[UNCbasketballbumParticipant]

was so wet last night.  I think he was 11-1 and swished like 5 jumpers.  He has obviously worked really hard on that part of his game.  Him and Perkins combined to go 22-25.  They were the big difference in the game last night before Durant scored 16 straight in the 4th quarter.  They obviously won’t put up those type of numbers every night, but Perkins and Ibaka showed the Thunder are more than just Harden, Westbrook and Durant as they tied the series 2-2.

[TomShoeParticipant]

Whoever wins the 1st away game will most likely win this series.

Ibaka and the Thunder have been on a momentum high, but I can’t expect Ibaka and Perkins’ hot streaks to carry on forever, especially on the road.

The Spurs look like they have no answer for this, being dragged back down to Earth, but maybe a swift kick in the nuts was all they needed to get back in this.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

 I don’t think anyone has an answer to Ibaka and Perkins shooting like that. I kind of called this in a post a little while ago. The Thunder need to grow up and reach another level to beat the spurs. The guy who had the room to grow was Ibaka. Well he certainly did that last night. Perkins just had a good quarter and I don’t expect that again this series. But Ibaka has the potential to reach another level on offense. I’m not talking about being perfect or anywhere close to that. That was a fluke. But just being a legit 15 point a game scorer would change everything. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

In the last game OKC’s bigs (Ibaka, Perkins, and Collison) went 22-25. I don’t think they so that again.
But, Ibaka’s defensive presence will be there and the bigs will still play tough, physical, and inspired. I think
that Perk and Serge can each get 8 or 9 boards each game for the rest of the series. Ibaka will still be a threat to put some
points on the board.

Going into the series I thought that for the Thunder, Serge Ibaka was their X Factor. The last two games he has shown up and played well.
For the Spurs I thought that their X factor would be Kawhi Leonard. He had a great game 4 and they still lost. He also had a great game 1 in a Spurs win, but I don’t think they can count on him having two more great games. The Spurs are “deep” but they really only have 3 true scorers so they really need Leonard to play well the rest of the way.

For the Spurs to win the series I thought that we had to see Vintage Duncan. He played well in SA and won, but he struggled in game 3 in a loss. Duncan put up good numbers in game 4 but they still lost. I think that the Spurs need at least two more “Vintage Timmy” games for the Spurs to win. I thought that if TD was the best player on the court this series that the Spurs would win. He is a tough, smart, skilled
big man.

On the other hand, the Thunder have some bigs of their own to throw at him–
perkins, Ibaka, and Collison. I also thought that Collison was tough and quick enough to guard the Spurs perimeter bigs (Diaw and Bonner). Ibaka is a good athlete and Durant is long which helps OKC’s frontline defense.

Before the series started I thought that for the Thunder to win, that Serge Ibaka had to be the best player on the court. In game 3 he basically had better stats than Duncan after Timmy posterized him earlier in game 2. Ibaka then had a MONSTER game 4 and was the best player on the court for much of the game — until Durant did his best 2011 Dirk impression in the 4th quarter to close out the game. If Ibaka plays great the rest of the series then I like the Thunder’s chances. I think if he shuts down the lane, stops Duncan, helps out on the boards and scores 12-13 points or
more then the Thunder can pull off the upset in game 5.

The Spurs should be concerned since TD played well in game 4 and they lost. Kawhi Leonard, basically the Spurs’ fourth guy, played awesome in game 4 and they still lost. Yeah the front line played great and KD was scorching hot, but Westbrook didn’t play well, KD is a tough matchup for anyone, and Fisher didn’t make a shot. The momentum of this series shifted when the Thunder went into Hack-A-Splitter mode, aka Splitter Hitter in game 2. The thunder went on a nice run later in that game, and even though they lost they gained a ton of confidence. Also, Iooked at game 4’s box score and Splitter only played 5 and a half minutes. So the Thunder basically took the Spurs’ second best inside defender out of the game. The rest of the Spurs’ other bigs (Diaw, Bonner, and Blair) lack Splitter’s length and none of those 3 are true centers.

If the Spurs don’t come out attacking the basket, hitting 3’s, and playing tough defense early, they could be in for a long game 5. The Thunder’s Big Three would have given the Spurs trouble anyway, but now Ibaka is giving them a Big Four. Leonard has played well for San Antonio but outside of their own Big Four the Spurs lack true scorers and big time athletes. They also don’t really have another shot blocking threat besides Duncan if Splitter is out of the game. The Spurs might be more versatile 5-13 than the Thunder but the Thunder’s bench can also hit some shots, board, and scrap. Role players usually play better at home and the Spurs vaunted bench wasn’t as big of a a factor in game 4. They really have to bounce back in game 5. Unlike the Spurs’ role players the Thunders’ role players are more noted for their defense (specifically Thabo, Perk, and Collison) so it is not as big of a deal for the Thunder if those guys aren’t hitting their shots. Fisher hitting jumpers is a bonus, not something that the Thunder rely on.

Even if Ibaka’s jumper cools off, i still allows the Thunder to space the floor since the Spurs have to respect it. The Spurs don’t really have anyone with the athleticism, size, strength, and length to matchup with Ibaka.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Coach Brooks once said Ibaka has the best midrange jumper on the team. Now that may not be true but I am not the least bit shocked to see that performance.

[Author]

Posts