Durant Puts On Show as Thunder Suddenly Looks Invincible

The turnaround arrived at Kevin Durant's house in another decisive game of this fascinating home stand. The Oklahoma City Thunder were on life support, barely surviving, staying alive and almost experienced postseason death. But when they traveled to their familiar territory, for these last two games, the Thunder were no longer pushed around by the San Antonio Spurs.

For all the noise about the Spurs having the deepest unit, for all the talk around the water cooler, in the workplaces and arguments at bars all over about Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker stealing Game 3 and reestablishing themselves, the Thunder changed the fans' perceptive after wrapping up a 109-103 victory in Game 4 to even the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece.

Covered in a sea of blue at Chesapeake Energy Arena, thousands of fans wildly screamed, cuddled in the stands to witness Durant score all 16 of the Thunder's points down the stretch. It's time to realize Durant, the NBA's reigning scoring champ, is an emerging superstar, planting the seeds for his own groundwork in a league where he is suddenly the newest star on the block. Now, having said all that, he's also the hottest tale of Oklahoma City, which he's fun to watch and has suddenly expanded his art of shooting to steal the show, becoming the cutest clutch performer of late.

And finally, he mastered his ability to shoot the ball. The more he shot it, the more he made, hotter than ever, making shot after shot and, as a result, led the Thunder in the final minutes of his scintillating performance. In the end, it was exactly about Durant's fourth-quarter spurt, if nothing else. This also changed the aspect of the game, and maybe even the personality of these playoffs for the Thunder, a team only two wins away from securing a spot in the NBA Finals. Durant is a streaky shooter and can heat up at any giving moment. So, of course, it's not a surprise he had 18 of his 36 points in final seven minutes.

From his craft and finesse that seem to better define him, he knocked down a fadeaway jumper, and then made a couple of jump shots in ways that boosted the team's confidence. Quick upsurges in the fourth quarter of a must-have ratcheted up his level of play. Fundamentally, Durant mastered the way of winning close games and grinding out late-game heroics, whether it was burying a step back or fadeaway jump shot. It probably crossed Durant's mind, after his team's 15-point lead diminished to four, that this would be the moment he take matters into his own hands.

That led to a fantastic ending after Durant hit an array of shots, mostly coming from him in the fourth quarter to give spectators an awe-inspiring performance. And when the Spurs were rallying for a near-comeback -- as a comfortable lead slowly disappeared -- right then Durant took over. In time, we'll know if the Thunder are real or not. And therein lies good vibes for Oklahoma City, two wins away from earning a spot on basketball's national stage. It was nice to see Durant single-handedly maul the Spurs to send the series back to San Antonio tied for Game 5 Monday night.


Along the way, in Game 4, he buried three straight jumpers, including one that came after he bumped into Parker in the lane to draw the foul that set up a three-point play. Moments later, he attacked the rim and earned a trip to the foul line when he was fouled and finished a layup on lob pass from James Harden. This is what we expect from our NBA superstars, an epic masterpiece that centers one of finest studs in pro basketball, and certainly we are proud to present a three-time scoring champion. Seen coming off a screen, which was perfectly executed by Westbrook, Durant made another jumper to continue domination. As the clock was dwindling down, Durant hit two free throws in the final moments to come away victorious.

It's fun to root for Durant. That's because he's very matured, humbled, likable, and allows the game to do the talking for him. It's amazing to see how he's grown since making his transition to the professional level. There's no need to bother asking about trust issues, but we can often ask the question why Durant is rarely mentioned on the same list as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony.

It almost -- in many ways -- feels as if he's been in the league for years when he is only 23-years old and not too long made his presence felt. That's because he has the mind of a longtime veteran. It was a one-man show late in the fourth. It's clear Durant is a leader, a closer, a marksman, and with that in mind, he knows when to attempt shots and when to get Thunder's big men involved.

So what did Durant do?

For three quarters, he was dishing off passes to Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, who both were dunking over bodies. The sidekick of the night was Ibaka, obviously, after having a career-high 26 points. Most of the time he was pouring in 18-footers or either getting to the lane for a layup. Despite Durant's ability to score as a leader whenever he pleases, he trusted in his players but hijacked the game when necessary to be a beneficiary for the Thunder. Unselfish and realizing it takes a team effort Durant kindly shared the ball as everyone touched it.

With enough depth and star power, Westbrook hurled shots, Harden was aggressive to the rim and Nick Collison dominated the glass. The pressure is not such a bad thing when a superstar as good as Durant has a supporting cast he can rely on in the event that he's a no-show because of an off night in shooting. It's clear most credit needs to be given to Thunder head coach Scott Brooks for finding ways to make adjustments for Games 3 and 4, where Oklahoma City climbed back into the Western Conference Finals. Even without Durant, though, the Spurs were still shoved around for mainly three quarters. But then -- suddenly -- the Thunder's primary scorer stole the show.

That would be Durant, of course.

This is because he puts in the work, time and effort. This is because he's dedicated to the game. This is because he's willing to improve after each game, avoiding criticism or even praise to modify his level of play by his work ethic and staying active in practice to tweak his flaws. For the biggest game of his career, he was not only a playmaker but he also quickly emerged into one of the great scorers.

He's played his best in the biggest moments, and so has his team collectively.

Sefolosha Gives Thunder New Life

For a while there, we had predicted the Spurs to beat the Thunder, given the first two games of this best-of-seven series, ready to project San Antonio's place in NBA history. Now it's a different story, after Oklahoma City finally came out to play, avenging a pair of agonizing losses on the road.

For one of the extraordinary NBA tales to resonate a striking climax with reference to a franchise that relocated to Oklahoma City and gave celebratory fans something to embrace, it was substantial that the Thunder ease back into the Western Conference Finals. The adjustments made by Thunder head coach Scott Brooks worked in Oklahoma City's favor, and also, they were in a favorable position after returning home for Game 3, where the crowd was electric and saw the Thunder beat the Spurs 102-82 on Thursday night. The expiration date on the Spurs 20-game winning streak went bye bye when Oklahoma City snapped its opponents' perfection and, better yet, kept its season alive by winning a pivotal game to avoid a 3-0 series deficit.

“We’re human. We had a good run. It’s just one loss,” Spurs forward Stephen Jackson said.


What it should remind us is that the Thunder, remarkably, are skilled and frightening, after all -- extremely aggressive and built with plenty of weapons to tie it in Game 4 on Saturday night. It would be a mistake on America's behalf, your behalf, or my behalf to put the Thunder on the back burner. The star of the night was Thabo Sefolosha, a guard from Switzerland, setting playoff career-bests with 19 points and six steals. What happened Thursday night will keep everyone buzzing until at least after Game 4, depending on how well the Thunder perform in a must-needed game for the second straight meeting against the Spurs.

It's beyond absurd to even conceive that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Sefolosha will back down and not engage in a monumental playoff campaign. It was so much to be excited for, after this game. It was a total team effort, it was a brand of basketball we are used to seeing from the Thunder -- role players showed up, they played their style of basketball and were exceptional defensively, to uphold high regards based on a respectable performance.

“We never thought these guys had an advantage over us even though we lost a few,” said Durant. “We came out with the sense of urgency that we need to play with for the rest of the series.”

The chances of them winning the Western Conference Finals are still roughly plausible. Durant had 22 points, as usual, making shots from the floor, and Sefolosha had a right-handed dunk off a lob pass from Westbrook, who fueled the crowd with a two-handed slam shortly after and finished with 10 points and nine assists. The run was perpetuated when Sefolosha finished with a reverse layup on another turnover to expand it to an 86-63 lead late in the fourth.

"We wanted to bounce back after two losses like that. We had to play better and we did that tonight," said Sefolosha. "We played with energy, we played with passion in front of our home crowd. They did a great job giving us a lift."

From there on, the Thunder went on a 9-0 run, which the Spurs were exhausted and couldn't stifle fast break opportunities. It led to a blowout that reminded us of something usually seen in an NBA Live video game, and before you knew it, the Spurs were trailing to the Thunder by double-digits. Late in the fourth quarter, when Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich's head was ready to explode, he had benched his entire starting lineup and inserted his second unit. Over on the bench, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan were flummoxed and starred dazed, only to be pummeled when we thought the Spurs were unbeatable.

And finally, despite a horrendous beatdown, Duncan had five blocks to surpass the great Kareem Abdul-Jabber's NBA record of 476. For a man who scored only 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting -- exhausted and aging every time he takes the court -- Duncan couldn't care less about individual accomplishments. He would instead tell everyone that he prefers to win another championship than reaching the heyday of his career. But here we are, second-guessing ourselves, not leaving out the Thunder after the damage they did in one game. This is the type of performance that scares the hell out of the NBA. If there's the possibility of Oklahoma City tying this series, which can happen if the Thunder have regained their swagger with thunderous roars from local fans, then there's a great chance they can muster momentum and take full control.

So not so fast, Spurs. This is not over, folks. And both teams could be in for a long, long series. This was a whole different game for Parker, who entered Game 3 coming off a 34-point performance. But this time, Sefolosha was assigned to muffle Parker, an All-Star point guard. Not very much to bring, he was held to 16 points and four assists, while his antagonist, Sefolosha, was the star on his own stage and deserved much credit for being a two-dimensional player. It was one defensive switch that changed the whole dynamic, giving the Thunder life in Game 4.

With plenty of talk floating around that the Spurs were potent and championship-built, maybe even the top and most experience team in these playoffs -- as much had been made about experience topping youth -- it's a new series now, a game of unpredictability and exhilaration. Perception and reality are what defines this series suddenly, assuming the Thunder will have the momentum and confidence, with the next game in their own gym where they have been wonderful all season. And the last we seen Westbrook, he was quiet but finally arrived in time and appeared to be more active and sprightly.

There's no place like Southern Home Cooking. And at home, in front of the loudest NBA crowd, Durant and the rest of his team normally eat well. Which is thought of even more so, when the Thunder are roughly deeper and younger, capable of playing a full 48 minutes, as the aging Spurs became fatigue and mentally drained by the second half. Not sure there's much Popovich can plot to alter things back into his favor. The one way the Spurs can extend their lead is by Ginobili having another amazing effort, a left-handed sixth man who can hit the three-pointer, storm to the basket and knock down timely layups.

"I can ask Scotty not to play him," Popovich said calmly after Game 3. "I don't know how I can change what Sefolosha's going to do. He did a good job."

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how the Spurs respond, as much as it will be to see if the Thunder breaks out with all firepower and more energy.

It is, however, far from over.

Golden State Warriors are Struggling for Consistency and Wins

The Golden State Warriors fell to 8-12 on the young NBA Season as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Warriors 114-109. Although, the Warriors put up a valiant effort in the fourth quarter just to be close to the Thunder.

In the first quarter the Thunder rolled out to a 6-0 lead causing Keith Smart to use a timeout, it didn't get much better after the timeout as the Warriors turned the ball over again and the Thunder scored rather easily for an 8-0, on the next possession the ball was nearly turned over again, but luckily Andris Biedrins was able to grab the ball and score in the paint.

Though the Warriors scored it didn't get much better as turnover and fouls hurt the Warriors. David Lee who still isn't 100 percent picked up two quick fouls. On the first possession of the game Andris Biedrins picked up a foul and that foreshadowed the events of the night and set the tone for what the Thunder were going to do.

That was to attack the Warriors defense and move the ball. Keith Smart has been trying to get the Warriors to play more defense. The problem is that the Warriors were used to Don Nelson's up and down system and not used to putting a huge effort on defense.

With Smart that isn't the case and that has shown as the Warriors give up the most free throws in the NBA. It all comes down to the fundamentals and the Warriors get caught reaching and pick up cheap fouls.

As mentioned before the Thunder carved through the Warriors defense and Russell Westbrook lead the charge as he picked up nine assists in the first half. Serge Ibaka came off the bench and gave the Thunder instant energy on the offensive glass as the Warriors had to respect the driving ability to Westbrook.

That was the main reason why the Warriors found themselves in a big hole in the first half, but towards the end of the second quarter the Warriors trimmed the Thunder's lead to 12, but much like the first half the Warriors started off slowly even having to burn a timeout at the opening of the third quarter because the ball could not be inbounded.

Starting out the fourth quarter the Thunder decided that it would be good to rest their starters because it was the first game of a back-to-back where the Thunder take on the Bulls next. The Warriors were able to force a turnover and Stephen Curry was fouled on a three cutting the lead to 17.

The Thunder started missing shots and the Warriors were able to take advantage of that. Scott Brooks decided that not having his starters in wasn't a good idea so the Thunder re-inserted their starters.

Even with the starters in the Warriors were able to continue to make a run. Monta Ellis got going and Stephen Curry continued his hot shooting that he had throughout the entire game. One play Ellis may want to have back as he missed a layup that would have cut the lead of the Thunder to eight.

On the next possession the Warriors did make a stand and made up for Ellis' miss. Eventually the Warriors got as close as three points, but were forced to send the Thunder to the free throw line.

It was a great effort just for the Warriors to comeback from the 20 points deficit in the fourth quarter. The problem was seen in the first half as most of the offense was one-on-one play and there wasn't much movement by the Warriors on offense and even in the third quarter there still wasn't that much.

The fourth quarter was a different story as the Warriors got open looks and started hitting them. Reggie Williams made a big three, unfortunately for the Warriors Dorell Wright had a wide open three that could have been huge for the Warriors, but missed as he looked to see where he was on the court.

What the Warriors need to do on defense is stop reaching and box out and on offense get better ball movement. If the Warriors are to win in the difficult schedule coming up that is how it will happen.

As for the game Westbrook finished with 19 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds, Kevin Durant had 28 points and 7 rebounds, Ibaka had 19 points and 8 rebounds, and Jeff Green finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

For the Warriors Curry led the way with 39 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound, Ellis had 29 points and 5 rebounds, and D. Wright chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The big difference in the game free throws as the Thunder went 37-40 and the Warriors went 18-21. Even more concerning though was that Curry and Ellis combined for 68 of the Warriors points while eight other Warriors managed 41 points. That's not going to be a recipe for success for the Warriors as there needs to be more balance in scoring.