NBA Oklahoma City ThunderSan Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder Still Not Capable of Beating San Antonio Spurs

By Nick Sciria @Nick_Sciria on September 30, 2014

San Antonio Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Western Conference 2015 NBA Finals

Getty Images

When Serge Ibaka returned from an injury in the 2014 Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder turned around the series and proved to be a formidable test to the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder came up short, however, as the Spurs ended the series in six games.

In the offseason, Oklahoma City had the opportunity to position themselves as a team capable of beating the defending champions in the 2014-15 NBA season, but the organization did not make the necessary changes for this to become a reality.

The biggest facet that the Spurs have over the Thunder is coaching. Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has been rightfully criticized for several years now, and he still has not made the changes in order to stop the negative views surround him. Much of this discontent stems from his point guard’s play. Russell Westbrook is one of the most inefficient players in the NBA, and Brooks has yet to address this issue after six years. Last season, Westbrook shot 4.7 threes per game, a ridiculously high number for a player who converted on only 31.8 percent from behind the arc.

Brooks has also been attacked for giving Kendrick Perkins too many minutes. Perkins has several weaknesses that cannot be hidden, and with a capable backup behind him in Steven Adams, it is a large question mark as to why Perkins averaged 20.2 MPG in the postseason. Adams is an athletic presence who can defend the pick-and-roll and provide viable help defense, something Perkins struggles to do. With Perkins logging too many minutes, Brooks rarely plays small ball even though Oklahoma City plays better when the team goes small.

On the other hand, San Antonio boasts the best head coach in the NBA. Gregg Popovich has the ability to adapt and make adjustments for his team to win. Unlike Brooks, Popovich gets his players to play efficient offensive basketball. He is unafraid of calling out his stars, and that accountability is displayed in the team’s overall unselfishness.

Looking at the respective rosters, the Spurs will be returning every single player on last year’s championship team. On the other hand, the Thunder did very little in the offseason, simply replacing Thabo Sefolosha with 3-point specialist Anthony Morrow.

Considering the Spurs still have the advantage in coaching and player personnel, it is extremely unlikely that the Thunder will knock off San Antonio this year. Until Oklahoma City admits their head coach’s faults and adds depth to their roster, the team will find themselves exiting in the playoffs in the late rounds.

Nicholas Sciria is a San Antonio Spurs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Sciria, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.