Secret (Fourth Update)

For Serge Ibaka, this was undoubtedly a bleak night.

He had chosen to return after taking painkilling injections so the Thunder could get past the Spurs, then face the Grizzlies and Heat and win the championship.

But after Ibaka returned, the Spurs still crushed the Thunder by 28 points. Without question, he was the player hit hardest by this loss.

He had sacrificed the future, yet still failed to win the present.

The Spurs did not look at all like an old man who could no longer run with all his strength. If anything, they looked more like an adolescent boy.

With every game, they were growing at an astonishing pace!

In Game 2 of the series, the Spurs had mainly won through defense. Just as Link had said, with Ibaka absent, Duncan could provide help defense on Durant without being too late. Faced with the lockdown of Duncan and Leonard, Durant scoring just 15 points in a game was the inevitable result.

Although Ibaka was primarily a defensive player, his offense was no slouch either. During the regular season, he had averaged 15 points per game and possessed shooting range as well.

Ibaka's mid-range shooting percentage was as high as 50%.

If they had to compare them, Ibaka had been better offensively than Griffin in the Western Conference semifinals.

Therefore, Ibaka's return would not only help the Thunder stabilize their defense—it would also ease Durant's offensive burden.

But in Game 3, the Spurs evolved again. They did not merely rely on defense; they used unbelievable team offense to completely flatten the Thunder.

The Spurs shot 51.3% from the field for the game and went 13 of 26 from three-point range, good for 50%!

Six players scored in double figures, and nearly everyone who took the court was highly efficient.