Gregg Popovich has a point, and it’s worth noting that championship-caliber teams also don’t lose three consecutive games after going up 2-0 in the same series. Still, it’s a bit far-fetched to say the Spurs are not a championship-caliber team no matter what happens for the rest of this series, given their body of work this season. Their sudden inability to play with the type of team chemistry and cohesion displayed during the 20-game winning streak is certainly mind boggling, but much of the credit has to go to the Thunder, who have made the necessary adjustments to completely disrupt the Spurs’ style of play.
Sensing urgency, Popovich made adjustments of his own in Game 5 when he started Manu Ginobili over the struggling Danny Green. Ginobili, in turn, provided his biggest game of the season with 34 points including five 3-pointers, six rebounds and seven assists, but the sudden change in game plan fell just short (Recap here). Championship-caliber or not, if the Spurs lose Game 6 on the road, their season will come to a shocking and disappointing end.
James Park is a regular contributor and blogger for SheridanHoops.com. You can follow him on twitter @nbatupark.
The Spurs did a great job of flying under the radar, but once the media got a hold of them and started showering them with attention, they seemed to have lost focus.