Western Conference Finals: (1) San Antonio vs. (2) Oklahoma City

How so? OKC has been the favorites (and better team) in all their series.

They're down 2-1 now b/c their 3rd best player and most important defensive player had been out the first 2 games.

Despite a wild wild first round, the best teams in each conference are in the conference finals. We all expected this.

 

Looked like a whole different and confident team with Ibaka out there. Now we have a good series, I hope.

 

Ibaka makes OKC a much better team. He didn't appear affected by this leg at all. If he is really healthy, then it is a series again. It is amazing what a difference he makes.

 

I think most realistic people expected the Thunder to win game 3. Game 4 will be fascinating though

 

Fulltime starter compared to a sixth man

 

The first round of the playoffs was off the charts. If it weren't for a walk-off shot from Damian Lillard, all 4 opening series in the West and 6 total would have gone 7 games. Both 8th seeds had a chance to advance. The game-winning shots were spectacular. Refresh my memory, but has there ever been a 1st round this great in NBA history?

Sure it ended with the top seeds advancing to the conference finals, but ride was more exciting than that IMO.

 

Or we could get an Asian-American point guard who went to Harvard, got cut twice, got undrafted, slept on brother's couch etc. Wow, we'd be unstoppable in a rigged series.

 

Too bad he is no longer Linsanity anymore and the popularity is gone from mainstream fans; only people left are rabid LOFs.

 

He showed flashes of it during the season, and especially Game 5 of the post. He just needs to be on a team that can utilize him better.

Also the real rabid people are the trolls pretending to be LOFs. So many people are fooled it seems.

 

I missed the game, but couldn't the same be said for each of OKC's big 3? Ibaka never really stands out to me aside from a few aggressive blocks and slightly above average man defense when I watch him play.

 

Of course it can. OKC has no hope of beating the Spurs in a series with any of their big 3 missing. With Ibaka, it glaringly obvious how much he means to them for paint protection and reliable offense.

You must not have seen Ibaka much this year. His on-ball defense has gone to another level this season. He's only 24 and is still clearly on an upward trajectory on both ends of the floor.

 

Given that Ibaka would return, betting on OKC for this game was easy money. But who do you think wins game 4 I think is again more so about which team is better. I think Spurs win.

 

Spurs’ Gregg Popovich jokes that Manu Ginobili is ‘out for the rest of the playoffs’

Pop taking a shot at OKC.

 

OKC is much tougher now that they have their 2nd best player back.

 

The same can be said for any of the big three. Your are correct, Ibaka did stand out last night probably because we are all watching for him. He hit the first shot of the game for OKC and continued to score. He blocked multiple shots. He really changed the game.

 

IF Ibaka can play the same way he did last night the Thunder will Win again. Durant and Westbrook will have to play much better tomorrow in order to get the Win. Spurs lived by 3 when Ibaka got finally play. The living in the paint that the Spurs enjoyed the first two games went away with Ibaka back in the starting lineup.

 

Great to see Ibaka back, and playing a significant part in the win.
I hope we will see a close series.

 

San Antonio may win the series, but these playoffs seem to validate why OKC chose Ibaka over Harden.