Oklahoma City Thunder Eliminate Spurs, Advance To Finals Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2012/06/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-eliminate-spurs-advance-to-finals/#ixzz1xAIikCEy

Kevin Durant's defense was the difference this time around.

"That's his first charge of the year," Russell Westbrook interjected when Durant was asked about drawing an offensive foul against Manu Ginobili in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City's 107-99 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night.

Indeed, it was.

The league's three-time scoring champion had 34 points and 14 rebounds while playing all of regulation for the first time all season, leading the Thunder into the NBA finals. But it was taking that charge that got his team pumped up.

Durant stepped in front of Ginobili's drive during a 3½-minute scoreless stretch by San Antonio that allowed Oklahoma City to take the lead for good.

"I just wanted to go out there and sacrifice my body for my team. I knew that would give us a little spark," Durant said.

"Manu's an unbelievable player at twisting his body and making crazy shots, so I just wanted to time it right. It felt good to get that for my team and I could tell they were excited that I got my first one when I looked at the bench."

Westbrook added 25 points for the Thunder, who trailed by 18 in the first half and erased a 15-point halftime deficit.

The Thunder took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter, getting nine of their first 13 points on free throws as the fouls started to pile up for San Antonio — six on the defensive end and three on the offensive end in the first 7 minutes.

That included Durant's stop just outside the restricted area under the basket.

"Down the stretch, it seemed like they got every whistle possible and that really changed the tide," San Antonio's Tim Duncan said. "We were playing tough defense and trying to get stops, but the whistle kept blowing and they went to the line."

Tony Parker finished with 29 points and 12 assists, but only eight of the points and two assists came after San Antonio took a 63-48 halftime lead. Duncan chipped in 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Stephen Jackson hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points.

The Spurs had won 20 in a row, moving past the Thunder for home-court advantage in the West and then taking a 2-0 lead in the series, before losing four in a row.

"There's not much to complain about," Ginobili said. "We had a great run. We just couldn't beat these guys."

Durant grabbed the final rebound, dribbled the ball across half court and raised his right fist to celebrate with a sold-out crowd wearing free white T-shirts. The franchise will play for the NBA title for the first time since 1996, when it was in Seattle.

Game 1 of the NBA finals will be Tuesday night in Oklahoma City against either Boston or Miami. The Celtics lead that series 3-2 and can earn a trip to the finals with a win at home in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Durant celebrated even before the final buzzer, hugging his mother and brother seated courtside after a foul was called with 14 seconds remaining.

"I never want to take those moments for granted," Durant said. "I know it's just one step closer to our dreams, but it felt good."

Coach Scott Brooks said he was not going to take Durant out of the game, no matter how many times his All-Star gave him a fatigued look.

"Kevin's an amazing young man," Brooks said. "His stat line is not even close to who he is as a young man. He's respected by his teammates, by the staff, by the city. He's a great ambassador to this league and I'm proud to coach him. He wants to be coached.

"He's a great leader."

The Thunder, only three years removed from a 3-29 start that had them on pace for the worst record in NBA history, went through the only three West teams to reach the finals since 1998 — Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio — to earn their shot at the title.

Derek Fisher and James Harden hit 3-pointers in a three-possession span to increase the lead to 99-93 with 3:13 remaining. Jackson, who had made his previous six 3-pointers, and Parker both missed 3s that would have gotten the Spurs within 103-102 in the final minute.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich thought the game was lost in the third quarter, when the Spurs were "playing in mud."

The Spurs got quick offense in the first half and made 9 of 15 from 3-point range while shooting 55 percent overall.

Parker, who had been largely bottled up ever since the Thunder put 6-foot-7 defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha on him in Game 3, had a hand in the Spurs' first 12 baskets, making seven on his own and assisting on the other five.

Kawhi Leonard and Jackson followed his three-point play by nailing back-to-back 3-pointers for a 34-16 advantage in the final 2 minutes of the first quarter.

The youthful Thunder stormed back with an 11-2 run to start the third quarter and eventually pulled ahead after Durant's 3-pointer from the top of the key made it 79-77 with 1:41 left in the period.

"We can't have their legs, their energy. We are never going to jump as high or run as fast," Ginobili said. "But the first half we did a great job, we just moved the ball to find teammates, made shots. In the second half, they were very active and we couldn't find anything easy."

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Oklahoma City Thunder beats San Antonio Spurs, leads series, 3-2

ANTONIO -- Kevin Durant scored 27 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder is on the brink of the NBA Finals, beating the San Antonio Spurs 108-103 in Game 5 on Monday night and moving within a victory of a series knockout.

Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Thunder took a 3-2 lead in a wildly entertaining Western Conference finals. Looking invincible while carrying 20-win streak a week ago, the Spurs have lost three straight and are on the verge of a stunning collapse.

Manu Ginobili scored 34 in a smashing return to the starting lineup. But trailing 106-103 and the Spurs down to their last shot, Ginobili missed an off-balance 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Game 6 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder can punch its ticket to the NBA Finals in the place they haven't lost all postseason.

They're bringing home just what they needed: the must-win on the road if they're going to pull this series out.

Oklahoma City pulled it off behind their stars. James Harden scored 20, joining Durant and Westbrook as the only Thunder players in double figures.

Harden hit the biggest shot, draining a 3-pointer with 28.8 seconds left that pushed Oklahoma City's lead to five. He admitted afterward that the ball was supposed to go to Durant but had no choice but to let go with the shot clock winding down and Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard in his face.

"The shot clock was running down and I had to make a play," Harden said. "Leonard was playing great defense on me. I just shot it with confidence. West Conference finals -- that's a big shot."

Tony Parker had 20 points and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.

After remaining unbeaten for 50 days before arriving in Oklahoma City, San Antonio has lost three games in five day. They now must win two straight to avoid seeing their last best chance to win in a title in the Duncan era end.

"Championship teams win on the road," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Oklahoma City just did that."

It's the first time the Spurs have lost three in a row all season.

"That was a total team effort," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Everybody did their job. I thought we played as hard as we can play."

Durant scored 22 of his points in the second half. Westbrook also had 12 assists.

Not wanting the series to slip away, Popovich moved Ginobili to the starting lineup in place of Danny Green, who came in shooting a combined 8-of-28 in this series. It was the first start for Ginobili since March and just his eighth all season.

Green's days as a starter began looking numbered after Game 3. He couldn't save his job before leaving Oklahoma City -- Green shot 4 of 12 in both losses combined -- and Popovich couldn't wait any longer with the series tied and the season in the balance.

Out with the undrafted swingman who barely made training camp, and in with the former All-Star.

The switch wasn't announced until after Popovich met with reporters, with whom he refused to discuss any possible lineup changes. But pulling this big an adjustment this deep in the season likely didn't come easy for the NBA coach of the year.

The gambit drew mixed results. It looked like a no-brainer with Ginobili leading all scorers at halftime with 14, but new rotations for the Spurs made for rocky possessions. None more so than in the second quarter, when the Spurs shot 38 percent and trailed by as much as 14 before coming back in the second half.

Ginobili finished 11-of-21 and made half of his 10 3-point attempts. But with 4.9 seconds left, the one he needed most clanked off the back of the rim.

"We wanted to get Manu the 3," Popovich said.

Oklahoma City Thunder power past San Antonio Spurs, 109-103

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 18 of his 36 points in a scintillating final 7 minutes, Serge Ibaka added a career-high 26 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder evened the Western Conference finals at two games apiece by beating the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 Saturday night.

After seeing his team's 15-point lead dwindle to four, Durant took over midway through the fourth quarter by scoring all 16 of the Thunder's points during a span of just over 5 minutes to keep the Spurs at bay.

With All-Star teammate Russell Westbrook limited to seven points, Durant did almost all of the damage late to send the series back to San Antonio all square for Game 5 on Monday night.

The three-time scoring champion hit three straight jumpers, the last one coming after he bumped into Tony Parker in the lane to draw a foul and set up a three-point play. Then he attacked the rim for his next three baskets, getting to the line again when he was fouled on a layup off of James Harden's alley-oop.

Durant hit another jumper after coming off a Westbrook screen for the last basket in his personal run — and the Spurs were still within striking distance. Rookie Kawhi Leonard bracketed a pair of 3-pointers around that Durant jumper, and the Spurs were only down 102-96 with 1:24 left.

The Spurs succeeded in getting the ball out of Durant's hands on the next possession, only for him to provide the assist on Harden's 3-pointer from the left wing that bumped the lead to nine.

Durant hit two free throws in the final minute to help close it out.

Oklahoma City is trying to become the 15th team in NBA history to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a seven-game series, and the eighth to do it since 2004. The Thunder avoided an even trickier task by winning.

Only eight teams have ever overcome a 3-1 hole, and only two had done it while needing two wins on the road — the 1995 Rockets and 1968 Celtics.

Tim Duncan had 21 points for San Antonio, which had won 20 in a row before losing Game 3. Leonard added 17 points and nine rebounds.

The Spurs wiped away most of a 15-point deficit with a run that coincided with coach Gregg Popovich turning to DeJuan Blair, who's had some notoriously big games against the Thunder but had occupied a spot on the bench for most of the playoffs after starting 62 of the 66 regular-season games.

Blair sprung free for a layup early in an 18-5 comeback, and Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer from the top of the key trimmed Oklahoma City's lead to 73-71 with 1:16 to go in the third quarter.

The Spurs were within four after Duncan's left-handed runner with 6:55 left in the game. That's when Thunder coach Scott Brooks called a timeout, and Durant came out of it firing away. He made seven of his last eight shots and also finished with eight assists and six rebounds.

Ibaka made all 11 of his shots — and all four of his free throws — to lead a strong performance from Oklahoma City's frontcourt while Durant's usual running mates, Westbrook and Harden, both struggled.

Ibaka, starting center Kendrick Perkins and reserve Nick Collison combined to go 22 for 25 from the field for 49 points. Westbrook missed eight of his 10 shots and Harden was limited to eight points.

The Thunder shot 56 percent and outrebounded San Antonio 41-31.

Perkins and Collison had two-handed jams during a string of 10 straight Thunder points that flipped the game late in the first quarter. Stephen Jackson stopped it with a three-point play that was originally ruled an offensive foul — that would have been his third — before officials conferred and ruled Collison was inside the circle and was guilty of the foul.

Ginobili followed two possessions later with a four-point play, taking advantage when Westbrook failed to get back on defense after missing a wild layup in transition.

Oklahoma City pulled right back ahead with a 12-3 run while its two All-Stars came out for a break, and Westbrook nailed a 3-pointer from the left side soon after returning to provide the Thunder's first double-digit lead at 43-33 with 4:44 to go before halftime.

Perkins had another two-handed dunk and Durant hit a jumper in the final minute of the first half to push the edge to 55-43, and Leonard's 3-pointer was a fraction after the buzzer for the Spurs. Oklahoma City shot 57.5 percent in the first half and had a 24-17 rebounding advantage.

NOTES: After committing a postseason-worst 21 turnovers in Game 3, San Antonio had 10 that led to 11 Oklahoma City points. ... Ryan Seacrest sat in the front row near midcourt.

Behind the Box Score, where the Oklahoma City Thunder’s defense earned them a huge win

Scott Brooks comes to the realization that he has to do this all over again on Saturday (Getty Images)

Oklahoma City Thunder 102, San Antonio Spurs 82 (Spurs lead series, 2-1)

There is a risk that you run denigrating both sides, two proud and driven and talented squads, by pointing out that one of the teams kind of gave up on what made it great, making it easier for the other side to win. But San Antonio's lack of in-game adjustments in Game 3 allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to force their way back into this series, taking the Spurs out of their pick and roll bread and butter (delicious), forcing bad spacing, gagging the paint when necessary, and taking advantage as the Spurs more or less let the Thunder dictate the terms of engagement.

Which wasn't a bummer, because it was fantastic to watch the Thunder come alive in front of that home crowd. Mind you, it wasn't the finest of nights offensively for Oklahoma City, piling up 102 points and nearly doubling the Spurs up in the paint mainly because they had so many misses to run out on after the Spurs clanged away, but the team's dedication to aggressive defense was enough to make the difference, and leave you giddy for a Game 4 full of adjustments to the adjustments to the adjustments spurred on by a thunderous batch of adjustments.

It was reminiscent of Oklahoma City's strong start to this series, a Game 1 attack that saw the team force 14 first half turnovers against a Spurs team that was coming off of a week of rest and two weeks of relatively less than stellar competition from the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. Forcing the Spurs into far more isolation sets after picked up dribbles and initial options that went nowhere, Oklahoma City this time caused 21 turnovers in total as San Antonio more or less conceded with its starters in the third quarter, and its reserves in the fourth.

Not a knock on the Thunder, but after a while it looked like even the proud and focused Spurs seemed ready to lose. Ready to wipe that silly slate clean, and get back to one game at a time. Ready to hunker down to see where it all went wrong, and make up for it. Pray for Oklahoma City, friends.

Finally, after begging that was in place even before the series started (when most assumed that this would be the smartest move for the Thunder, just not confident in the idea that Scott Brooks would sign off on it), long-armed defensive guard Thabo Sefolosha (who played nearly 37 of the game's first 43 minutes before the benches were emptied) switched over to guard Tony Parker, and finally nearly doubled Derek Fisher up in minutes played. We have no idea why it took until the third game in the series for Brooks to adopt a strategy that was a clear game-shifter from the outset, but the results were fantastic — five turnovers for Parker, who made half his shots but struggled to find clear looks at the hoop. Six steals and a whole lot of defensive havoc that went behind the box score (I hate it when movies do that) for Sefolosha.

Just as significant but perhaps without as much potential for permanence was the way Oklahoma City switched, instead of just showing and recovering, on most screen and rolls. This left the Thunder bigs to deal with San Antonio guards quite a bit, and while it worked well in Game 3 (Kendrick Perkins was in some sort of angry zen mind-meld of a state) we're not entirely sure this is a strategy OKC should continue employing as a rule.

Chat shows might look at Russell Westbrook's nine assists and the fact that he took nine fewer shots in Game 3 than he put up in Game 2, but this really was all about the defense. San Antonio made just 39 percent of its shots, the spacing was gone, those 21 turnovers and heaps of missed looks made it so Westbrook had his pick of the litter in transition, and it should be noted that OKC's offense wasn't exactly crisp in the half court. Or even in transition.

Often times, Kevin Durant was missed as the ball swung around the perimeter, and he forced a few shots after finally collecting the rock. Overall, the team missed 16 of 22 shots from long range, Westbrook missed 10 of 15 looks and Fisher is 4 for his last 20 over the last nine quarters of action he's taken part in. There's still quite a bit to be worked on that end, though I'm not exactly clear what it is, outside of quicker and smarter decisions with the ball as they move it around.

Scarily, San Antonio knows exactly what to do.

Tim Duncan missed 10 of 15 shots and had just two rebounds (OLD) but blocked five shots (NOT OLD) and mainly clanged all those looks because he was forced into a few bailout shots from the perimeter at the end of the shot clock. Kendrick Perkins also played some terrific defense on the Spurs center, but he was forced into isolation that just isn't San Antonio's forte despite the team's brilliant offense. Probably because the isolation offense isn't their "brilliant offense." Gary Neal and Manu Ginobili won't attempt to break OKC down by their lonesome again in Game 4, which means they're not likely to miss 12 of 16 shots as they did on Thursday night. Twenty-one turnovers, sorry Oklahoma City, just won't happen again — though we enjoyed a desperate Thunder team taking chances.

Which means, once again, the onus is on Scott Brooks. We know that the Spurs, possibly even irrespective of coach Gregg Popovich's instruction, will rebound on their own. They'll find that spacing, they'll re-embrace patience on the offensive end and put the onus on the referees when it comes time to clear the Thunder out with sprightly screens. Which means Brooks, and his young team, will have to figure out a way to both approximate that defensive tenacity we saw in Game 3 and for parts of Game 1, while finding its place within its half court offense.

Even after a 20 point win, one that resulted in extended garbage time in the fourth quarter, all of the pressure is still on Oklahoma City. Something about it being San Antonio's world, as they take in their first loss in 50 days, with all of us just having to live in it.

8 shot after Oklahoma City Thunder playoff win

(CNN) -- Eight people were shot Monday night just blocks from the Chesapeake Energy Arena as large crowds were leaving the playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, police said.

Authorities were trying to determine what led to the shootings that occurred at about 11:35 p.m., said Capt. Dexter Nelson of the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Of the victims, one was in critical condition and seven suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Nelson said.

Also, a woman was injured when she was punched and kicked in the crowded streets, authorities said.

Thousands of people were in the area because the Thunder beat the Lakers 106-90 to advance to the Western Conference finals.

"Whenever you get about 8,000 people outside of a venue, we are going to be outnumbered," Nelson told CNN affiliate KOCO. "You can't have enough people down here for that."

Several people had been questioned about the shootings, but no arrests had been made Monday night, Nelson said.

Oklahoma City Thunder Expose Los Angeles Lakers as Team Not Built for an NBA Title in 2012

COMMENTARY | Witnessing Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals was like watching a little brother who learned he could finally out-muscle the big brother who had tormented him for many years.

It was merciless, it was vengeful, and it certainly wasn't pretty.

The Oklahoma City Thunder attacked relentlessly in a 119-90 routof the Los Angeles Lakers as youth, speed, and talent overwhelmed them in every facet of the game. Interestingly enough, it wasn't lack of effort on the Lakers' part that was the sole reason for the lopsided defeat. Oklahoma City was just better -- in every way imaginable.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum each scored 20 points for the Lakers, but it wasn't nearly enough.

The Lakers were clearly underdogs going into the game, but by the second half, it appeared as if they too believed the odds-makers. There were no answers for Thunder guard Russell Westbrook early on. He finished with a game-high 27 points, and made the Lakers' defense look lethargic.

The problem for Los Angeles lies in the fact that the Lakers defenseis slow when compared to the team speed of Oklahoma City. But they are also motivated. Those factors combined created a perfect storm of adversity for the purple and gold.

As if the Thunder weren't playing with a chip on their shoulder going into the game simply because of their desire to beat the famedLakers, they also had NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to play for. He was the recipient of a horrendous elbow from Metta World Peace during the two teams' final matchup of the regular season.

If anyone thought the Lakers had a chance to win the series, Game 1 put those ideas to rest in 48 minutes. Furthermore, the Lakers have shown that even if they were to miraculously overcome the Thunder in a series, there is too much firepower among the remaining teams to compete with. The San Antonio Spurs will likely beat the Los Angeles Clippers, and that team has continuity, depth, and a team full of true professionals -- all areas in which the Lakers are lacking to some degree.

There are too many variables with respect to the Lakers that expose them to an early exit in the playoffs. Among the many are most prominently age, a new coaching staff, an offensively anemic bench, a volatile pair of seven-footers, and an aging superstar. Of particular significance is the fact that the team is arguably less talented than it was just a year ago after losing its own former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Lamar Odom.

The rest of the series will be worth watching, but it shouldn't surprise anyone if it's a very short one.The Lakers have a major uphill climb ahead.

Michael C. Jones is a Yahoo! Featured Contributor in Sports and covers the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA. He has been published in southern California's Press-Enterprise and Examiner.com. Follow Michael on Twitter @MikeJonesTweets