NBA Playoffs 2014: Kevin Durant gets loose for breakaway dunk (GIF)
By Hayden Kane
The tales of the aging San Antonio Spurs might be exaggerated from time to time. Yes, they do have some aging superstars, namely center Tim Duncan, but the idea that they are just an old, plodding team simply is not true despite the fact that it is the perception of certain people who do not watch them play very often.
More from Kevin Durant
- Steph Curry still defends Kevin Durant: ‘Most misunderstood dude’ in the NBA
- Spicy Kevin Durant returns, argues with random NBA fans on Twitter
- Kevin Durant’s latest Tweet comes with a hilarious challenge for fans
- The new NBA flopping rules explained
- Is Kevin Durant playing tonight? Latest injury update for Suns vs. Timberwolves
That said, it is still reasonable to view the Oklahoma City Thunder as the more athletic team in this Western Conference Finals. They are certainly the team that will be more interested in trying to speed up the game and get out and run for some transition buckets.
If they are able to get the stops and the transition opportunities to throw the Spurs out of rhythm, it will go a long way towards a more even series. Thus far the Spurs have done everything to dictate tempo and keep Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant from getting out in transition.
The return of Serge Ibaka seemed to give the Thunder a spark in flashes of game three. They saw their style of play at work on this play where they got a stop on defense and Durant got loose for an easy breakaway dunk.
Even with a better hold on the tempo of game three, the Thunder were not able to stretch out a big lead in the first half. They will have their work cut out for them if they are going to keep it up and get a win against the well-oiled machine that is the Spurs. If they do that in the third game of the series, it could be a whole new ballgame.