Thunder turnaround beats old Spurs, long odds

A wise man is never too old to learn something new, and Gregg Popovich is proof. Ten days ago, he surely thought he had a team capable of winning the NBA championship. Now, he surely knows better.

A lot of us were fooled into thinking the San Antonio Spurs — with their genius coach, veteran leadership and thoroughbred star in Kawhi Leonard — had the horsepower and wisdom necessary to make a serious run at the title.

That was before the Spurs showed up in Oklahoma City for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals Thursday, when Popovich found himself jockeying a donkey in the Kentucky Derby. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook proved too dynamic, and a Thunder team on younger legs blew by the Spurs with a disregard for the past.

This was supposed to be the end of the Durant-Westbrook era in Oklahoma City. Instead, the Spurs finally hit the wall, falling 113-99 in a loss far more hideous than the final score.

“A lot of people overlooked the Thunder a little bit after that first game,” Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said. “There were a lot of doubters. It was quite a turnaround for OKC.”

San Antonio, a 3-1 favorite going into the series, won the first game in a 32-point laugher. The Spurs were adjusted to around 8-1 favorites before the Thunder won Game 2 by one point, commencing the incredible turnaround.

The series concluded with Popovich, who claims 157 career playoff wins and five titles, congratulating a first-year NBA coach who just won his eighth playoff game.

“You heard how Popovich would have a huge coaching edge over Billy Donovan,” Esposito said. “But it’s obvious the Thunder are a talented team, and they were able to run up and down the court on them, and I think younger legs prevailed.”

Durant poured in 37 points and Westbrook 28 for the Thunder, who advanced to face Golden State in the conference finals. The Warriors won all three regular-season meetings after trailing in the fourth quarter of all three games, so it should be a competitive series.

The Spurs are returning home, where Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will face retirement questions after a historic run done with class the entire way. But let’s save the sentimentality and tears for another day.

Here’s what it means: Prepare for a Golden State-Cleveland rematch in the NBA Finals, and do not count out the Cavaliers this time. It will be Stephen Curry, the unanimous Most Valuable Player, in a showdown with LeBron James, who’s out to prove he’s still the best player on the planet.

The winner from the West will emerge with battle scars and fatigue. Meanwhile, James and the Cavaliers are coasting through the East. Cleveland is 8-0 in the postseason and set to get an injured, tired opponent — either Miami or Toronto — in the conference finals.

The Cavaliers were the injury-riddled team a year ago, when a tired James bowed out in five games without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on the floor. In a semifinals sweep of Atlanta, Cleveland made 77 3-pointers and connected on 51 percent of its long-range attempts.

“The Cavaliers are going to be really well-rested,” Esposito said. “LeBron obviously has bulletin-board material after losing back-to-back times in the Finals and with Curry winning the MVP.”

But for now, all of the intrigue is out West. The Warriors are expected to open as around minus-400 favorites over the Thunder in a series of fast-paced games with totals north of 220.

“I think the Thunder will be able to run with the Warriors, and you’re going to see some higher totals in that series,” Esposito said. “It’s going to be fun to watch. They are playing the role of the underdog where no one gives them a chance.

“I thought OKC was a good team all year, but the Thunder had catastrophic meltdowns in big games against upper-echelon teams. For whatever reason, that wasn’t the case in the series against San Antonio.”

The Spurs won 67 games in the regular season and finished 40-1 at home, but they lost twice at home to the Thunder in the playoffs, and bettors had grown weary of San Antonio by Thursday. A majority of the money was on Oklahoma City as a 1-point underdog.

It got ugly early and was over by halftime, when the Thunder led 55-31.

The futures wagers on the Spurs are history, Duncan is probably done, and Donovan is rolling on with the Thunder. On May 1, the day after a 32-point blowout, who bet on that?

■ BOTTOM LINES — Station Casinos oddsmakers posted a line on boxing’s next potential megafight and made Gennady Golovkin a minus-400 favorite over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The betting limit is $20,000, and the fight must go off by Dec. 31 for action. …

South Point sports book director Chris Andrews is getting a jump on the competition by opening lines on the first week of college football and 40 more games of the year at 2 p.m. Friday.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow on Twitter: @mattyoumans247