Spurs-Thunder: And just like that, the heavyweight battle is upon us ... and San Antonio seems ready

The final nail in Minnesota’s coffin came two minutes into the fourth quarter Friday night, with Spurs forward Julian Champagnie finally hitting his second triple in seven tries, throwing both fists in the air and thanking the basketball gods for fortune and favor. Technically, there was more than enough time for the Timberwolves to muster up some energy and mount a comeback. Earlier in the evening, a near-30-point lead had been trimmed to just 11 points, with all the signs and symptoms of a fiery franchise not yet ready to call it quits.

But Minnesota’s dejected, collective look as its players took the scenic route to the bench was enough of an indicator that the game — and series, for that matter — had gone on long enough. The Wolves held on for as long as they could, a valiant effort over the course of six games in the West semis, but the Spurs have much bigger goals on their agenda, and a date with the reigning champs awaits. “I understand the general expectations of what we’re supposed to do in October aren’t necessarily aligned with where we’re at now,” head coach Mitch Johnson said following San Antonio’s 139-109 win .

“But we never talked about what we were going to be or or do. We just knew that we had a lot of potential and were going to try and be the best team we could be. Those guys in the locker room have given themselves to the team and each other.

” The story of Game 6, depending on the vantage point, could be told in a variety of ways. We could talk about the brilliance of youth that resides in Stephon Castle, putting forth a composed two-way show on the road at just 21 years old, finishing his evening with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on eye-popping 11-for-16 shooting, becoming the youngest player in the shot-clock era to record a playoff line of that magnitude. “He was pretty damn good,” Johnson said.