Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant argued with each other on the court at halftime. Game 2 was that frustrating for the Oklahoma City stars as they were rolled by the San Antonio Spurs, 112-77, in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
“I was just getting on Kevin about some stuff and he got on me right back,” Westbrook said. “And that’s what teammates do, that’s what leaders do, we get on each other. We came back and we talk about it and then we come out like nothing ever happened.”
A lot happened after the break, not much of it good for the Thunder, who trail 0-2 in the series.
Tony Parker scored 22 points, Danny Green added 21 on seven 3-pointers, and San Antonio used a dominant third quarter to pummel OKC.
The Spurs were in the same position in 2012 before the Thunder won four straight to capture the series and stun a Spurs team that appeared to have its best days behind it.
Well, San Antonio is back in the conference final with a commanding lead, wiser and even older.
“I know after the game, nobody is very happy in the locker room,” Parker said. “Everybody is very focused, and we respect that team. We know they’re very capable of a comeback, and they did that against us in 2012. We’re just very focused and nobody is satisfied.”
Game 3 is Sunday at Oklahoma City, where the Thunder will try to bounce back from the worst playoff loss in franchise history.
“It definitely doesn’t feel good, and it shouldn’t,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “I hope our entire locker room doesn’t feel good. You shouldn’t feel good. We got our butts kicked.”
Playing without Serge Ibaka and given two days to adjust to dropping Game 1 by 17 points, the Thunder performed even worse.
Parker and Green each had eight points in the third quarter and San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City 33-18 in the period.
Durant and Westbrook each finished with 15 points, but the third-quarter barrage made spectators of both in the fourth — not that they accomplished much when they did play. The star duo combined to shoot 13 for 40, including 4 for 14 in the third quarter.
“If they had won this game by one point, we’d still be down 0-2,” Durant said.
“(We) lost by a lot two games in a row. It’s hard for you to stay together, but we have a group of guys that are not front-runners and we’ll figure it out. That’s all we’ve got to do.”
