The San Antonio Spurs did exactly what they were supposed to do and hold home court in game one of the 2014 Western Conference Finals, a 105-122 blowout. The Spurs exploited the absence of Serge Ibaka with 66 sizzling points in the paint.
“We always want to try to penetrate,” Parker said. “We always want our ball movement, that’s how we play — kick and pitch and stuff like that. You know, obviously it’s a little bit better with (Ibaka) not being in the paint, but we’re still going to try to penetrate and make stuff happen.”
For the Thunder, missing Ibaka is the least of their worries. Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks is imploring that his team execute much better.
“We’re a no-excuse team,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “Serge is out. He’s not coming back. We have to play better. We have to play better. If we expect to beat one of the best teams in basketball, and a very good offensive team, we have to play and we’re not going to make an excuse.”