SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs are making this look way too easy.
Parker had 34 points and eight assists, Manu Ginobili added 20 points and the Spurs stayed perfect in the playoffs with a 120-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night.
So far, the Spurs have turned a hotly anticipated matchup between the league's top two scoring teams into a lopsided mismatch more befitting of an early round.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City, and the Thunder can only hope that a change of venue throws San Antonio out of its groove. The Spurs put on an offensive clinic for three quarters on Tuesday night, shooting 60 percent and building a 22-point lead.
"We like to play like that," said Parker, who hit 16 of 21 shots. "That's the way we play."
The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs. They came in sharing the longest such streak with the 2000-01 Lakers, who won 19 straight before losing to Philadelphia in the first game of the finals.
Those Lakers went on to win the championship and Parker's performance is yet another reason to think the Spurs will do the same.
"It's great and it is a great run," said Tim Duncan, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds. "But we are only worried about the next two wins in this series. That is all that matters, at this point."
The Thunder made a late surge to get within six points, but Parker, Ginobili and Duncan helped San Antonio finish them off. Oklahoma City is 5-0 at home in the playoffs, but only 14 teams have come back from 2-0 deficits to win a series in NBA playoff history.
No comments:
Post a Comment