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Spurs strike first against Thunder

Manu Ginobili scored 26 points and the Spurs won their 19th in a row — tying the NBA record for longest winning streak kept alive in the playoffs — by rallying in the fourth quarter on the orders of their furious coach to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-98 in Game 1 on Sunday night.

It was a tantalizing near-upset for the young Thunder, who came as close as anybody to beating the Spurs for the first time in 46 days. But a nine-point lead didn’t last after the famously mercurial 63-year-old Popovich — the NBA’s Coach of the Year — huddled his lagging team together in the fourth and told them to “get nasty.”

“I said that?” Popovich said afterward.

A nationally television audience heard it.

“The heat of the game, stuff comes up,” Popovich said. “So I talked to them about they’ve got to get a little bit uglier, get a little more nasty, play with more fiber and take it to these guys. Meaning you have to drive it, you have to shoot it.”

And when they did, the Thunder couldn’t keep up.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 27 points. Russell Westbrook had 17, and insisted he was OK after taking a spill that was nasty in its own right — face first, bracing his fall with his hands and sitting under the basket for more than a minute while the entire Thunder bench walked across the court to check on their All-Star point guard.

— Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

Bruce Bowen says diet helped Tim Duncan

Former Spur Bruce Bowen said that 2o pounds that Tim Duncan has lost since the end of last season has been a major reason for his comeback season this year.

Bowen appeared Sunday morning on ESPN’s Sports Center. He said that Duncan had a revelation that led to changes in his conditioning after the first-round elimination to Memphis last season.

“He lost a lot of weight,” Bowen said. “In fact, when we would go out to eat, Tim would split the bill and we had a big plethora of food out of us. But now, he’s starting to eat wheat bread and chicken only, no mayonaise, no mustard, none of that.”

Bowen said the weight loss has helped Duncan extend his career.

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News

Spurs win 19th straight game, lead 1-0 vs Thunder

It’s a catchphrase likely coming soon to fan T-shirts, Internet memes and the lexicon of the NBA playoffs for the foreseeable future.

”I want some nasty!”

Gregg Popovich didn’t just coin it. He snarled it, and the way his San Antonio Spurs obliged has the Western Conference finals off to a thrilling start.

Manu Ginobili scored 26 points and the Spurs won their 19th in a row – tying the NBA record for longest winning streak kept alive in the playoffs – by rallying in the fourth quarter on the orders of their furious coach to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-98 in Game 1 on Sunday night.

It was a tantalizing near-upset for the young Thunder, who came as close as anybody to beating the Spurs for the first time in 46 days. But a nine-point lead didn’t last after the famously mercurial 63-year-old Popovich – the NBA’s Coach of the Year – huddled his lagging team together in the fourth and told them to ”get nasty.” …

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 27 points. Russell Westbrook had 17, and insisted he was OK after taking a spill that was nasty in its own right – face first, bracing his fall with his hands and sitting under the basket for more than a minute while the entire Thunder bench walked across the court to check on their All-Star point guard…

After being held to just 16 third-quarter points, San Antonio scored 39 in the fourth. Westbrook chalked it up to a defensive breakdown that ”got out of hand” but it still left the Thunder in search of the road win they’ll need to in this series to reach the NBA finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2009…

The Spurs matched the fourth-longest streak in NBA history, and with one more will become just the fourth team to surpass 20. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Tony Parker shook off a dismal start to finish with 18 points…

On the other end, Oklahoma City’s own Big Three struggled to find its shot early before awakening in the second half. Durant, Westbrook and James Harden at one point through the second quarter were 5 of 21 – a typically ominous stat line for a trio that had been responsible for nearly 70 percent of Oklahoma City’s points through the playoffs so far…

Gary Neal added 12 points and was the only other Spurs player in double figures.

— Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

Two classic Ginobili drives in the final 1:57 essentially finished off OKC. The capper, in which he split a pair of defenders before finding the rim, put the Spurs up 96-89 with 1:11 to go.

“That’s Manu’s game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s somebody we depend on to create and make things happen.”

Tony Parker added 18 points, six assists and a season-high eight rebounds, while Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the postseason.

Harder-earned than most, the victory gave the Spurs claim to one of the fourth-longest winning streaks in NBA history.

Heading into the fourth quarter, with the Thunder up nine and rolling, that streak seemed on life support.

OKC already had forced 14 first-half turnovers, undermining any chance the Spurs had of generating offense, and Kevin Durant was heating up on his way to 27 points and 10 boards.

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News

Prior to James Harden’s back-to-back but too-little-too-late 3-pointers in the final four seconds, the Thunder went just 5-of-14 in the fourth quarter. The reason was a heavy dose of one-on-one offense. The Thunder ran few sets and seemingly spent the first 15 seconds of the shot clock on every trip getting the ball up the court and trying to force feed it to Kevin Durant, who Spurs forward Stephen Jackson crowded in crunch time to prevent clean catches.

“We stopped moving the ball,” Harden said. “In that third quarter, we did a great job of moving the ball and getting their defense to move a little bit by hitting wide open shots and wide open layups. In the fourth quarter, we kind of slowed that down and they got a couple of easy transition buckets.”

To this point, the Thunder had been excellent this postseason at closing games. Oklahoma City came in 4-1 in games decided by three points or less and 5-1 in games decided by six points or less. The Thunder has battled back from seven-point, fourth-quarter deficits twice in these playoffs, as well as two other 13-point, fourth-quarter deficits.

— Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman

Stephen Jackson happy to be with Spurs

Games like tonight’s matchup with Oklahoma City are why Jackson said he’s happy to be back in San Antonio.

“To be able to win another championship, to play great basketball and to be in the postseason is something that I love,” Jackson said. “I get up for that. This is an organization that’s always first-class and always has a chance to be in the post season, so I was excited to come back.”

But Jackson said he’s in a different role with this team than in 2003, when he was a starting forward and averaged 12.6 points per game during the playoffs. That evolution gives this playoff run a decidely different feeling than the previous one.

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News

Magic look to Spurs and Thunder front offices in GM search

The Orlando Magic have built their playing rotation in recent years mostly through expensive free-agent signings and costly trades. The results have been mixed. Although the Magic are a perennial playoff participant, and even reached the NBA Finals in 2009, the franchise also has accumulated one of the league’s highest player payrolls.

The Magic appear determined to construct their roster more efficiently in the future. In their search for someone to head their basketball operations department, the team seems to be focusing on executives from small- and mid-market franchises that have built top-notch rosters through the draft.

The Magic expect to interview San Antonio Spurs executive Dennis Lindsey and Oklahoma City Thunder executives Troy Weaver and Rob Hennigan to replace Otis Smith, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Lindsey, the Spurs’ vice president/assistant general manager under team president R.C. Buford, is in his fifth season with San Antonio after spending 11 seasons with the Houston Rockets.

— Reported by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel

Thunder, Spurs franchises have unique connection

The Spurs step onto the Western Conference Finals stage Sunday night feeling a little like Dr. Frankenstein.

The Spurs helped create the monster that wants to devour them.

From Sam Presti’s roots in San Antonio to the civic-minded ownership group of both franchises; from the lottery luck of Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant to the international draft success of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Serge Ibaka; from the fiscal responsibility demanded of a small market to a left-handed sixth man magician, the Thunder mirrors the Spurs in so many ways.

But consider the blueprint a partial payment for services rendered. Long before the NBA was anything but a gleam in Oklahoma City’s eye, OKC helped the Spurs become the stately Spurs.

Thunder chairman Clay Bennett sits on the NBA board of governors. The Thunder is not his first NBA rodeo.

— Reported by Berry Tramel of the San Antonio Express-News

Danny Green living his basketball dream with Spurs

Green, 24, admits to pinching himself every now and again, and for different reasons. Sometimes he does it because he’s playing for Gregg Popovich and with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. (When he was growing up, Green said, he had a Duncan jersey.) Other times, it’s because his road here left Green thinking the NBA wasn’t in his future.

The Cavaliers drafted Green in the second round in 2009 and cut him before the start of the 2010-11 season. The Spurs picked him up and waived him two weeks later. He played for three D-League teams, and for Union Olimpija in Slovenia during the 2011 lockout.

“When I got cut from Cleveland, they weren’t one of the best teams in the NBA at the time, so I had some doubts,” Green said. “I didn’t think I was going to get back into the league. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen for me. When I was let go from here the first time, teams weren’t calling. I didn’t think it was going to ever happen then. I was home for two months and I didn’t know what was going on.”

Green might be the perfect embodiment of the Spurs. They’re a team that gets little publicity, is overlooked or underappreciated, and thrives through hard work, dedication and following the game plan.

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday

Kevin Durant already sick of Spurs questions

Kevin Durant was just three minutes into his 10-minute session with reporters Wednesday when he grew a bit testy.

Of the first seven questions lobbed at him, Durant was forced to field five about the San Antonio Spurs.

And he didn’t like it. Didn’t like it one bit.

Once that fifth question came — a reasonable query about what he anticipates from the Spurs defensively against him — Durant tried to supply an answer but soon found himself swerving off script.

“I’m just going to play my game,” Durant started. “I can’t really think about how those guys are going to defend me. They’re a tough defensive group. But every question is about how the Spurs are going to come and how the Spurs are going to play. But you got to ask me how we’re going to come at them. We’re a tough team as well. We come out and play hard. We have a lot of weapons as well. I know they’re the No. 1 seed, they’re a tough group and they haven’t lost in a couple of months but I think that we bring another dimension to the table as well. And we can come out and compete.”

— Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman (Blog)

Spurs have won 18 straight games

It’s the dirty six-letter word that no one around the Spurs wants to acknowledge, much less even discuss.

The Spurs persevered for their 18th straight victory Sunday night, finishing off a sweep of the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals.

But when asked about his team’s recent historic streak, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was reticent to discuss much.

“It doesn’t exist for us,” Popovich said. “We don’t talk about it. I’ve never heard anybody mention it except you all. And it’s not even a thought in our minds. Each game is just a separate entity.”

No matter if he wants to talk about it, the Spurs’ streak is the longest in team history and among the 10 longest in NBA history. And of the nine other teams that have won that many consecutive games, six of them eventually claimed NBA titles.

Popovich did provide some explanations why his team hasn’t lost in the last 39 days.

“I guess what I have to say overall is that we’ve been very consistent offensively and our pace has allowed us to score,” Popovich said. “Defensively, I think we’ve been able to turn it up at different points of the game.

“That’s not usually something we’re used to. We’re used to being a good defensive team for 48 minutes, but that’s not who we are anymore.”

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News

Spurs rally to beat Clippers, win series 4-0

The San Antonio Spurs mowed down another opponent, using their guile under pressure to close out another perfect playoff series.

Tim Duncan scored 21 points, Tony Parker added 17 and the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 on Sunday night to win their second-round matchup 4-0 and advance to the Western Conference finals.

”They played great, they made it tough on us,” Parker said. ”The last 2 minutes we got the stops we needed. Everybody did something.”

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and their playoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak in franchise history.

”Until we go all the way, I can’t compare this team,” said Parker, who has won three NBA titles with the Spurs. ”We’re just trying to stay focused.”

Danny Green and Gary Neal added 14 points each, and Manu Ginobili and Thiago Splitter had 11 each.

”We needed a game like that. It arrived at the perfect time,” Parker said. ”We battled. We executed our plays, made big baskets.”

San Antonio could find out as soon as Monday night who it will play next. Oklahoma City leads the Lakers 3-1 in their series, with Game 5 on Monday.

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

“They are a good team. I’m not taking anything away from them, but it doesn’t make us feel any better,” Griffin said about the Spurs. “There’s nothing about that you can feel good about.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and get to work this summer.”

There were 52 seconds to go when Paul made a pair of free throws to pull the Clippers within 100-99. Parker then missed a jumper.

The Clippers almost lost the ball before calling timeout. Paul drove the lane and looked like he wanted to pass and a Spurs player got a piece of the ball.

The Spurs recovered the loose ball and Paul fouled Danny Green, who made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. After a timeout, the Clippers called Paul’s number. He drove the lane, but his shot hit the rim.

“I made a bad decision,” Paul said. “I took a shot and missed the shot. It’s all on me.”

— Reported by Jill Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News

With the victory, the Spurs moved on to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2008, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

“It was just perseverance,” Duncan said. “We just stuck with it. We kept moving the ball and doing what we wanted.”

Duncan finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and four assists, leading the Spurs to their 18th straight win, the longest winning streak in franchise history.

With it, the Spurs open the playoffs with consecutive sweeps for the first time in club annals, and have multiple sweeps in the same postseason for the first time since 1999.

They advance to face either Oklahoma City or the Lakers in a conference-finals series that will begin no earlier than Saturday. Having gone 39 days without a loss — their last was April 11 — that means it will be another six before the Spurs will have a chance to end the winning streak they swear they haven’t even thought about.

— Reported by Jeff McDonals of the San Antonio Express-News