After the first quarter, that's what this Thunder team sure felt like in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. A 20 point blowout Thunder win, 102-82, the Thunder looked and felt like a freight train rolling downhill and not stopping at the station. This was EXACTLY the type of statement game that had to happen after a "close but not close enough" game 1 loss, and a game 2 whupping that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. The Thunder came out and made a few adjustments that paid immediate dividends, most notably the switching of Thabo Sefolosha defensively onto Tony Parker. TP had a quiet 16 point 4 assist night, and all of the Spur starters got lots of rest in the 4th quarter and the benches were emptied pretty early into this one.
Obviously the Thunder didn't want to get into a 0-3 hole in the series, and after looking all but outclassed in the 2nd of their losses to San Antonio, the Thunder really needed to come out and play with fire...with desperation. And they did just that. You could see the obvious focus to increase their energy level; the hard work and effort that they knew would pay off for them if they just played their game. And play their game they did. The stats will be down, obviously, and there was a lot of garbage time minutes for guys off both benches, but this was really a game that was OKC's to lose, and they weren't going to let that happen. The emotion was high, and guys were going to get even more of a lift when the crowd got going, and get going Loud City did, early and often. The Cheaspeake Energy Arena may be the single greatest homecourt advantage in the NBA, meaning no disrespect to all the other fans and team homes. But when you got a place nicknamed "Loud City," you have to put up or shut up...and this team's fans are doing the damn thing.
There wasn't much not to like as a Thunder fan about this game....and honestly, this was probably an easy one to put behind you if you are a Spurs fan. Sometimes you get your ass kicked, and that's just the way it is. You let it go and move on. It's not nearly as bad as a one or two point loss that you can say "if we did this or did that differently..." The Thunder are talented and coming together defensively at the right time, and when you've three guys like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on your team - you've always got a fighting chance. And tonight, they had more than a chance. They had themselves a downright stomping of one of the better teames in the West.
#ThunderNationRISE
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