Oklahoma City Thunder has copied San Antonio Spurs' blueprint to success - NOLA.com

In many ways the combatants in this year’s Western Conference finals, which begin tonight at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, are mirror images, differentiated largely by a collection of Larry O’Brien trophies.

Mark J. Terrill / The Associated PressFormer San Antonio player Steve Kerr said that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, 'is ahead of the curve and has seen the league evolve, and he has evolved with it.'

There are four of the golden symbols emblematic of the NBA championship in South Texas, none yet in the flatlands of Oklahoma.

Yet the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder copied the San Antonio Spurs franchise-building blueprint, picking from the Spurs’ basketball administration tree by placing one-time Spurs intern Sam Presti in charge of creating the foundation for a winning future.

“There’s no question the influence from San Antonio is huge,” said TNT analyst and one-time Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr, who will be part of the network’s announcing team for this best-of-seven series. “Sam started out as an intern there and really learned everything from the Spurs. And let’s face it, it’s probably the best model you can pattern your own franchise after. It’s an amazing story, and he’s done a great job. He’s established the way the organization is going to go about its business. Sam deserves a ton of credit.”

Although both teams can trot out on the court a “big three” grouping of present and future superstars â€" Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili for the Spurs; Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden for the Thunder â€" San Antonio comes into this series not having lost a game in more than a month, on an 18-game winning streak.

The Spurs have dispatched two playoff opponents, Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers, in four games each, and enter the series against the Thunder with momentum.

San Antonio won the final 10 games of the regular season before extending the streak to 18 through its first two playoff series. The Spurs have won those games by an average of 14 points.

Much of the credit has gone to Coach Gregg Popovich, who has adapted his philosophies this season to suit his personnel.

“Offensively,” said Kerr, a one-time Spurs player, “this is their best team ever, by far. They’re explosive, they shoot the lights out, and they move the ball better than any team in the league. They are totally unselfish, and they don’t turn the ball over. They execute every possession, and over the course of the game, that’s very difficult. They just wear you out.

“It’s pretty amazing. Very few coaches have the ability to adapt and change from what they once were. Pop is ahead of the curve and has seen the league evolve, and he has evolved with it.”

Oklahoma City, led by Durant, the league’s three-time defending scoring champion, blitzed the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round, then vanquished the 2010 champion Lakers in this year’s semifinals.

The Thunder has made no apology in modeling the franchise after the Spurs, in the same fashion that the Hornets are rebranding the franchise under the guidance of two former Spurs, General Manager Dell Demps and Coach Monty Williams, both of whom played for and worked with Popovich and Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford. Demps went into the management side in San Antonio after his playing career; Williams went into coaching.

The Thunder has built around Durant and Westbrook, and used the talents of Harden, the Sixth Man of the Year, in the same fashion the Spurs offer Duncan, Parker and Ginobili.

“He’s really their best passer by far,” Kerr said of Harden, “and that’s why he’s such a great complement to Westbrook and Durant. Those guys are thinking first and foremost about scoring, and they’re really good at it. (Harden is) a terrific passer and gives the defense a different look with his skill set. Even though he’s coming off the bench, he’s one of the best two-guards in the league.”

The Spurs have the home-court advantage in the conference finals and beat the Thunder twice in the regular season. Oklahoma City won the first of the three regular-season meetings.

If there’s an edge in the series, it would be to the Spurs, guided by Popovich, who has won four NBA titles in San Antonio and was voted Coach of the Year this season.

Thunder Coach Scott Brooks, a 10-year player as a backup point guard, has just four years of head coaching experience.

“He doesn’t want the accolades,” Kerr said of Popovich. “Most of that is just the fact that San Antonio is a small market and the team, there’s never a whole lot of drama. They are a machine, and that’s the way Pop likes it. He actually enjoys not being in the spotlight all the time.”

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Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.