Stat of the night: Spurs’ poor second half

Jun 06, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) grabs a loose ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half in game six of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

Spurs score 36 points in the second half.

While there was certainly a disparity in the officiating — even the most rational basketball fan can attest to a couple of calls, specifially — the San Antonio Spurs didn’t do themselves any favors either.

San Antonio’s defense did a good job in quelling the Thunder attack while their floor spacing was conducive to a flurry of good looks on the perimeter. The Spurs converted on nine 3-pointers in the first half, attributing to their 54.5% shooting. Oklahoma City was limited to 43.6% shooting. Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 35 of their 48 points.

Instead of building upon their 15-point lead, San Antonio quickly relinquished control of the game. Gregg Popovich went to a seven-man rotation because the vaunted Spurs bench was performing well below expectation.

In the second half, Oklahoma City attempted 21 free throws but they also made 57.6% of their shots, something that cannot be affected by officiating. The Spurs couldn’t prevent the Thunder attack from the onset of the second half and they couldn’t stem the tide with a little of offense of their own. The No. 1 offense stalled remarkably, shooting 32.5% from the field in the second half. The only Spurs to make a shot in the second half: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Stephen Jackson and Tony Parker.

Against a team like the Thunder, that’s simply unacceptable.