Last night, the Thunder did something only one NBA team was able to do all season for the second time in a week: beat the Spurs in San Antonio. A resilient OKC squad won a pivotal, closely contested Game 5 on the Spurs home floor to push San Antonio to the brink of elimination, thanks to a monster second-half from Russell Westbrook, who very nearly grabbed his first triple-double of the series and executed a crucial 3-point play in the final seconds of regulation to secure the victory.
Another crucial Russell Westbrook play came a little earlier in the game, during a fastbreak with Spurs back-up point guard Patty Mills backpedaling in transition defense. Backpedaling with Russell Westbrook flying at you with a head full of steam is now how you correctly do this playoffs thing, and Patty Mills, and Patty Mills’ ankles and gluteus maximus learned that the hard(wood) way. Game 6 is in Oklahoma City tomorrow night.
