Ginobili, Spurs take Game 1

SAN ANTONIO -- Gregg Popovich wanted some "nasty." The San Antonio Spurs obliged, and they've now tied NBA history.

Not to mention left the Oklahoma City Thunder agonizing about what could have been.

Manu Ginobili scored 26 points as the Spurs won their 19th in a row to tie the NBA record for longest winning streak kept alive in the playoffs, beating the Thunder, 101-98, in the Western Conference finals opener last night.

Obeying orders snarled by their coach in a fourth-quarter timeout to play "nasty," the Spurs erased a nine-point deficit that stunned the Thunder, who had looked on their way to finally kicking the perception that they're the underdog. San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City 39-27 in the fourth.

"I talked to them about they've got to get a little bit uglier, get a little more nasty, play with more fiber and take it to these guys," Popovich said. "Meaning you have to drive it, you have to shoot it."

The 2001 Lakers are the only other team to carry a winning streak this long in the playoffs -- and they did so on their way to a championship.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 27 points. Russell Westbrook (17) took a nasty face-first spill late in the fourth that had the entire Thunder bench crossing the court to check on their All-Star point guard underneath the opposite basket. He appeared to favor his left leg when he got up, but he never left the game.

Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tony Parker shook off a dismal start to finish with 18 points. But it was Ginobili who steered the Spurs to strike first in a highly anticipated matchup of the West's top two teams for practically the entire regular season. "They got us on our heels. We were not aggressive," he said. "And in the second half, we did have it."-- AP