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| photo found at www.grantland.com |
In retrospect, the 2013-14 season
of the Oklahoma City Thunder came down to Game 5 of the Western Conference
Finals. The San Antonio Spurs quickly gained the 2-0 advantage after the first
two games in Texas, but the return of Serge Ibaka allowed the Thunder defense
to even up the series before heading back to San Antonio for the pivotal fifth
game. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich substituted shooter Matt Bonner into the
starting lineup in place of center Tiago Splitter, and it was the overall depth
of the Spurs and the 55-26 disparity in bench scoring that cost the Thunder the
game. A five-point loss in overtime of Game 6 sealed their season, and general
manager Sam Presti’s approach to building the 2014-15 team began with
addressing the roster’s depth and bench issues in the offseason.
