As the Turning Point turns...

There are games, and there are GAMES. Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals was one of the latter. A pivotal game. A must win game for both the Thunder and Spurs, this was a back and forth contest that honestly, gave me not one but several heart attacks during the 48 minute contest. A contest which the Thunder wrested away from the Spurs, 108-103. Not without significant effort and timely heroics from a whole number of Thunder players, but keyed by the increased great play from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Big shocker there I know.

But keep in mind…all of this involves the Spurs - a team that won 20 games in a row, and hadn’t lost at home this entire post season. The then went on to lose back to back games to the Thunder…but hadn’t lost at home this post season. Heck, the Spurs hadn’t lost 3 games in a row all year long. Granted, it was only a 66 game shortened season, but still - that’s hard to do and pretty damn impressive in itself. The same Spurs team that won a close game in game 1 of this series, and downright embarrassed the Thunder in game 2 in this exact same building. I’m sure just about every person that covers basketball expected the Spurs to win this game. Truth be told, even I was fearful the Thunder wouldn’t be able to pull this one out. But that’s why they play the actual games…because you never know what you are going to get once the roundball gets tossed up at center court.

Watching this game was an exercise in all the highs and lows of being a fan. Tight and chippy play early, resulting in a slow start by the Thunder and foul trouble for Ibaka. A slow but steady comeback where the athleticism of the Thunder shows clearly the biggest difference between the two teams. Gaining ground and a shift in momentum, resulting in a Thunder lead of at first single digits, then later on double digits. A little stumble before halftime, leading to an 8 point lead after 24 minutes. Taking a breath at halftime…and hope building that this might turn out well for the road team for the first time in any Western or Eastern Conference series so far. Second half begins…Spurs come out with tremendous defensive energy, trim the lead down, then its all the way gone. Poor execution by the Thunder and awesome effort by the Spurs and some individual brilliance by Manu puts them up by 6 or 7. Then the Thunder collect their poise, and answer back. Build up another big lead…then more almost unbelievable lapses in judgment lead to an almost Thunder collapse. But at the end, Russ atones for his turnovers with a smooth 17 foot elbow jumper…and Harden drains as cold blooded a 3 pointer as you would see from well…Kevin Durant. This pushes the lead from 2 to 5 points, and results in the end margin of victory. I’m pretty sure I experienced every single human positive or negative emotion during this game - my wife even commented at one point that she was so worried about some of my outbursts she was afraid I might injure myself, or at the very least the television. THAT’S what it means to be a real fan…you take it all in, both the good times AND the not-so-good times.

This isn’t last year’s Thunder team. Last year’s team doesn’t find a way to dig this game out. Last year’s team lets their late game struggles overwhelm them and they lose their composure, the game, and probably the series. But this years Thunder are maturing, possession by possession, game by game, series by series. Last year’s Russell Westbrook doesn’t offset his 9-24 night with 12 assists. Last year’s James Harden maybe doesn’t have the confidence to take and make a momentum shifting transition 3 that turns into a 4 point play, or the clinching 3 pointer with under 45 seconds in the game. And maybe last years Kevin Durant doesn’t know when to pick and choose the spots where he sets up his teammates and when to take the game over. This year’s team has been tested, both on the road and at home. And the tests are still yet to come - including the close out game 6 coming up on Wednesday. Maybe the toughest test of this team to date. But if they find a way to get it done (and I personally think they will) they will have done what the expectations heaped upon them at the beginning of the year said they should: found a way to get themselves to the NBA Finals.

Let’s not kid ourselves here - we are witnessing the true NBA Finals during this series - whoever comes out of the West will not face a team that is nearly as good as either these Thunder or the Spurs. So if the Thunder do advance (as the playoff odds say often happens when a team wins game 5) they will surely have learned enough lessons from the Mavericks, Lakers, and Spurs to ultimately bring home the Larry O’Brien to OKC. As always, #ThunderNationRISE