Remember how Tim Duncan turned back the clock in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals and served a facial dunk on Serge Ibaka?
Well, Ibaka decided a little payback was in order, and did more or less the same dunk against Duncan in Game 4, with a little more flair as he cuffed the ball before throwing it down:
(via youtube user 1jzo)
The shot-blocking artist was more than just a defender in this game, shooting a flawless 11-of-11 from the field to score a playoff career-high 26 points while hitting all four of his free throw attempts. To understand how good that performance was, Ibaka was one shot away from tying the NBA record for most shots made without a miss in the playoffs. He repeatedly hit the wide-open mid-range jump shot, which allowed him to use a quick fake on Duncan to set up his impressive dunk.
Ibaka probably should have gone to the podium after the game, but stayed in the locker room and was understandably bombarded by cameras and reporters. Asked about his surprising offensive explosion, he responded with this:
It was probably a bit of a surprise for the San Antonio Spurs, too.
For Saturday’s blog, click here.
For Kevin Garnett’s knuckle push-ups, click here.
James Park is a regular contributor and blogger for SheridanHoops.com. You can follow him on twitter @nbatupark.