The Spurs found themselves in an unfamiliar position Sunday night...facing a deficit in the 4th quarter. Down 9, NBA coach of the year Gregg Popovich called a timeout and told his team to play nasty.

From that point on, San Antonio's defense took over, propelling them to a 101-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. The win was the 19th in a row for San Antonio. 

Manu Ginobili was ridiculous, scoring a team-high 26 points off the pine. He relentlessly forced himself into the lane, finishing at the hole. When the paint was clogged, he'd dish it off to an open teammate for 3. It was a textbook victory for San Antonio, who have made a habit of winning...a lot.

This edition of the Spurs is only surpassed by the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers for this long of a winning streak into the postseason...and San Antonio's streak has ended yet.

Oklahoma City was led by Kevin Durant. The 3-time NBA scoring champion finished with a game-high 27, and pulled down 10 reb0unds for a double-double. The Thunder led for a large portion of the ballgame, only to let victory slip away after Pop's significant 4th quarter timeout.

The two clubs will meet again in San Antonio Tuesday night for Game 2. Tip-off is set for 8:00.

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