs,2blks) felt out of place and never got going. A. Caruso (31pts) had a decent game even after scoring 31 points. The Spurs dared him to shoot all night and lived with the results! The Thunder did force 28 Spurs turnovers so they have a formula that they can rely on to get easy buckets. They do struggle with half court basketball against the Spurs because San Antonio dictates match ups on that end! Game 2 should be another classic!
Head to Head: The San Antonio Spurs will be taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals! San Antonio is 4-1 against the Thunder this year and are eager to keep proving the doubters wrong! The Spurs are 3rd in the NBA at defensive rating at 111.3 and 4th in the NBA at offensive rating at 119.6. In contrast, Oklahoma City is ranked 7th at offensive rating at 118.9 and 1st in the NBA at defensive rating at 107.7. Both teams are deep and are ranked in the top ten in bench points with San Antonio scoring 41.5 a game and Oklahoma City at 38.5.
Keys for the Spurs: There will be five keys to San Antonio winning this series against the defending champs! 1. San Antonio has to limit turnovers and keep the Thunder from running. If the Spurs take care of the ball they will force SGA into tough shoots and have their defense set so that they can dictate match ups! 2. With that being stated, the Spurs need WeMVP to control the paint and win his match ups with the Thunder bigs! SGA likes to get into the paint and pass to the bigs or shooters so with Wemby controlling the mid range and paint this will make scoring low percentage threes and two’s more difficult than what the Thunder have been accustomed to. Wemby will be extra motivated with being second in MVP voting and this will be his chance to show the NBA just how impactful he can be on both ends of the court! 3. The Spurs guard trio of D. Fox, S. Castle and D. Harper will be a key in that they don’t turn the ball over and that they stay in attack mode all series! The Thunder have good guards in SGA, A. Caruso, L. Dort and J. Williams but they will have a hard time staying in front of San Antonio’s three point guard rotation. Expect Dort or Caruso to guard Wemby so that takes a few of the defenders away that normally will be primarily guarding the point! Castle will in turn have his hands full with SGA, but he has held his own this season as well as last season. The Thunder will try and slow down Harper, but he is leading the NBA in bench points so that will be a tall task no matter who they ask to do it. Fox is that older statesman in the locker room, and will be pivital in getting the Spurs in their sets and making tough shoots! Fox will have to play big and put pressure on the Thunder throughout this series! 4. The Spurs bench has been hit or miss in these playoffs, but with every round comes different options and match ups! Look for L. Kornet, H. Barnes, C. Bryant, D. Harper and K. Johnson to really be a factor in this series. Each player will have a game or two that they need to affect the game positively with their hustle, shooting, rebounding and attention to detail! 5. Shooting and coaching will also be important as J. Champagnie and D. Vassell are the best shooters on the team! They will be important in the team having spacing and they have to hold their own on the defensive side of the ball. The Spurs as a whole have to make open shots and trust in themselves to let the ball fly as OKC has the number 1 defense in the NBA. Open looks will be hard to come by if they set up their defense. Also, Coach Johnson will have to adjust some of his match ups as the Thunder will look to play a small on Wemby. On the other end, the need for Wemby to protect the paint will give a few of the Thunder players open looks. It will be about who shoots the shots and not just about the Thunder getting some open looks as Caruso can’t beat you, but SGA can! 6. (Honorable mention) the refs will also dictate how each team plays. The Spurs and Wolves series saved the NBA with it’s physicality and great basketball. The Thunder won easily against a Lakers team that had no real hope without Luca as controversy surrounded the series with foul calls that had the NBA talking! If the referees let the Spurs be physical and SGA does not live at the free throw line, look for the Spurs to be the more ready team!
Prediction: Spurs win a classic 7 game series and head to the NBA Finals!
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 139 to 109 and win the series advancing to the Western Conference finals! S. Castle (32pts,11rebs,6ast) was dominant and in attack mode all night! He had 19 points at halftime and was a big reason the Spurs had the lead for most of the game! V. Wembanyama (19pts,6rebs,3blks) and D. Fox (21pts,4rebs,9ast,2blks) were solid and ready to put the Wolves to sleep from the start of this game! Both were focused on getting the job done and closing out Minnesota. D. Harper (15pts,5rebs) D. Vassell (11pts) and J. Champagnie (18pts,5rebs) played great defense and hit timely shots. The Spurs shot 55.7% compared to Minnesota’s 37.7% from the field. The Spurs also out rebounded Minnesota 62 to 29 and out paced the Wolves 17 to 5 in face break points! San Antonio’s defense was on display all night with 13 blocks compared to Minnesota’s 2. Next up is OKC and a trip to the Western Conference Finals!
Wolves: The Wolves gave great effort and will be better next year when everyone is healthy and depending on if they make any moves. A. Edwards (24pts) did his best to get the series to game 7, but the Spurs would not be denied! J. McDaniels (13pts) A. Dosunmu (10pts) and N. Reid (18pts,7rebs) fought hard to keep their season alive. All are great building blocks moving forward. J. Randle (3pts,7rebs) and R. Gorbert (0pts) were such a let down for Wolves fans. Maybe it is time to move on from both and shake up the roster? Steve (Portal) Violet from MN-2-NM was spot on about the Spurs winning in six games, and JakeyPicks was clutch with his pick for the Wolves to win game 1. JakeyPicks was wrong about his pick for the winner of the series as some lessons are better learned in silence! You know what they say, “Karma is a dish best served cold!”
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 126 to 97 as V. Wembanyama (27pts,17rebs,5ast,3blks) was sensational in his return to action as the Spurs are only one win away from reaching the conference finals. He started the game carrying the Spurs by scoring 18 in the first quarter! D. Fox (18pts,4rebs,5ast) helped keep the Spurs steady as well in the first half and was attacking and setting the tone early. He made it a point to involve Victor early and often which in turn got him some easy buckets. S. Castle (17pts,4rebs,6ast) and D. Harper (12pts,10rebs) each had moments where they put the team on their back and never backed down from the physical play the Wolves displayed! K. Johnson (21pts) was a problem for the Wolves off the bench, and kept the crowd in the game everytime Minnesota made a run! There were plenty of Spurs legends in the building as well, El Jefe, D. Rob, Duncan, Manu, Elliot, and Daniels were present for the game. All are former champions and frequent the games! The Crowd was electric and the Spurs needed it as Minnesota kept coming and would answer back everytime San Antonio went up by double digits. In the end it was not enough because when the Alien 👽 is in the paint, it might as well be outer space for the Wolves!
Wolves: A. Edwards (20pts,9rebs,4ast) was trying his best to get Minnesota the win. He gave great effort and was playing through double teams trying to keep the Wolves afloat. A. Dosunmu (17pts) played well and even went at Wemby multiple times. J. McDaniels (17pts) and J. Randle (17pts,10rebs) seemed exhausted after the game and frustrated, as both play a physical brand of basketball that can take the opponent out of their game, but it can also wear down and exhaust both players. N. Reid (12pts,5rebs) was doing his best to protect the paint, but with R. Gobert (4pts,5rebs,1blk) only being effective against lineups that consist of L. Kornet, one has to wonder how he can keep himself from being a liability on offense. Game 6 will be a must win for Minnesota so expect them to play their hearts out!
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 114 to 109 in a game where V. Wembanyama only played 12 minutes because he was ejected for an elbow he threw at N. Reid. The Spurs almost won this game behind D. Fox (24pts) S. Castle (20pts) and D. Harper (24pts) all making tough shots after Wemby was ejected. L. Kornet (7pts,9rebs,1blk) tried his best to hold the fort but without Wemby Minnesota kept attacking the paint! D. Vassell (14pts) played solid defense on Ant-man until the fourth quarter. He really competed on both ends of the floor. Hopefully Wemby is not suspended for game 5, but with the NBA and society being soft now days he probably will. In the 1990’s Wemby would not be suspended. I remember growing up and watching Michael Jordan taking cheap shots, being hit and tripped against the Bad Boy Pistons. He eventually fought back, threw hands and got stronger! So for reference, one has to remember that if you push people far enough for them to hit you with a clean elbow that would make John Bones Jones proud, what did you do to deserve it?
Wolves: A. Edwards (36pts) lead his team to victory scoring 16 in the fourth. Having him healthy and playing well is good for the NBA! R. Gobert (11pts,13rebs) and J. McDaniels (14pts,6rebs) held thier own on defense and gave just enough on offense. N. Reid (15pts,9rebs,4ast) got back up after the chin check and might have a future in boxing if he wishes to try it out after his career! J . Randle (12pts) and A Dosunmu (10pts) helped Ant-man just enough in the fourth quarter to get the win. It will be interesting to see the reaction from Wolves fans and players if Wemby gets suspended or does not. I think most of the players wouldn’t mind if he isn’t suspended but as for Wolves fans it might be another story. There might be more rioting in Minnesota if Wemby gets to play game 5!
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 115 to 107 as V. Wembanyama (39pts,15rebs,5blks) showed the NBA exactly why he is considered an Alien👽! The third year star played like the MVP candidate he is and was too much for the Wolves down the stretch! D. Fox (17pts,5ast) was the Robin to Wemby’s superman! He started slow but picked up his scoring and all around contributions to the team! S. Castle (13pts,12ast) and D. Vassell (13pts,6rebs) played solid defense and put pressure on Minnesota’s guards all night. C. Bryant (6pts) and J. Champagnie (6pts,10rebs) also gave the Wolves stars different looks and hit a few timely shots when the Wolves were gaining momentum. K. Johnson (11pts) and D. Harper (8pts,4ast) gave great effort and played well off the bench for San Antonio. The Spurs ran more out pacing the Wolves 13 to 7 in fast break points as well as controlling the paint scoring 46 points to the Wolves 38. This was a solid win against a good team, but San Antonio has to maintain thier emotions and go for the throat Sunday!
Wolves: The Timberwolves had no answer for Wemby. R. Gobert (13pts,7rebs,3blks) did his best, but this is a matchup many in the NBA are starting to realize is far more difficult as the series goes on, especially as Wemby gains more confidence. J. McDaniels (17pts,7rebs) was solid but he is having to try and stop so many different matchups. This can get in the way of his offensive game. A. Edwards (32pts,14rebs,6ast) was awesome all night. He brought his team back into the game and gave them a chance in the fourth quarter. He definitely needs more help from his supporting cast. J. Randle (12pts,6rebs) and N. Reid (18pts,9rebs5ast,2blks) were trying thier best to stop Wemby and go back at him. Both had moments at guarding the Alien but neither was able to slow down the extraterrestrial! A. Dosunmu (11pts,7rebs,5ast) gave the Wolves some punch, even replacing M. Conley (0pts) after halftime. The question is, can Minnesota slow down the Alien and tie the series?
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 133 to 95 in a game where both V. Wembanyama (19pts,15rebs,2blks) and D. Fox (16pts,2stls) started strong and lead by example! Both players set the tone early and often and trusted in themselves and the system that lead to the rest of the team feeding off that energy! The Spurs will go as far as these two young stars can take them so it is important for them to just play their games and not panic. Speaking of no panic, there is no panic in S. Castle (21pts,4rebs,4ast) and D. Harper (11pts,7rebs,5ast) as the two lived in the paint and constantly put pressure of Minnesota’s guards. People sometimes forget this is only the seventh playoff game for each player including Wemby! The two combo guards helped push the pace as San Antonio outscored Minnesota in transition 29 to 5. Minnesota does have size and experience, but the Spurs have youth and health as well as more bodies to push tempo and expose how slow the Timberwolves are as a team. San Antonio shot 41% from deep in this game and credit goes to them finding the right shooters as J. Champagnie (12pts) 4-6 from deep and D. Vassell (10pts) 2-6 from deep were the players tasked with opening up the court! The Spurs bench was awesome during this game as L. Kornet (4pts,2rebs,2stls,3blks) K. Johnson (9pts,10rebs) and H. Barnes (12pts) rebounded, played solid defense and gave energy when the starters sat. Even C. Bryant (2pts,2rebs,2ast) brought a different element to how the Spurs will guard Minnesota’s stars and how San Antonio will push the ball on every oppurtunity! This was a great answer by the Spurs who are a three pointer away from being 2-0 in this series. Now more game planning is necessary to counter what Minnesota will try and do to rattle these young Spurs. A lot of people were saying the Wolves would sweep the Spurs and were constantly chattering, trying to discredit this group that won 62 games this season. Now that humble pie has been served it will be up to the young Spurs to go up North and continue to attack and let the haters run their mouth! Keep doing what got you here and let your game do the talking, because Karma will always stand true in the end!
Wolves: The Timberwolves played a subpar game at best as J. Randle (12pts,0blks) N. Reid (11pts,0blks) could not stop any Spurs guard from getting to the rim! Both were a -26 for the game and if R. Gobert (5pts,10rebs,0blks) cannot stay in the game and control the paint, having three bigs will make Minnesota slower getting back in transition. Even on made baskets the Spurs pushed as the three big lineup for the Wolves could not contend with San Antonio’s speed! A. Edwards (12pts) was talking his usual trash but at -33 for the game one has to wonder what exactly is the point? J. McDaniels (12pts) was decent for the Wolves but having him guard players like Fox, Castle and Harper who can all get to the rim at will, the question is can his stamina hold up having to focus so much energy on defense. The twist of that is San Antonio’s guards are not Denver’s guards as all three can hold their own on the defensive side of the ball! The one bright spot is Edwards got plenty of rest and game three is their chance to strike back.
Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 102 to 104 in game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals in a game where both Spurs stars lost confidence in themselves and the system! V. Wembanyama (11pts,15rebs,5ast,12blk) was a force on the defensive end, but when looking at his offensive numbers one can tell he was not confident in himself or what most Spurs fans know as the system! He shoot 0-8 from deep and was even double pumping on his wide open threes. Even when the Spurs got him favorable sets and matchups he was rushing and had no timing or balance on his approach. This is a learning curve that will make or break this teams hopes for advancing forward in these playoffs! Victor has to be patient, shoot with confidence and trust that the Spurs system will help him see the floor better as well as not let all the cheap shots the Wolves are taking on him, get to his mental space! The sooner he realizes the Wolves have no answer for him, the sooner the Spurs take control of this series! With that being stated, D. Fox (10pts,6ast,6to) was abysmal during this game. The highest paid Spur left much to be desired and was tied for the worst plus minus on the team at -13. He has to play like game 5 and 6 Portland Fox, and not the hesitant trying to fit in Fox, that most Spurs fans criticized during the regular season! Both Stars for San Antonio cannot shoot 0-12 from deep for the game! Even with both stars struggling the young Spurs found ways to contribute and almost win the game! S. Castle (17pts,7rebs,7ast) and D. Harper (18pts,4rebs,4ast) kept the Spurs in the game in the first half as well getting them back into the game when Minnesota would get a lead! Both J. Champagnie (17pts) and D. Vassell (14pts) played well on both ends and were a combined 6-13 from deep. It’s not that the Spurs just settled for threes, in that they did, but also that these two sharp shooters didn’t get more looks. Sometimes it’s not about how many you take, it’s about who takes them! K. Johnson (11pts) brought energy off the bench and will be key going forward. His energy will help the Spurs when they get into funks! L. Kornet (2pts,2rebs) was a disaster and disappointment during this game. He brought no physicality and was -7 in 8 minutes! Maybe having him play with Wemby in spurts can unlock him as the two were called French Vanilla when they played together. This could help with the Spurs rebounding woes. Hopefully C. Bryant can play next game and help give a different look on both sides of the ball. As bad as the Spurs played they had a chance to win this game! Going forward adjustments need to be made and hopefully the young Spurs will realize that when Gobert is out Minnesota has no shot blocking! Don’t settle for contested shots, don’t panic, play thier game and let thier instincts dictate how to attack!
Wolves: The Timberwolves played a great game and deserve all the credit in how they performed. They pushed, scratched, and clawed thier way to victory. They definitely are the more battle tested team, but are also the more desperate one! J. Randle (21pts,10rebs) was solid for them throughout the game. He has always had either a grudge or a personal issue with Wemby. Older viral clips of him looking Wemby up and down with disrespect is all over the internet and the fact that he pushed Wemby down a number of times shows his dislike. I have always liked Randle, but the bush league stuff needs to stop! He needs to play the game the right way while having repsect, not only for his opponents, but for the game itself! A. Edwards (18pts) played well enough for Minnesota to get the win! He is a star and one of the faces of the NBA! It is nice to see him playing and hopefully he stays healthy! R. Gobert (7pts,10rebs,1blk) held down the paint decent enough for the Wolves to keep it close and finally get the win. It will be interesting to see what San Antonio’s plan is moving forward as he did not close the game. M. Conley (12pts,6ast) outplayed Fox. McDaniels (16pts) and N. Reid (12pts,9rebs,1blk) were big for Minnesota. They played well and got to their spots on offense as well as held tight on defense. It will be interesting to see if they can continue making difficult shots if the Wolves stars have an off game. This will be a tough long series and adjustments will determine what team advances. The Wolves screened Wemby and started to drive. This will work until San Antonio changes it’s approach on how to guard this going forward!
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