The 2014 Western Conference Finals wasn't just a playoff series. It was a collision of philosophies. Honestly, if you look back at the landscape of the NBA a decade ago, this was the peak of the "Beautiful Game" era. You had the San Antonio Spurs, still stinging from the heartbreak of Ray Allen’s shot in 2013, facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team practically overflowing with raw, terrifying athleticism.
It was high art versus pure adrenaline.
✨ Don't miss: How Can I Stream the Eagles Game Without Losing My Mind
People forget how much was on the line here. Tim Duncan was nearing the end, or so we thought. Kevin Durant was the reigning MVP. Russell Westbrook was playing like he wanted to break the floor every time he drove to the rim. It was a rematch of the 2012 WCF, but the vibes were totally different. The Spurs weren't just looking for a win; they were looking for an exorcism.
The Serge Ibaka Factor and the Logic of Momentum
The series started out like a total blowout. San Antonio dismantled OKC in the first two games. They won by 17 in Game 1 and then an embarrassing 35 points in Game 2. It looked over. Seriously, people were already writing the Thunder’s obituary. Serge Ibaka was out with a calf injury, and without his rim protection, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were just living in the paint.
Then everything changed.
Ibaka returned for Game 3. It shouldn't have mattered that much, right? One guy with a bad leg? Wrong. His presence changed the geometry of the court. Suddenly, the Spurs couldn't just stroll to the rim. OKC won Games 3 and 4 at home, evening the series and making everyone realize that the 2014 Western Conference Finals was going to be a long, exhausting war of attrition.
The momentum shifted so violently it gave fans whiplash. One night, the Spurs’ ball movement looked like a symphony. The next, Westbrook was a one-man fast break that no one on earth could stop.
Tactical Masterclass: Popovich vs. Brooks
Gregg Popovich is a genius, but Scott Brooks had these guys playing with a level of intensity that almost defied coaching. The chess match was fascinating. Pop started using Boris Diaw more heavily to pull Ibaka away from the basket. It was brilliant. Diaw, who looked more like a guy you’d meet at a wine tasting than a professional athlete, was the secret weapon. His passing out of the post decimated the Thunder’s defensive rotations.
The Brutal Reality of Game 6
If you want to talk about the 2014 Western Conference Finals, you have to talk about Game 6 in Oklahoma City. This is the one.
The atmosphere was suffocating. Tony Parker went down with an ankle injury and didn't play the second half. Most teams would have folded. Not the Spurs. This was the night Tim Duncan decided he wasn't going home. He finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, but the numbers don't capture the grinding, physical nature of his performance. He was 38 years old and playing like a man possessed.
It went to overtime.
Every possession felt like it took ten minutes. The stress was palpable. Kawhi Leonard, who was just starting to become Kawhi Leonard, came up with huge defensive stops. But it was Duncan, working in the post against Ibaka, who hit the leaning jumper to essentially seal it. That shot was pure old-school grit.
The Thunder had chances. Durant and Westbrook combined for 65 points, but they were gassed. They had played so many minutes because the Thunder bench just couldn't give them anything. That was the fundamental difference: the Spurs' depth versus the Thunder's superstars. In the end, the system won.
Why This Series Changed the NBA
We don't talk enough about how this specific series influenced the way teams are built today. The Spurs showed that "Positionless Basketball" wasn't just a buzzword; it was a lethal weapon. They played lineups with three point guards. They used Diaw as a point-center.
- The Death of the Traditional Big: Ibaka was great, but the Spurs made him irrelevant by forcing him to guard the perimeter.
- Ball Movement as a Weapon: The "0.5-second rule"—where you either shoot, pass, or drive within half a second of catching the ball—was perfected here.
- The Rise of Kawhi: This was his true coming-out party as a two-way force before he won Finals MVP.
The Statistical Oddity of the 2014 Western Conference Finals
Check this out: the home team won every single game until that Game 6 clincher by the Spurs. That is incredibly rare for a series with this much talent. It speaks to how much the crowd noise in OKC and the surgical environment in San Antonio actually dictated the pace of the games.
The Spurs shot 48% from the field across the series. Against a defense featuring Ibaka and a young Steven Adams, that's borderline impossible. It happened because the Spurs recorded an assist on nearly 60% of their made baskets. They didn't just beat the Thunder; they out-thought them.
Honestly, the Thunder were probably the more "talented" team if you're just looking at NBA Jam ratings. Durant and Westbrook were both Top-5 players. But the 2014 Western Conference Finals proved that a cohesive system beats individual brilliance when the stakes are highest.
✨ Don't miss: Tom Brady With Trophy: What People Actually Get Wrong About the GOAT's Hardware
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2014 Western Conference Finals
A lot of fans think the Spurs just cruised because they eventually beat the Heat 4-1 in the Finals. That's a total rewrite of history. The Thunder were the much harder opponent. Miami was running on fumes that year, but OKC was young, hungry, and physically dominant.
If Ibaka doesn't get hurt, or if Parker doesn't get hurt in Game 6, does the outcome change? Maybe. But the Spurs' ability to adapt was the deciding factor. They lost their starting point guard and still beat a prime KD and Russ on their home floor in a close-out game. That is legendary stuff.
The 2014 Western Conference Finals also marked the beginning of the end for the Durant-Westbrook era in a weird way. It was the last time they felt like the "team of the future" before the Warriors arrived and moved the goalposts for everyone.
Actionable Takeaways for NBA Students
If you're a coach or just a die-hard fan trying to understand high-level hoops, go back and watch the fourth quarter of Game 6. Don't watch the ball. Watch the off-ball movement.
- Analyze the spacing: Notice how the Spurs never have more than one person in the paint, creating lanes for aging stars to score.
- Study the recovery: Watch how the Thunder defenders try to close out on shooters. The Spurs exploited that "fly-by" defense by pump-faking and driving.
- Evaluate the bench impact: Compare the minutes played. Popovich kept his guys fresh, while Brooks rode his starters into the ground. It mattered in overtime.
The 2014 Western Conference Finals remains a masterclass in professional basketball. It was the bridge between the old NBA of post-ups and mid-range jumpers and the new NBA of pace and space. It was the last stand of a dynasty and the peak of a rivalry that defined a decade of Western Conference dominance.
To truly understand why the 2014 San Antonio Spurs are considered one of the greatest teams ever, you have to look past the Finals. You have to look at the six-game war they survived just to get there. That series was the real test of their soul.
Next Steps for Deep Diving:
Study the "pacing and spacing" charts from the 2014 postseason to see how San Antonio’s shot profile shifted the league's analytics. Look specifically at the corner three-point percentage of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard during the OKC series compared to the regular season; it highlights how the Spurs' system created higher-quality looks under pressure than any other offense in the modern era.