The OKC Thunder has been seen as the one benefiting the most from referees’ calls. However, that perception, which has been rampant throughout their current playoff runs, may have been debunked in the series against the San Antonio Spurs.
According to Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder, the Spurs are enjoying more free throws in the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, which is more perceived as the team that gets the more favorable calls.
The Spurs have a +17 edge in free-throw attempts against the Thunder across the four games of the series. Across four games, the Spurs attempted 111 free throws, while the Thunder only had 94.
Game 1: Spurs +10 (Spurs win) Game 2: OKC +7 (OKC win) Game 3: even (OKC win) Game 4: Spurs +14 (Spurs win)
Spurs have a +17 disparity through 4 games and had a double digit advantage in both wins.
In Spurs wins, they managed to shoot 10 or more free throws against OKC. They shot 29 free throws against the 19 of the Thunder in Game 1, which the Spurs won in double overtime. In Game 4 on Sunday, the Thunder shot just 18 times at the charity stripe while the Spurs had 32 attempts.
Game 2, which the Thunder won, was the only game that saw the Thunder win in the free-throw battle, having shot seven more than the Spurs. Game 3 saw both teams evenly matched.
Thunder Did Not Look Like Their Usual Selves in Game 4
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault rued a lot of things in their Game 4 loss, including the team’s precision, which he deemed unlike what they have been showing in the playoffs.
“I thought we left a lot to be desired on that end of the floor tonight,” Daigneault said. “We didn’t have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them. They were really good defensively. Just their energy, their physicality.”
He also lambasted the Thunder’s physicality and their response against the Spurs’ aggressiveness, which he thinks held OKC back.
“A lot of these playoff games come down to physicality and force,” Daigneault said. “Your force has to be better than their physicality on defense, and your physicality has to be better than their force on offense. That’s kind of the trenches of a playoff game.”
“You’ve gotta give yourselves more bites at the apple.”
The Thunder also shot 6 for 33 from the 3-point line, their worst shooting clip in the series. They also played without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, their second and third-best ball-handlers behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 4.
Williams has been out since the second quarter of Game 2 after re-aggravating his hamstring. Mitchell injured his calf in Game 3’s third quarter.
Thunder Plays In Front Of Home Crowd in Pivotal Game 5
With the series tied at 2-2 now, the Thunder retained the home court advantage for the rest of the series.
Game 5 will be happening inside the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, where Thunder fans are expected to fill up the venue.
The winner of Game 5 would be one win away from the NBA Finals. If the Spurs win the series, they will be advancing in their first NBA Finals since 2014, while the Thunder could go for a back-to-back title run.
Game 5 is on Tuesday, May 26.
Statistics Debunked Thunder’s Long-Standing Public Perception vs Spurs