Is Ibaka a series changer?

So the Spanish naturalized player Serge Ibaka is back in harness after all that talk of missing the rest of the playoffs with a strained left calf at the start of the San Antonio series in the NBA Western Conference Finals.

Without Ibaka, the Spurs went 2-0 up over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the best-of-seven duel and the games weren’t close, 122-105 in Game 1 and 112-77 in Game 2. Both contests were at the AT&T Center in San Antonio where the Spurs are 8-1 in the playoffs so far. The only stain in the Spurs’ record was Dallas’ 113-92 shocker in Game 2 of the first round series that went the distance with San Antonio clinching, you guessed it, at home.

Surprise, surprise. Ibaka, 24, was suited up for Game 3 in Oklahoma City yesterday morning (Manila time). The Thunder just couldn’t afford another setback because if you go 0-3 against a team like the Spurs, it’s over. So Ibaka played like he never played before. USA Today called it a “miraculous” recovery.

In the first period, Ibaka went 4-of-4 from the field. Ironically, it was the only quarter where the Thunder failed to outscore the Spurs. Ibaka proceeded to finish with 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 29:36 minutes. He clearly made an impact not just with his personal stats but on his teammates. Thunder coach Scott Brooks rode on Ibaka’s heroics, if not dramatics, to bring out the best of his herd as Oklahoma City won, 106-97, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

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Ibaka reported for work like Willis Reed did in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals between New York and the Los Angeles Lakers. Reed played with a torn muscle in his right thigh and scored four emotional points to inspire the Knicks to victory. Ibaka wasn’t as badly hurt as Reed but his presence on the floor yesterday had the same effect. It helped that Brooks made two key changes in his starting lineup since Game 1 of the San Antonio series. First, he replaced Nick Collison with Ibaka and second, he brought in Reggie Jackson for Thabo Sefolosha. The switches paid rich dividends. Ibaka did what he was supposed to and so did Jackson who delivered 15 points.

For the game, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 51 points. Was Ibaka a game changer that night? He definitely was. But the question is whether or not he can make a difference in settling the outcome of the whole series which is never decided in a Game 3.

The Spurs were horrendously flat in Game 3 even if they outscored the Thunder, 29-28, in the first period. To give up 28 points wasn’t a good sign for San Antonio to begin with. Oklahoma City never scored in the 20s in the last three quarters of Game 2. In the Spurs’ only road win over Dallas in the first round, San Antonio held the Mavs to 89 points and when Pop’s squad closed out Portland in Game 5 in the second round, the Blazers were limited to only 82.

Not only was San Antonio’s defense out of tune, the Spurs’ offense also took the night off. In Game 2 of the Portland series, seven Spurs scored in twin digits and San Antonio posted a lofty assist-to-turnover ratio of 27:8. In Game 3 against Oklahoma City, only three Spurs hit double figures and San Antonio was mauled off the boards, 52-36 and outscored in transition, 12-3. Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard finished in double figure points but not Tony Parker nor Danny Green nor Tiago Splitter nor Boris Diaw.

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Ibaka, by the way, has led the NBA in total blocked shots the last four seasons and in average blocked shots in two of the last four. He’s expected to play for Spain at the FIBA World Cup on Aug. 30-Sept. 14 as a naturalized citizen. Ibaka left his native country Congo when he was 17 to go to France and moved to Spain a year later. He was given Spanish citizenship three years ago.

In 78 playoff games so far this season, 43 were won at home or 55 percent. The homecourt advantage is more pronounced in the West where the winning rate is 63.4 percent. In the East, there have been more road wins than at home, 20-17. Oklahoma City has lost thrice at home and four on the road while San Antonio has dropped only one at home and four on the road.

Brooks got the jump on Popovich in Game 3 and will need to do it again in Game 4 tomorrow morning (Manila time). A win by San Antonio in Game 4 will open up a 3-1 edge heading to Game 5 on the Spurs homecourt and the Thunder wouldn’t want to be in that predicament.