NBA Playoffs 2016: Oklahoma Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 1 Preview
After handling their respective opponents in the first round of the 2016 Western Conference Playoffs series, the San Antonio Spurs will now meet the Oklahoma Thunder in the second round.
Game one of the said series will be taking place on Friday, April 29th, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The second-seeded spurs handily disposed of the number seven-ranked Memphis Grizzlies, sweeping the series 4-0. Throughout all four games, San Antonio held dominant wins over their opponents.
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Game one last April 18th ended with a final score of 106-74, Game two, two days after ended with a final score of 106-74, game three last April 23rd ended with a final score of 96-87, and game four ended with a final tally of 116-95.
Despite having to deal with a number of injuries and a depleted roster, the Grizzlies were able to put up a tough, physical fight. So much so, that their efforts were actually lauded by the Spurs.
"It wasn't a fair fight. Whoever was available came out and played, and they executed to the best of their ability," said San Antonio's head coach Gregg Popovich. "They played with a lot of heart and a lot of fortitude."
"They play very physical, so it's a good test for the next round," said starting point guard Tony Parker.
In a report by NBA.com, the Spurs' sweep of the Grizzlies marks their ninth in a postseason series in the entire franchise's history.
The Oklahoma Thunder, on the other hand, did give up one game, and ended up winning the series against the Dallas Mavericks, 4-1. After winning Game one impressively with a score of 108-70, the Mavericks went on to bounce back in Game two, winning with a final score of 85-84. Oklahoma, however, went on to win all remaining games.
For the Thunder's superstar forward Kevin Durant, it was Dallas' "gimmicky defense" that gave them a challenging time.
"They didn't really play solid. They weren't really disciplined the entire series," Durant said. "That's how we were able to shoot such a high percentage except for that second game. It took all of that to win by one point - us having a historically bad night shooting the basketball. But for the most part, we got whatever we wanted on the offensive end."
