OKLAHOMA CITY—I will admit Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals was a hoot to watch compared to what was taking place in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs were fighting to get their chance to take on the NBA defending champions the Miami Heat, but it was destined for the Spurs to get a rematch from 2013.

San Antonio defeated their opponent away from home 112-107. Note, it was a game where the Thunder gave all they could so much, that the game went into overtime, but the Spurs wanted it just a bit more.  At halftime, the Thunder led the game 49-44, but in the third quarter, the Spurs came out with a vengeance scoring a massive 37 points, taking a 10-point lead over their opponent.

Oklahoma wouldn’t allow the visiting team to embarrass them on their home court, so they roared with a 32-point fourth quarter tying the game at the end of regulation. Boris Diaw led the Spurs in scoring with 26 points, while teammate Tim Duncan scored 19 points and 12 rebounds in the game. Some questioned rather the Spurs would advance with its star, Tony Parker suffering from a left ankle injury that forced him to miss the entire second half of the game.

Russell Westbrook did his best to keep the Thunder’s hope for another trip to the NBA Finals alive scoring 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals in the game. His teammate and MVP Kevin Durant scored 31 points and 14 rebounds in the game. Both teams were pretty even on field goal and three-point shooting, but the Spurs maintained the edge when it came to free throw shooting with 87.9 percent compared to the Oklahoma’s 73.5 percent.

The Heat have maintained that golden trophy for two years, and it looks like the Spurs are ready to avenge that 2012 loss that has left a bitter taste in the teams’ mouth. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals begins on Thursday, June 5, with San Antonio maintaining home court advantage.