MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE)– The young guns of the Oklahoma City Thunder bucked a nightmarish first half and rallied to shock the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, 107-99, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals at home in the Chesapeake Bay Arena.
After losing the first two games on the road in San Antonio, the Thunder reeled off four straight wins and advanced to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in the 2008 season.
Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder with 34 points on top of 14 rebounds and five assists, and was serenaded with “MVP” chants by the raucous home crowd at the awarding ceremony.
“This was the toughest game we played since I’ve been here, and the San Antonio Spurs are a great organization. They do things the right way,” said Durant, who played all 48 minutes of the game.
“We kept going hard and I just tried to inspire my teammates by my play on both ends of the floor, and I got we got this for Oklahoma City.”
The Thunder will face either the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics in the Finals. The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference Finals 3 games to 2, with Game 6 scheduled tomorrow in Boston.
