2016 Playoff Hangover (Day 25): Russell Westbrook Wills Thunder to 3-2 Series Lead

This is the Hangover. We get basketball-wasted all the time. Yes, we recap the NBA every night in our own way.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)

#3 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 95 @ #2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS 91
WEST Semifinals – Game 5 – THUNDER lead series, 3-2

The beginning of the game was not pretty. And then Kawhi Leonard got going as he helped the Spurs build a five-point lead by the half.

The Russell Westbrook destruction machine kept pushing while Danny Green poured in from outside. And LaMarcus Aldridge stopped making shots because of the big line-up of Enes Kanter and Steven Adams. The bigs killed the Spurs on the boards.

Westbrook was on the attack the whole time and missed a lot of shots but the Spurs missed a lot of shots (Aldridge, in particular, missed two open short jumpers), too. Russ and the bigs went on an 8-0 run before Tony Parker made a jumper to tie the game. Kevin Durant got fouled in controversial fashion (Green fell into Durant after he was tripped by Adams) and made both free throws. Parker was fouled as well but he split his foul shots.

Green was able to steal the ball with 29 seconds left. They settled on a Parker long jumper that didn’t go in. With nine seconds left, we chuckled on the situation that Dion Waiters was taking the ball out but another questionable thing happened. Russell got the ball and was clearly fouled by Kawhi Leonard BUT Westbrook kept going and went to the rim. Aldridge got called for the foul as the lay-up went in. That clinched the game for the Thunder and suddenly, OKC is one win away from the Western Conference Finals.

It wasn’t structured ball but the Thunder have two of the Top 5 players in the league. Plus the bigs helped dominate the glass as OKC outrebounded San Antonio, 54-36. Russell Westbrook decided that everything he heard was white noise and did what he did best and that was to be the pusher. He willed his team to this win.

A lot of Spurs fans will point to that non-call but San Antonio missed jumpers at the end. I thought they could’ve gotten a better shot than that missed 20-footer from Parker. But if one of those jumpers went in before that fateful Westbrook three-point play, we’d probably be talking about how the Thunder couldn’t get it done again in the clutch.

For now, we’re going to Game 6. And OKC is one step closer on getting everybody else to shut up about the status of their franchise.

Also, practice your free throws, kids.

BEHIND THE LINES
Russell Westbrook (OKC): 35 pts, 11 rebs, 9 assts, 8 TOs.
Enes Kanter (OKC): 8 pts, 13 rebs, 3 blks.
Steven Adams (OKC): 12 pts, 11 rebs.
Kevin Durant (OKC): 23 pts, 6 rebs, 5 assts.
Kawhi Leonard (SA): 26 pts, 6 rebs, 5 stls.
LaMarcus Aldridge (SA): 20 pts, 9 rebs.
Danny Green (SA): 20 pts.

WATCH THIS PLAY

Leonard takes it away and takes it home on Westbrook.

(VIDEO CREDIT: Bleacher Report.)

The Spurs lost only once at home in the entire regular season. But in this series, they’ve already lost twice in San Antonio against the Thunder. The NBA is crazy. And I love it.


Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.

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