NBA analyst reveals undeniable Spurs truth could swing title run

The Spurs are having no issues adjusting to the postseason, as they're currently up 3-2 against a competitive Timberwolves team. If they can advance past this series, the aggressiveness they're playing with has to translate into the next round against the Thunder.

"The Spurs playing with this level of force is what they're going to need against Oklahoma City," Brian Windhorst states on The Hoop Collective podcast. "And also probably trying to avoid turning the ball over."

Truer words have never been spoken. While the Spurs are impressing against Minnesota, they need to focus on replicating what's been working this series and also tighten up on their mistakes if they want to make it past the defending champions in the West Finals.

The Spurs must be prepared to respond to OKC's pressure

The Oklahoma City Thunder posted the best regular-season defensive rating in the NBA for the past two seasons, and they've been able to carry that into the playoffs. They do it with a physical attack on that end, led by elite perimeter defenders who love to harass and pressure ball handlers.

Let's start with Lu Dort, shall we? While hated across NBA social media, he still does some things at a high level on the court. The veteran guard knows how to get into opposing guards' space, cutting off any airspace while trying to force turnovers. Alex Caruso is great with that as well, and you can add Ajay Mitchell to the list, too.

That means the Spurs' guards, be they De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, or Dylan Harper, need to be strong with the ball in their hands. Luckily, they're going through a crash course here against Minnesota, as the Wolves are taking a similar physical defensive approach.

The Spurs need to pay attention to the turnover battle

While San Antonio has experience against physical perimeter defense, they still need to master how to deal with it. Stephon Castle has three games in this series with at least four turnovers, and two of those kinds in the first round.

De'Aaron Fox also had struggles here and there. He turned the ball over six times in Game 1 against the Timberwolves. Victor Wembanyama ran into some issues with keeping control of the rock, too.

He's averaging 2.3 turnovers per game in the playoffs, and while he was great in Game 5, he gave it up four times. The Thunder will experiment with throwing multiple bodies at Wemby or closing his driving gaps, so he has to be sharp with his ball control and adjust to their physicality.

Now, here's the good news: the Spurs have a history this season of limiting turnovers against the Thunder. They averaged 13.4 in their matchups, right on par with the 13.5 they posted per game all season, which ranked them fourth in the league. So they've demonstrated the ability to adjust to OKC's defense.

But teams like the Thunder know how to turn it up a notch in the postseason. They can increase their intensity, and they'll have home-court advantage to start the series. Working against those elements will be a difficult task for San Antonio.

Luckily, they spent the entire year stepping up to major challenges. Yes, the Thunder are tough, but I wouldn't bet on the Spurs being intimidated by a team they dominated all season.

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