It’s been a historic night in Oklahoma City: The team will play for the NBA title for the first time since 1996, before relocating from Seattle.
Winning over the Spurs 107-99, the Thunder now await the result of the Boston-Miami Eastern Conference Finals. The NBA Finals begin Tuesday.
Durant was unstoppable whether he drove hard to the bucket or came off pick-and-rolls. His 34 points came with 14 rebounds and five rebound, all in 48 minutes of play. That’s right, Durant didn’t resist and he rarely showed signs of fatigue.
Westbrook chipped in with an important 25 points, although he only shot 9 for 17 from the field. He missed several open jumpers in the fourth quarter, but his court vision helped him find teammates. He dished out five assists too.
The Spurs made some nice runs thanks to dagger 3-pointers from Stephen Jackson, who went six-for-seven beyond the arc. Tony Parker led the team in scoring with 29 points but Manu Ginobli couldn’t get on track – the athletic wing player shot 4-for-10 and only helped out with 10 points.
After shooting 55 percent in the first half, San Antonio went only 7 for 22 in the third quarter and held to an 81-80 lead heading into the fourth, ESPN reports. But when the Thunder put James Harden, Westbrook and Durant on the floor together in the fourth, the Spurs couldn’t stop the multi-barrelled firepower. OKC outscored the Spurs in the fourth quarter 27-18.
An interesting sidenote, courtesy of a sub-reddit: Oklahoma City Thunder is the first team not named the Spurs, Lakers, or Mavericks to represent the West since 1998.
