OKC Thunder Discover Late-Game Formula in Critical Game 4 Win over Spurs

As evidenced by their 111-97 victory over the San Antonio Spurs to even up the series 2-2, the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t understand how narratives are supposed to work. 

The Spurs are supposed to be the unstoppable juggernaut capable of shutting down even the NBA’s best offenses. The Spurs were supposed to steamroll through the competition en route to a Western Conference Finals matchup with the 73-win Golden State Warriors. The Thunder are supposed to be the squad on the cusp of that top tier, plagued by simplistic offensive sets and half-court misexecution, always a buck short in crunch time.

So much for that.

During a 34-16 fourth quarter, OKC throttled its opponent. While Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Dion Waiters (yes, Dion Waiters), Enes Kanter and company ran legitimate offense, the Spurs devolved and fell in love with ill-fated isolation plays. 

According to NBA.com’s statistical databases, the Thunder were outscored by 1.2 points per 100 possessions during fourth-quarter action in the regular season. In clutch situations (the last five minutes of games separated by no more than five points), they posted a minus-8.3 net rating—better than only six lottery teams. 

The opposite storyline unraveled for the Spurs. They had a 15.4 net rating in clutch moments, trailing only the Dallas Mavericks (16.0) and Golden State Warriors (38.6). In fourth quarters, that number stood at a similarly impressive 10.4. 

But Sunday night, the scripts were reversed. 

San Antonio was inexplicably content letting David West or LaMarcus Aldridge attack in a back-to-the-basket set with hardly any off-ball action. Even when it tried to have a shooter such as Danny Green extricate himself from the clutches of the OKC defense, the screens were weak, leading to contested looks or opportunities that didn’t even result in shots. 

Teams coached by Gregg Popovich usually thrive down the stretch. They’ve historically been masters of execution while refusing to engage in careless activities that lead to turnovers. But the Spurs coughed the ball up three times during the final period, and that was one of many scenarios in which Oklahoma City let its desire and hustle shine through. 

Even though Waiters missed this fast-break attempt, Westbrook’s subsequent display of body-sacrificing heart served as a microcosm for the fourth quarter as a whole:

Though the phrase “they wanted it more” is a meaningless cliche that rarely applies to professional sports—seriously, let Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban enlighten you on the topic if you so desire—Westbrook played like he had no intentions of losing. His shooting performance (5-of-18 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc) won’t go down in history as a particularly impressive one, but he still played the right way. 

“Just too many shots. I’ve got to do a better job getting guys shots,” he told reporters …

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