On this drive by Gary Neal, Tim Duncan screened Bosh and then Bosh made it look like something else.

The play did not go unnoticed by Kevin Durant while he was watching the game.

Crazy flop by bosh ahaha too funny

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 14, 2013

Bosh definitely flopped on this play. The Heat won the game easily so there’s of course no sense looking at one or two plays as being decisive in this game.

Flopping like this is just something we’re going to have to continue to get use to in this league. The fines won’t stop it and why would they? If you can earn points by flopping like Bosh did then why not accept the $5,000 fine?

One of the great things about the Oklahoma City Thunder is how rarely Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook flop. We had a big time flopper last year in James Harden.

Westbrook is the best though. He plays so fast there’s just no chance he will ever even think to flop.

Jun 11, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) looks to pass against San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first quarter of game three of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT

There is a common belief out there between most sports media members that something changed in LeBron James last year when he won his first NBA championship.

LeBron finally got over the hump and now he would be free to go on and win title after title for the rest of his career.

It starting to seem like the actual matchups and basketball being played on the floor was overlooked.

As we watch the NBA Finals this year, it’s impossible not to remember the way LeBron and the Miami Heat played in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron looks passive and unsure of himself while the Spurs are executing a game plan to contain him.

It’s my belief that one of LeBron’s greatest strengths is taking what the defensive gives him. You could easily make the case that this San Antonio team and Dallas in 2011 have done the bets job in not giving LeBron much to work with on offense.

So what does LeBron do when he is looking to penetrate and sees two guys waiting in the paint for him? He makes the right basketball play and swings the ball on the perimeter hoping to find an open man. It can work and it did in Game 2 but the Spurs were more prepared last night and the constant deferring by LeBron seems to have gotten in his head and made him revert back to 2011 Finals form.

It also seems that LeBron is a little more passive than usual in the Finals. He definitely has been this year and in 2011 compared to the series leading up to it and even last year, he didn’t exactly dominate the Thunder by overwhelming them.

You could even say LeBron wasn’t aggressive last year. He posted up more but the Thunder allowed it and often had James Harden trying to defend LeBron in the post. Kevin Durant got in foul trouble far too often as well and the Thunder’s rotations resembled a chicken with its head cut off. They played right into what LeBron could do and it all came together for the King and the Heat. That’s how they won the title and there’s nothing wrong with that.

LeBron is a certain way though. He won’t overwhelm a good, disciplined team like the Mavs or Spurs and that’s what we’re seeing again in these Finals. He can’t just sit in the post and wait for a double and know he can easily pick apart the Thunder’s rotations.

This series looks like it’s going to demand LeBron to do something he’s not crazy about. He needs to force the issue more, work hard to create more for himself and in turn that will of course also mean creating more for his teammates.

The Heat should have a better chance to come back in this series than they did in 2011 simply because their opponent doesn’t have that Dirk Nowitzki.

But let’s not act like because the Heat are a really bad matchup for the Thunder that now LeBron is a different person, a champion who we don’t need to worry about on the biggest stage in the sport. LeBron is who he is and always has been. He’s simply not a killer, unless his opponent allows him to. The Spurs won’t and that’s why this series and what is to come will be so interesting.

Nov 29, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Boris Diaw (33) is pressured by Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Finals will start tonight with Game 1 tipping off at 9 p.m. EST in Miami. The Spurs will be looking for their fifth title since 1999 and the Heat will be looking for their second straight championship.

The matchup of the Heat and Spurs will feature four former Finals MVP’s and as many as six future Hall of Famers and maybe even more. The Heat and Spurs were at least two of the best three teams in the league this season along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose title chances ended with Russell Westbrook’s injury.

This is a matchup that we’ve all been waiting for. It could have easily happened last season as well. Remember how good the Spurs were playing up until Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals last year? They aren’t being touted as highly this year but within the team they do seem to feel they are better than a year ago and they only lost twice so far in these playoffs and swept both the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Heat needed seven games to get past the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the only series that was a challenge to them so far in this postseason. Dwyane Wade hasn’t looked nearly himself and has only scored over 20 points twice so far in the playoffs. Chris Bosh was pathetic vs. the Pacers and averaged just seven points per game in the final four games of that series.

The Heat still have LeBron James and that is something that no one can match up with. The Pacers were built as well as any team to slow down the King and they did a solid job overall but LeBron still managed to average 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

Overall, the Heat and Spurs haven’t played very many meaningful games since LeBron took his talents to South Beach. This season, both meetings did not include full rosters for either team and last year they only played each other once because of the lockout-shortened schedule. We don’t have a lot to go on in terms of prior meetings with these two teams.

Here are some important things to know going into this series:

The Spurs are not as good defensively as the Pacers or Bulls

Let’s not forget that the Pacers were the best defensive team in the NBA this season and they surely played the part in the ECF. The Spurs are good defensively but they aren’t the Pacers. Even the Bulls are a better defensive team than San Antonio. This is important because it means we should see the Heat able to get into their offense a lot better vs. the Spurs. We should see better ball movement, LeBron and Wade able to penetrate with more ease, more looks for Bosh and more open looks for Miami’s three-point shooters.

I think that Miami will be able to overwhelm the Spurs at times in the way that the Thunder started to do so last year in the WCF. This doesn’t mean Miami will definitely win the series because of this but don’t expect to see Miami to continue to struggle offensively the way they did against the Pacers.

The Spurs are by far the best offensive team Miami will see in the playoffs

This is pretty obvious but the Spurs’ offense will be something Miami has yet to experience in the playoffs. They are the definition of a well-oiled machine and if Miami has any defensive lapses like they did in a few games vs. Indiana, the Spurs will pick them apart.

The key to the Spurs’ offense is of course Tony Parker. If he can get into the lane with ease and dominate in the pick-and-roll then Miami will be in trouble. But if Miami can play defense the way they did in Game 7 vs. Indiana and force Parker into turnovers and the Spurs to not be able to get into their offense until late in the shot clock, the Spurs will be in trouble.

A lot of responsibility will lie on the shoulders of the Spurs’ role players as well. They will need to continue to make the open shots they will get and make other plays off the dribble against what will be a very aggressive Miami defense. We saw San Antonio’s role players kind of shrink away in the WCF vs. the Thunder last year and that can’t happen again.

The 2-3-2 format and the Spurs’ rest

The Spurs haven’t played since Monday, May 27 and that time off might make them rusty heading into Game 1 in Miami. No team ever wants to have that much time in between games but if there was a team that you think could handle it and use it to their advantage, that team is the Spurs.

The 2-3-2 format is always interesting too. Sometimes, the team with the worse record seems to have an advantage since they get three games in a row at home and can really steal the momentum of the series that way. The pressure will be off the Spurs in the first two games and if they can simply steal one of them, then going home for three in a row will be huge for them.

When you look at the Spurs and Miami, both teams are fully capable of winning on the road and won’t get into panic mode if they fall behind in the series.

The verdict

I think this series has to be a very close one. I don’t see how any team could really blow the other team out of the water and win in five games or something. Remember though that the Thunder outscored Miami overall in the first four games of the Finals last year so a series could still have close games and end early.

Each team will present the other with a new challenge they haven’t experience so far in the playoffs. And both teams have proven that they are able to rise to the occasion when they need to.

I think this series will go seven games much like the ECF did. If no team is able to win two games in a row, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. I do like Miami at the end of the day though. I think it will be too tough for San Antonio to defend the likes of LeBron and even Wade in this series for seven games and we may see Miami starting to dominate the deeper into the series we get, a la OKC last year in the WCF.

Prove me wrong though San Antonio. I wouldn’t be surprised if you do.

Apr 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) puts up a defensive front against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The less you play the “What if?” game, the more successful your franchise is. This season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had two big “What if’s?”

We’ve talked enough about the James Harden trade and what the Thunder could have possibly been had they kept him.

How good was the Thunder team this season had Russell Westbrook not gotten hurt? Would they have been up in the Western Conference Finals right now looking like a team headed back to the NBA Finals?

The Thunder won a franchise-record 60 games this season. They were once again one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA and became a top five defense as well. The chemistry was there too. With Westbrook, everyone knew their role and their place. The lost look that the Thunder showed after the Westbrook injury would not have been seen had he never gotten hurt.

The Thunder lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in five games and lost four in a row after narrowly winning the first game. Memphis was playing great basketball at the time of that series and would have been a tough out for the Thunder even if Westbrook was healthy.

Westbrook always tended to struggle against Memphis too, shooting around 40 percent from the field over the past few years and saw his turnovers increase as well. There’s no question the Thunder would have been in better shape to beat Memphis with Russ, but maybe not as much as you would think.

It’s safe to say that Mike Conley wouldn’t have dominated as much if Westbrook was around. Conley’s play ended up being the difference in the series. For all of the production that came from Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, the Thunder could have survived despite that had they been able to keep the others in check.

Think about how close those games were even without Westbrook. Never did the Grizzlies blow OKC out. There were always about five possessions per game too where the Thunder offense looked very ugly. Those were the possessions where Westbrook was always so valuable. He could create something out of nothing. Sometimes it was a forced shot but it always had a decent chance of going in or would at least produce a better offensive rebounding opportunity as he would always draw a lot of attention as he shot.

It’s no guarantee, but I think the Thunder get past Memphis with Westbrook. Homecourt would have been huge in determining this. Remember, Westbrook always played much better at home and the Thunder went 1-3 at home in the playoffs without him. They really missed him there.

Beating the San Antonio Spurs would have been a much greater challenge for a healthy Thunder team. OKC really needed what James Harden gave them last year in the Western Conference Finals and it would have been hard for them to find that production from either Kevin Martin or Reggie Jackson this season against San Antonio.

With homecourt advantage, the Thunder wouldn’t be losing in five to the Spurs, I can guarantee you that. They would have played them close in the series would have been decided in six or seven games. The Thunder have Kevin Durant and the Spurs do not. That may have been enough to close out a few games and get the Thunder past San Antonio.

Waiting for the Thunder in the Finals would most likely have been Miami. If somehow Indiana beats the Heat, then Thunder fans should be extremely upset that they didn’t get a chance to return to the Finals this season because a championship would have been very likely against the Pacers.

Miami dominated the Thunder in the regular season but make sure you notice how bad Dwyane Wade has looked in these playoffs. He’s hurt and not the same guy. I’m convinced that this would have given the Thunder a much better chance vs. Miami.

A champion will be decided in the next coming weeks and this year, an asterisk really needs to go by that team’s name. The injuries have been ridiculous this season and none was more impactful than Westbrook’s.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) comes off the court after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended last night but really it ended when Russell Westbrook was announced to be out for the playoffs. You can even make the case that it was over before it started when the Thunder traded James Harden but we won’t go there now.

After making it to the NBA Finals last year, the bar has been set for success for this franchise. You either win a championship or the season was an underachievement. That is fair.

The Thunder and Scott Brooks were exposed in this series. They just don’t have an offensive system whatsoever. I know this isn’t a new development but it never seemed to be so bad when the Thunder had Westbrook and Kevin Durant on the floor. Thunder fans probably even convinced themselves that what OKC was running on offense was fine.

Well, it’s not fine. Not at all.

Just about every other playoff team could have dealt with their second-best player going down better than the Thunder. What it comes down to is Brooks designed his offense to rely way too much on Westbrook creating things from nothing. Take Westbrook away and we got to see the ugliest offense in the league.

The Thunder improved defensively this season and ultimately that was not the reason for their downfall. But again without Westbrook, they would be exposed. Serge Ibaka cannot guard a great post-up player one-on-one on the block. Luckily for Serge, there are only a handful in the league but two of them were on Memphis.

Kendrick Perkins looks washed up. Even in a series where he should have been somewhat productive, he was awful. There is no place for him on this team anymore. He can’t help with anything. He needs to get amnestied, there is no way to rationalize not doing this.

Kevin Martin’s contract is up and while he has said he will take less money to stay in OKC, there’s pretty much no reason for the Thunder to want him anymore. Thanks for the season Martin.

One of the great things about watching the Thunder is that on any given night, Durant or Westbrook could go off, scoring 40 points or something crazy. That’s entertaining but won’t get them any closer to a championship. Look at what LeBron is averaging in Miami in these playoffs. He doesn’t have to produce as much so he can be more efficient and get his teammates, who are able, involved.

The Thunder aren’t winning a title until they can mirror this on their end. I loved as much as anyone watching Durant average 35-10-6 and shoot over 50 percent from the field. But that’s not what the Thunder need if they want to win a championship.

It will be up to the role players developing and Sam Presti finding more pieces to put around these guys before they are ready to make it back to the NBA Finals.

Reggie Jackson gave us a glimpse of what he can do. He will be a very solid player coming off the bench for the Thunder in the future. He got incredibly better from his rookie season and I don’t think there is any reason to expect anything different for next year.

Considering what Jackson did, there is hope that Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, who barely played at all this season just like Jackson last year, could make the same kind of jumps.

The Thunder are no longer a Big 3 model team. They have a Big 2 and will need to surround those two with a minimum of six players who can produce at a high level. Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, Thabo Sefolosha and Reggie Jackson are four of those guys. The Thunder need to find at least two more.

OKC holds the Raptors’ first round draft pick this year which is projected to be the 12th overall pick. They also have their own first rounder, Charlotte’s second rounder and Dallas’ future first round pick. The Thunder can be major players at the draft. They’ve proven in the past to make great selections and need to do so once more.

This year was ultimately a disappointment, but only because of what the Thunder have been able to accomplish so quickly in the past few years. The end result made sense given the circumstances and the Thunder will have to live with it.

We know we can count on Durant and Westbrook to work as hard as any player in the league this offseason. They will get a little more rest this summer with a shorter season and no Olympics. They will come back stronger next year and so will the Thunder. How many other teams are guaranteed this?

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) reaches for a rebound as guard Derek Fisher (6) forward Kevin Durant (35) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince (21) look on at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

This is it for the Oklahoma City Thunder now. Win or go home.

The Thunder haven’t been in this situation since they played the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last season.

This is different though. The Thunder seem to be on a downward spiral in their last few games while Kevin Durant seems to be wearing down.

The good news for the Thunder is that they return home tonight. The hope is that they can steal back some of the momentum Memphis got in the last three games.

Every game has been close in this series so the Thunder shouldn’t be down on themselves too much. The most demoralizing part is simply their inability to score now with Russell Westbrook on the sidelines.

Tony Allen has drawn Durant down the stretch of the past few games and has made things very difficult for him to get into a rhythm.

Durant has in his head that he hasn’t played well the last few games. Coming back home I think we can expect a big game from him tonight.

The role players from OKC should get some confidence from Durant playing well and hopefully step up too.

Kevin Martin and Serge Ibaka played much better in the last game as the Thunder jumped out to an early, big lead. The Thunder can’t afford for either of them to take a step back tonight.

Once again, tonight’s game should be close. The Grizzlies have proven themselves late in these games while the Thunder have really started to stumble.

The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST and air on TNT.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) shoots a free throw in the final seconds of game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97, and lead in the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series.

That’s what the Oklahoma City Thunder will have to do to advance past the Memphis Grizzlies.

After winning Game 1, the Thunder have lost the last three games and look to be in the worst shape they have been all season.

Kevin Durant looks to be wearing down, at least a little, which is unaffordable for the Thunder now that they are without Russell Westbrook too.

Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin stepped up somewhat in Game 4 but the Grizzlies showed why even that won’t be enough to beat them every time.

There’s not a lot that says this Thunder team is ready to win three games in a row against the Grizzlies.

Tonight, they will return home to Oklahoma City where they will probably have the best chance since Game 1 to come away with a win. They will have desperation on their side and a home crowd that is dying to not see this season end.

The real question is just how good this Grizzlies team is. They are on the verge of knocking off a No. 1 seed as a No. 5 seed except that the Thunder aren’t really a No. 1 seed anymore.

You could argue that the Grizzlies have the best center in the league in Marc Gasol. This used to be a huge deal but in recent history doesn’t seem as important. Nevertheless, that definitely counts for a lot and has in this series.

How many power forwards are better than Zach Randolph? Not many who are left in these playoffs. Maybe Chris Bosh or Blake Griffin or Tim Duncan. But Randolph is the only true power forward and offensive powerhouse of that bunch.

The Grizzlies pretty much have the most destructive 4-5 punch in the league and they are playing at a high level right now.

Let’s not also forget that Mike Conley is coming on as one of the breakout players of these playoffs and looking like a very solid starting point guard right now who has been torching the Thunder defense of late.

The odds seem stacked against this Thunder team as much as ever. For OKC to have a chance, we will have to see a completely different game tonight.

But if the Thunder get a win tonight, then they will just need to win once more to force a Game 7 back home. It’t not like the Thunder were blown out in Memphis. They very easily could have won both of those games.

When series change cities, the momentum can often change drastically as well. The Thunder need that to happen tonight.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) shoots the ball in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97, and lead in the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

It’s weird to think about it with all the expectation and promise the Thunder team had coming into the 2012-2013 season, but as hard as it is to say this: Oklahoma City’s back is against the wall, as they are one, yes one, game from being eliminated from the playoffs.

Writing that, I just got a tender, grazed, and sad feeling inside of me.

However, instead of worrying about what can happen with a Thunder loss tomorrow night, it’s time to look at what needs to happen in order for  the Thunder to win three straight games and make a remarkable comeback in which only  7 teams in the NBA have ever done.

A.      Make better coaching decisions

This fact just shakes me up every time I hear it: Kevin Martin logged only 26 minutes last night. Fisher logged only three less minutes, and Jackson logged the same minutes as KD last night. At times, Fisher was on the floor over Martin with less than five minutes to go. How? Why? I don’t understand how you’re second option scoring wise, isn’t on the floor when you need a bucket late in the game.

B.    Thabo Sefolosha

Look. It’s clear others need to step up and produce with Westbrook, and Sefolosha is obviously not a known scorer in this league. But, Ibaka went for 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, Kevin Martin delivered with 18 points off the bench and Jackson had 15. Sefolosha missed out on the party going 1-4 from the field with only five points last night. Not to mention, he let Conley go for 24 points last night.

C.    Dumb Mistakes and Turnovers

15 turnovers for the Thunder last night and only 7 for the Grizzlies. Just not going to get it done. Fisher’s turnover late with 22.6 seconds to go was a killer, and the Thunder just couldn’t take care of the ball.

I’m not counting this Oklahoma City team out, but if they want to get back into this series, it’s going to take a lot. Hopefully the Thunder can win tomorrow night, and then all the pressure is on Memphis.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) struggles to keep the ball while Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen (9) and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) try to take it awash in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant has been asked to do everything for the Oklahoma City Thunder since Russell Westbrook went down with his injury.

For the most part, Durant has exceeded any expectations we could have had of him doing this. He’s averaging 33.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 44.7 minutes per game since Westbrook’s injury.

But these last few games against the Grizzlies, Durant appears to be wearing down.

The Thunder fell behind 3-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals last night as they lost to the Grizzlies 103-97 in overtime. Durant played 48 minutes including the entire second half and overtime and shot 10-for-27 from the field.

In the fourth quarter and overtime, Durant scored just five points.

Durant may physically be able to handle playing this amount of minutes and at times he can still appear like it doesn’t faze him but there is simply no reason not to buy him at least a little rest. It’s the mental fatigue that seems to be getting to Durant more than anything as Memphis has made him work harder than ever to get shots and get open.

During the regular season, Durant’s normal rest came with around three minutes to go in the first and third quarters. Then he would either start the next quarter or come in shortly after it started. This way he was still able to play 40-plus minutes when need be and the Thunder wouldn’t have to play lineups with Durant and Westbrook on the bench.

With Westbrook gone, that is now impossible. That doesn’t mean Durant needs to play all 48 though. His rest time just needs to be altered.

There’s no reason not to rest Durant for the first three minutes of the second and fourth quarters until that first TV timeout. This way he gets the entire quarter break and then an extra TV timeout so he can finish the games fresher.

Scott Brooks has made it a habit for these last two seasons of playing Durant the entire second half in close games. More often than not, you will notice Durant’s shot not falling as much at the end of these games.

This has been the case in the last two games of this series. Durant needs that break. His teammates aren’t making it an easy decision for Brooks since they have an incredibly difficult time scoring with KD on the bench but the rest is still necessary.

Don’t expect this to be employed the rest of this series though. The Thunder have their backs against the wall now down 3-1 and Brooks is more likely to play KD the entire game than deciding to finally start giving him some rest.

Game 5 will be tomorrow night in OKC.

May 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) brings the ball up court in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are now facing a series deficit for the first time since the Western Conference Finals last season.

The Thunder lost 87-81 in Game 3 in Memphis on Saturday afternoon as their offense went ice cold down the stretch and they couldn’t make the stops when they needed to.

Every game of this series has been close so far and it’s hard to imagine anything differently happening the rest of the way.

The Thunder’s defense has not been bad in this series and they clearly need more points to win.

Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin are the key when it comes to that. Ibaka went just 6-for-17 in Game 3 and really struggled from the field at times. Martin also has yet to replicate his Game 1 performance in which he torched Memphis for 25 points.

The Thunder are certainly trying to emphasize Ibaka in the offense and he just isn’t knocking down shots.

The starting lineup is what’s really killing the Thunder which always seems to be the case when things aren’t going well.

The Grizzlies are destroying the Thunder starters who are basically playing two on five with Kevin Durant trying to create everything.

A heavier dose of Nick Collison will be needed if the Thunder intend to come back in this series. The best Thunder fans can wish for at this point is quick, early fouls on Kendrick Perkins and maybe even an injury. It’s gotten that bad.

The Thunder can still win in spite of their starting five. They could still knock down more of their spot-up shots and ride Durant’s cape the rest of the way.

I’m not ready to say this is a must-win for the Thunder yet because they are going back to OKC in this series no matter what and the momentum will have a chance to really shift their way then. But this is very close to a must-win. The way the Thunder offense has looked against Memphis, it’s hard to imagine them mustering up enough points to beat the Grizzlies three straight times.

Tonight will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST and air on TNT.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) reacts to a play in action against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest problems facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals vs. the Memphis Grizzlies has been the lack of a Serge Ibaka presence.

Ibaka is averaging just 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 30.8 percent from the field.

We knew going into this series that Memphis was going to be a tough matchup for Ibaka since they have two of the best true big men in the NBA.

Ibaka has come out and said that he feels the shots he is getting may be too easy and that’s what has caused him to struggle so much.

“Most of the time when you’re open that’s when it’s tough to make shots because you try to get some different focus than normally when some guys try to contest your shots,” Ibaka said. “So that’s happened.”

via The Oklahoman

I don’t know if Ibaka is getting too easy of shots. Without Russell Westbrook creating for him, his looks have definitely gone down and aren’t coming in the flow of the offense as much anymore.

Ibaka also said that he hasn’t lost any confidence in his game. It sounds mostly like he’s in his own head to an extent and just in a bit of a shooting slump on top of that.

All it will take is probably one game to get him out of it. It feels like that game will have to be Game 4 to help keep the Thunder alive in this series.

The good news is that Ibaka was able to take 17 shots in Game 3 and the Thunder will look to get him going again in Game 4. The Thunder have been in every game right down to the end in this series so if they can get a little more from Ibaka, it may push them over the edge to come back and win some games.

May 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are now behind in a playoff series for the first time since the Western Conference Finals last season vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

The Thunder lost Game 3 in Memphis yesterday afternoon 87-81 and the Grizzlies now have a 2-1 series lead.

You can’t really kill the Thunder’s defense yesterday. They may not have made all of the stops they needed to down the stretch and Marc Gasol was a killer, but the Thunder only scored 81 points and that is unacceptable.

The Thunder shot 36.4 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from three and 63.2 percent from the line.

What went wrong in Game 3?

Kevin Durant beginning to wear down

Durant was playing like a superhero ever since the Russell Westbrook injury. Literally, every game since then he was able to keep his efficiency with his increased workload, something no one should have expected.

In Game 3, we saw Durant brought back down to reality for a little. He ended up with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists but it was the easy misses that stood out. He missed a bunch of bunnies by his standards after working extra hard to get the ball and then went just 5-for-9 from the free throw line including two crucial misses with 39 seconds to play and the Thunder trailing 85-81.

It’s easy to say that Durant is being asked to do too much but that is simply the world the Thunder are living in right now. There is no other option. Yesterday was just the first time that this really looked like a problem. There’s nothing wrong with this being a problem. You just have to win four of seven in a series to advance and that is still possible.

Serge Ibaka not stepping up

I wrote right after the Westbrook injury that Ibaka was going to be affected the most by Westbrook’s absence. Westbrook captured so much of the defense’s attention and Ibaka’s consistent open looks from midrange were almost always because of Westbrook’s chaotic driving.

I am disappointed to say that I was absolutely right about this.

Ibaka isn’t ready to step up and start posting up on his own and getting shots on his own. He never had to and is a long ways away from developing that in his game. It doesn’t help either that Memphis is one of the best defensive teams in the league and one that Ibaka isn’t going to be able to get a bunch of offensive boards against.

Ibaka took 17 shots in Game 3 and made six. This was actually a good sign because before Game 3, it was hard to imagine Ibaka even getting open enough to take that many shots. The Thunder are trying hard to get him going and his confidence just wasn’t there yesterday.

Not enough small ball

Even though the Thunder went small a lot more yesterday, they need to do it more. It was a great sign to see the Thunder commit to this more than ever in Game 3 and should give Thunder fans hope going forward in this series.

How much worse is Durant at guarding Gasol than Kendrick Perkins is? Not nearly enough to make up for how much better the Thunder are on offense small vs. Memphis.

I still feel like the shots Durant is getting aren’t that tough. This could be worse. With the small lineups out there, it makes it even easier for KD.

The cure is obviously to bench Perkins and hardly ever play him again, maybe five minutes a night. The rotation totally needs to be changed to have Nick Collison start in his place otherwise this won’t work as well.

That’s not going to happen though so this is just another thing the Thunder will need to overcome in this series.

The hope

The Thunder still have Durant. Durant is the type of player that will step up when his team’s back is against the wall.

The momentum of this series can change drastically when it goes back to OKC, even if the Thunder are down 3-1 at that point.

This series is not over at all. Just because it’s been ugly for the Thunder, that doesn’t mean they are done. Who thought it wasn’t going to be ugly anyway?

The Thunder aren’t getting blown out and they probably never will against the Grizzlies. They had their chances in both of the last two games and they’ll be there again in Game 4. We’ll see if they step up.

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (4) fouls Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Has there ever been a team as good as the Oklahoma City Thunder where the general consensus is so often that the wrong players are on the floor together?

It’s really pretty crazy that the Thunder have been this good the past few years and just about everyone agrees with things like Kendrick Perkins playing too much and the Thunder not going small enough.

Perkins has value in this series against Memphis which is a huge deal for the Thunder considering that you know he is going to get a good amount of minutes. But of course, Scott Brooks is still screwing everything up with his rotation.

As Zach Lowe from Grantland pointed out, Brooks is playing Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison together about 20 percent as often as he plays Ibaka and Perkins.

That’s right. The Thunder play their two best big men together hardly ever.

The reason for this is the rotation. Of course, Perkins and Ibaka start so they are going to get those minutes and that is fine.

Collison plays mostly with the second unit. He’s out there as the only big quite often when the Thunder go small. Occasionally he will close out a game as the only big. Very rarely does he close out games alongside Ibaka or even Perkins.

It’s actually pretty weird that Collison plays so little. He played 19.5 minutes per game during the regular season and somehow he is at just 15.8 minutes per game in the postseason.

Perkins was 25.1 in the regular season and is 19.0 during the playoffs.

It’s kind of an issue of the mentality Collison has when he comes in games. He knows he’s not playing a ton so he will commit hard fouls whenever a player has an opening near the rim and he plays so hard that it actually would be hard for him to sustain for 30 minutes every night.

That’s still no excuse for Brooks.

We know just how limited the Thunder’s starting five was offensively even when they had a healthy Russell Westbrook. That has taken a huge hit now and against Memphis, who is one of the best defenses in the league, that’s a pretty big problem.

The Thunder need to try and find a way to boost their offense as much as possible and playing Collison a little more instead of Perkins would help with that.

I may be in the minority believing that Perkins is at times a better defensive option than Collison. But in this series, we know Collison is proven to be great at defending Zach Randolph in the past while Serge Ibaka continues to struggle in pick-and-roll assignments in the playoffs.

Brooks will never change the rotation. The only real hope is that Collison comes out with some big offensive games while Ibaka does the same. It will leave Brooks no choice but to go with the hot hands.

It doesn’t seem too likely that will happen in this series though.

The best bet going forward will be the smaller lineups for the Thunder that have proven to be pretty effective against Memphis so far in this series, especially since Memphis has tried to match up with them.

Game 3 is tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. CST. The series shifts to Memphis and both teams have had plenty of rest and time to think up adjustments. Hopefully, Brooks decides more Collison (with Ibaka) is needed.

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince (21) during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t know how it’s possible but it seems like most people feel Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors or LeBron James of the Miami Heat have been the MVP’s of the NBA Playoffs so far.

Is Kevin Durant really feeling the effects of being in a small market for the first time?

Durant is only the second player in the history of the NBA to be averaging at least 33 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one steal per game in the playoffs (LeBron did it in 2009).

Curry and LeBron have had great postseasons but it’s just not on the same level as what Durant is doing.

This isn’t me saying that Durant is better than LeBron. Think about this though: If Durant averaged what he’s doing in the playoffs for an entire NBA season, he would be the clear-cut MVP. Curry’s numbers aren’t even close and even LeBron’s aren’t.

Durant should even get bonus points for the situation he has been put in. He’s playing without Russell Westbrook for the first time since his rookie season.

This is particularly a challenge since Scott Brooks has designed the Thunder offense to rely so much on Westbrook’s ability to create something out of nothing. Now, with nothing replacing the something Westbrook would create, it’s left Durant literally playing one-on-five at times.

The fact that Durant’s numbers have gotten better while sustaining efficiency is the most remarkable thing about what Durant has been doing since the Westbrook injury.

I’m as big of a Durant fan as you’ll find and even I thought we’d see a much less efficient KD post-Westbrook.

Durant has quickly made us forget that the Thunder shouldn’t be able to make the same NBA Finals they did a year ago because they are now without two of the best 10 players in the league in Westbrook and James Harden.

Maybe more people are counting the Thunder out now, but there is still a definite chance that they beat Memphis and maybe even win the West.

In closing, Curry has been great in these playoffs and maybe more entertaining than Durant. LeBron is still the best player but what Durant is doing definitely makes him the most valuable player in these playoffs so far.

May 8, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates after his team

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors scored 34 points and made eight three-pointers last night as the Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 100-91.

Thompson and Stephen Curry were unbelievable to start the game knocking down shots from the perimeter to help the Warriors jump out to a big first half lead.

Before the start of this season, there was a chance that Thompson could have been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder were shopping James Harden before the start of the year and were very interested in Thompson. The trade probably would have gone down if not for the fact that the Warriors would not have been able to offer Harden a max contract and couldn’t include a first round pick to send to OKC in the trade.

Would the Thunder be better off this season if they had Thompson instead of Kevin Martin?

Right now, it definitely feels that way. Thompson is emerging in these playoffs as one of the most talented, young shooters. He’s not just a shooter either and at 6-foot-7 has shown the ability to make plays off the dribble as well.

The Thunder have gotten stuck with the inconsistency of Martin this season. His unconventional offensive style has been prone to disappearing acts in big games or against elite defenses.

Thompson is just 23 years old too. The plan obviously would have been to make him a big part of the team’s long-term future. Martin meanwhile is an expiring contract that’s looking more and more like he will only serve as a rental for the Thunder this season.

Thompson never will demand the max contract that Harden did and the Thunder should have been able to pay and keep him down the road.

Watching Thompson in these playoffs gives the Thunder another thing to regret with this team.

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) attempts a shot against Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Last night, the Thunder heart-breakingly lost Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals 99-93. With the series now being tied up at one, the Thunder will travel to Memphis for a critical Game 3 and 4. In terms of Game 2, there were a whole lot to take out of the loss:

Durant can’t carry the load

KD was terrific once again last night with 36 points, 11 rebounds and one assist shy of a triple double with nine. He did all he could. You could not have asked for a better performance from #35. But, when you look at the other eight guys in the rotation, they quite frankly just didn’t show up (besides Derek Fisher who had a big 19 points).

Kevin Martin: six points, 2-11 shooting.

Serge Ibaka: 11 points, on 5-12 shooting.

Thabo Sefolosha: 7 points.

Reggie Jackson: 10 points on 3-8 shooting.

That is just not going to get it done. Martin combined for 50 points in back-to-back games and Scott Brooks was counting on him for another big game. And that right there is a big problem without #0.

Turnovers and second shots

How about this stat via Royce Young of dailythunder.com? “In Game 1, the Thunder turned it over 10 times, and allowed four second chance points to the Grizzlies. In Game 2, the Thunder turned it over 21 times and allowed 23 second chance points. That’s your game in a nutshell.”

Perkins and Ibaka

The two guys who are most vital in this series are Ibaka and Perkins. It’s obvious. Yes, they do have a tough assignment having to guard Gasol and Randolph. But, something? Anything, guys? Ibaka was -6 and Perkins was -10 last night. They combined for 11 rebounds. Mike Conley had 10 rebounds himself. Not to mention, Gasol and Randolph combining for 39 points on 17-34 (50%) from the floor.

The positive is that this Oklahoma City team is great at bouncing back. As  Durant said, “We feel confident. We can’t put our heads down. We can’t be upset with ourselves because we lost. Memphis is a really good team. We’ve got to keep going forward. I think there are some things we can correct and get better at and we’ll be fine.”

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) talks to NBA official Gary Zielinski in action against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies did just what they wanted to do last night. They won one of the first two games in Oklahoma City and have stolen homecourt advantage away from the Thunder.

Mike Conley led the Grizzlies to a 99-93 victory as he nearly recorded a triple-double with 26 points, nine assists and 10 rebounds.

Kevin Durant put up gaudy numbers again going for 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists on 11-for-21 shooting in 43 minutes.

Now with this series tied 1-1 heading to Memphis for the next two games, is it time to panic for the Thunder?

Here’s the thing, the time to panic for the Thunder has long passed. You could have rationally panicked after the team traded away James Harden and you definitely got to panic after Russell Westbrook got hurt.

It’s really amazing more than anything else that Durant and the Thunder are good enough to hang with the Grizzlies in this series. It’s a favorable matchup for the Thunder and that’s he biggest reason why they aren’t going to get run out of the gym anytime soon.

I said before this series started that every game was going to be close. Right now, neither team can score enough to run away with a game and each team should be able to play pretty good defense on the other.

The Thunder got the win in Game 1 since to late-game heroics from Durant. In Game 2 it would be Conley and the Grizzlies coming back from behind. This is how a tightly played series goes.

Could the Thunder lose in five or six games? Sure. It’s possible. The same goes for the Grizzlies though.

The biggest issue with Game 2 was the Thunder giving up 16 offensive rebounds. Memphis is of course a team that thrives on the offensive glass and part of what makes this matchup such a good one for the Thunder is that they should be able to limit that Memphis strength. They didn’t in Game 2 and that, more than anything else, killed the Thunder.

Kevin Martin also struggled from the field going 2-for-11 and Serge Ibaka was pretty quiet again scoring 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. Nick Collison didn’t attempt a shot in 15 minutes, turned the ball over four times and didn’t get a rebound. That can’t continue either.

The Thunder are in trouble in this series but they’ve been in trouble since Westbrook went down. Nothing new surfaced after Game 2.

The Thunder will be in for a close battle in this series. They just need to continue making adjustments game-by-game and hope that Durant continues to play like a god.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Quincy Pondexter (20) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kevin Martin (23) during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to some late game heroics from Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder are up 1-0 vs. the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Game 2 is tonight and it’s time to see how these teams adjust.

The Grizzlies found out in Game 1 that the Thunder can contain their bigs. They will need others to step up. Aside from a small stretch in the first half where Jerryd Bayless got hot, Memphis didn’t get much else from players not named Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds.

Durant stole the show for OKC going for 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He just continues to play at an unreal level since the Russell Westbrook injury and has completely put this team on his back.

In the final 7:20 of Game 1, Durant scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a dagger with 11 seconds left to give the Thunder a 91-90 lead.

Durant was able to do pretty much whatever he wanted in Game 1. The looks he got were not too tough and this is something the Grizzlies need to change going forward in this series.

Another huge lift for the Thunder came from Kevin Martin, who scored 25 points off the bench for the second consecutive game. Martin hit some difficult shots and took the Grizzlies defense by surprise a few times. Look for Memphis to concentrate much more on Martin now.

The Thunder won Game 1 despite Serge Ibaka shooting 1-for-10 from the field. It would be nearly impossible for Ibaka to do any worse. Ibaka’s defense down the stretch on Randolph was very solid though and he even blocked his shot a few times.

Every game in this series promises to be close. I doubt tonight will be any different.

The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST on TNT.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the second half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve seen one game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Thunder came away with the Game 1 victory, winning 93-91 thanks mostly to Kevin Durant’s go-ahead, pull-up jumper in transition with 11 seconds to go.

Durant dominated the game putting up 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists on 13-for-26 shooting. More importantly, he scored 12 points in the final 7:20 in the game on 6-of-7 shooting.

The Thunder contained Memphis’ big men, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The two combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds but the Thunder still held their own, especially when they needed to down the stretch.

It was just one game though and the Thunder are very happy to come away with the win, especially since it was at home. What is going to change tonight and in the games after in this series?

Ibaka and Martin

The Thunder got 25 points from Kevin Martin while Serge Ibaka shot 1-for-10 from the field. Expect those two things to balance out and the Thunder shouldn’t expect much more. Ibaka can definitely play better and knock down more shots but he’s not going to dominate the offensive glass like he did against Houston and it will be tough for him to have games where he scores 20-plus points.

Martin should see Tony Allen on him more in this series and Allen should do a better job shutting him down. Martin caught Allen sleeping on a few backdoor cuts in Game 1 that will be tough to come by the rest of the series. As shaky as Martin looks even when he’s got it going, Martin is still a veteran and confident in his abilities. I may be underestimating him.

Conley

The Grizzlies need someone else to step up on offense. OKC will live with Allen and Tayshaun Prince shooting from the perimeter. Mike Conley will be the key for the Grizzlies. If he can get into the lane and create, it will open up a lot of things for the Grizzlies’ offense. He was quiet in Game 1 and will look to be more aggressive going forward.

Playing away from OKC

Winning at home will be crucial for the Thunder. Memphis has underratedly one of the best home crowds and it will be tough to win a game away from the Peake. The Grizzlies have a homecourt advantage that can totally turn the momentum in a series.

Small lineups

The Thunder are able to go small against the Grizzlies and have a big advantage. This was not the case at all against Houston, who was better off playing small ball than OKC was.

When the Thunder went small in Game 1, Memphis matched up with them. If this continues to be the case, and I think it will, then the Thunder are looking good. Memphis needs to stick to their strength at all times with two bigs on the floor and playing physical.

The best time for the Thunder to go small is when Memphis is resting Z-Bo or Gasol. That’s when they did it in Game 1 and if the Grizzlies keep trying to match up with the Thunder here, OKC will continue to torch them with their small lineups.

Durant

Durant has to eventually start looking more like a human being right? How can he continue to put up these stat lines while being so efficient? Durant is due to have a really tough shooting night some time in this series. Not just because the percentages have to balance out eventually but because Memphis is a great defense.

In Game 1, even with how great Durant was, he could have been better. The looks he got were very easy and unless they get much tougher, the Thunder will be in great shape to win this series. KD missed about five shots in the game that are usually automatic for him.

Memphis needs to make some adjustments on defending Durant. I suspect it will be more double-teaming or possibly using Allen on him for stretches. Durant just had no issue with Prince trying to stick him.

What does this mean?

A lot of people are saying that the Thunder played a great game in Game 1 and Memphis could have been better and that Memphis still looks like they have the advantage in the series. I disagree to an extent. Both teams can play better and the Thunder’s continued improvement without Westbrook was again evident in Game 1 and there were a lot of good things to take away from the win. I don’t feel like the Thunder stole one and I don’t feel like the Thunder gave the Grizzlies their best punch.

Every game in this series will continue to be low-scoring and close. This style will bode well for the Thunder in the post-Westbrook world. They can play great defense without him, especially against the conventional lineups of Memphis.

Durant is still the best player in this series. I’m not always one to say this is the most important thing in the world but in this case, I think it is.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) talks to NBA official Jason Phillips during play against the Houston Rockets in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have become a vastly different team since Russell Westbrook has been out with his knee injury.

The chaos ingredient was suddenly removed from OKC’s simple offense and it has left the team much easier to defend. It’s gotten very ugly at times watching the Thunder offense. Kevin Durant is forced to do everything for large portions of the game and defenses have loaded up on him.

The defense suffered as well in the Houston Rockets series as the Thunder became less able to match up against smaller lineups.

In the Thunder’s second round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, Westbrook shouldn’t be missed as much as he was vs. Houston.

The main reason for this is that Westbrook traditionally struggles vs. the Grizzlies. Memphis – one of the getter defenses in the league – held Westbrook to 36.1 percent shooting this season in three games. Who can forget Westbrook’s 0-for-13 game vs. the Grizzlies a year ago?

Memphis has always been able to contain Westbrook better than most teams. The biggest reason for this is their size in the frontcourt and their ability to shut down driving lanes that Westbrook is used to having against other opponents.

Memphis slows the game down too and the hyper Westbrook often comes in out of control and out of pace against the Grizzlies. Mike Conley does a decent job against him and Tony Allen an even better one.

You can look at replacing a struggling Westbrook in two ways in this matchup:

1. Since Westbrook struggles against Memphis, then Reggie Jackson will struggle even more so.

2. It will now be easier for the Thunder to replace Westbrook since they don’t have to replace as much production.

I think that the second way will be the more accurate assessment in this series mainly because Jackson isn’t out there to play exactly how Westbrook did and Russ’ absence opens up other options for the Thunder, options that may actually be better choices in this matchup vs. Memphis.

There will be much less possessions in this series vs. Memphis than against Houston. That’s a good thing for the Thunder since they have Durant and Memphis doesn’t. Durant’s also playing out of his mind right now and posting the highest usage rate of his life, which in this series is an upgrade from Westbrook.

Durant had 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in yesterday’s Game 1 win. He dominated in the fourth quarter shooting 6-for-7 from the field and scoring 12 points in the final 7:20, including the go-ahead field goal with 11 seconds left.

Durant has free reign now without having to share with Westbrook. I’m not saying that is good for the long run and that the Thunder are better without Westbrook. They certainly aren’t. But against Memphis, this may actually not be so bad of a thing not having Russ, especially if he would have struggled against the Grizzlies like he normally does.

We will find out as this series goes on.

Kevin Durant has earned the title of “Best Closer” in the NBA and this afternoon in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, Durant showed why.

Durant came down to pull up for this jump shot in transition with 11 seconds left in the game to give the Thunder a 91-90 lead over the Grizzlies and complete a double-digit, second half comeback for the Thunder.

Durant finished the game with 35 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and two blocks. He scored 12 points in the final 7:20 of the game.

The Thunder have looked like they are in trouble ever since the Russell Westbrook injury but Durant has done everything in his power to make us forget about that. He’s averaging 35.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists in five games without Westbrook in the playoffs. He’s also shooting 50.8 percent from the field in that time.

The Thunder are going to need Durant to keep playing at this level to have a chance to get past the Grizzlies in this series. Memphis is used to coming from behind already in these playoffs as they lost the first two games of their first round series vs. the Los Angeles Clippers before going on to win the next four.

The way Memphis defended Durant, it looks like he will be able to continue to dominate unless they change something. The Grizzlies used Tayshaun Prince on Durant for most of the game and gave him little help. Durant even missed a bunch of shots that he usually knocks down.

Like the Houston series, expect the Grizzlies to start loading up on Durant even more the rest of the series. It will become even more important as the series goes on for Kevin Martin, Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson to step up.

May 5, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Tayshaun Prince (21) during the first half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Rockets defeated the Thunder 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant scored 12 of his 35 points in the final 7:20 of the game as the Oklahoma City Thunder came back to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 93-91 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Marc Gasol made a baseline shot over Kendrick Perkins with 1:07 left to give Memphis a 90-87 lead.

Durant made a driving pull-up jump shot on the Thunder’s next possession and then a steal when Memphis got the ball back.

The Thunder didn’t call timeout after Durant’s steal and he came down the floor and pulled up for a 19-foot jumper in transition to give OKC a 91-90 lead with 11 seconds left.

The comeback almost looked like it might be wasted when Reggie Jackson fouled Quincy Pondexter on a three-point attempt with one second left and the Thunder leading by three but Pondexter would miss the first free throw attempt, allowing the Thunder to hold on.

Durant added 15 rebounds (all defensive), six assists and two blocks to his 35 points. He shot 13-for-26 from the field and went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.

The Thunder received a big lift from Kevin Martin off the bench. Martin scored 25 points for the second consecutive game, shooting 8-for-14 from the field in 32 minutes.

Gasol and Zach Randolph combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. Overall, the Thunder did a decent job containing the two Memphis bigs.

Both teams got out to really slow shooting starts as Memphis led Oklahoma City 16-14 after the first quarter. The teams got warmed up though in the second where OKC outscored the Grizzlies 33-30.

Both teams did an excellent job holding on to the ball. The Thunder turned it over just 10 times while Memphis just 11 times, but two of those came in the final 17 seconds.

The Thunder would outscore the Grizzlies 29-18 in the fourth quarter. Durant played the entire second half and completely took over down the stretch.

The Thunder needed this Game 1 win. They wouldn’t have wanted to waste such a great performance by Martin and some more clutch three-point shooting by Derek Fisher (2-for-2 in the fourth). Serge Ibaka really struggled offensively however shooting just 1-for-10 from the field and missing a big free throw with 1:21 left in the game.

The Thunder can still get better but so can the Grizzlies. This series really feels like every game will be close as both teams played great defense and neither offense seems to have enough fire power to run away from the other team.

Game 2 will be Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. CST in OKC and will be on TNT.

May 3, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) drives the ball on a fast brea during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The second round of the NBA Playoffs begins today with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies kicking things off in OKC.

Both the Thunder and Grizzlies finished off their first round opponents Friday night in Game 6’s. The Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 103-94 and Memphis beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-105.

Both of these teams’ series changed after the first two games. The Thunder saw Russell Westbrook go down with an injury that will keep him sidelined for the rest of the playoffs. Adjusting without Russ was very difficult.

Memphis lost the first two games of its series vs. the Clippers before coming back and winning four straight thanks to Zach Randolph averaging 26 and 10 in those last four games.

This series promises to be very different for both of these teams than their first round series were.

Oklahoma City will see a much more formidable defense than what Houston had. Memphis has the Defensive Player of the Year in Marc Gasol and a solid line of defense up and down their roster.

The Thunder saw their offense become much more stagnant since the Westbrook injury and that was against a poor defensive team in Houston. While OKC made some progress without Russ, things will be much more difficult vs. Memphis. Expect the open spot-up looks to decrease and life on Kevin Durant will get tougher as well.

Memphis had their way with the Clipper in the first round inside. If there is one team that can match Memphis’ bigs, it is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kendrick Perkins will be relevant again in this series and Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison will play much more important roles than they did vs. Houston. Memphis’ style of play actually sets up better for the Thunder in the post-Westbrook world. Playing more conventional lineups will be much easier for the Thunder and they won’t have to worry about going small to match up.

The key in this series will be how Memphis decides to defend Durant. They may try and play him somewhat straight up to ensure the other Thunder players don’t beat them or they may load up on KD whenever he touches the ball.

Either way, the Thunder are going to need others to step up and they should simply expect Durant to average 35.5 points per game like he did the last four games vs. Houston.

Reggie Jackson has done well in Westbrook’s spot. He has had success attacking in transition and sometimes in the pick-and-roll finishing at the rim. He still needs to make better decisions overall but he’s improving every game.

Kevin Martin may be the most important player in this series. Without him scoring at least 15 points every game, the Thunder probably won’t have a chance. He woke up in Game 6 vs. Houston scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half and the Thunder will need more of that from him.

Collison seems to be the key to get Martin going. They have developed a nice two-man game this season and Martin seems to score much more when Collison is on the floor with him. Collison will of course be very valuable in defending Randolph as well and should see a lot of minutes in this series.

Ibaka is the final piece of the puzzle for the Thunder. He has been up and down in the playoffs. He seemed to have the most success when he could dominate the offensive glass vs. Houston, something that will be much more difficult to pull off vs. Memphis.

Ibaka should see more opportunities in the pick-and-pop and the Thunder ball handlers need to get him touches to get his confidence going. Ibaka will need to slow down Randolph and not bite on every pump fake that’s thrown at him. If he can help dominate the paint and really limit the Memphis bigs, OKC will be in good shape to win the series.

The Thunder have homecourt advantage and never before have they needed it as much. Memphis will look to steal one of these first two in OKC and the Thunder really can’t afford to let one slip away.

The Thunder and Grizzlies both have proven that they can win on the road in these playoffs which may result in this series gong seven.

The game will tip at noon CST and air nationally on ABC.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Nick Collison (4) during the game at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime with a score of 90-89. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 103-94 last night in Game 6 of the first round to advance to the second round.

The Thunder will see the Memphis Grizzlies waiting for them in Round 2.

The Grizzlies also closed out the first round last night beating the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6. Memphis lost the first two games of that series before beating the Clippers four games in a row.

The second round is now set in the Western Conference with the Thunder and Grizzlies doing battle along with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors.

Russell Westbrook was ruled out of the playoffs and is very unlikely to return. Although there is still some hope out there.

The second round will begin tomorrow. Here’s a look at the schedule for the Thunder and Grizzlies.

Game 1
Sunday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC

Game 2
Tuesday, May 7 at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT

Game 3
Saturday, May 11 at 5:00 p.m. EST on TNT

Games 4-7 are all TBD

Game 7 between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets is tonight. That will be the last first round game. After that game we should learn the full schedule of the second round.

Be sure to check back here for the entire schedule.

He did make an impact in a way that Perkins is known for.

Perkins set a hard screen on Francisco Garcia in the first quarter and then get a technical foul for what escalated after, the usual in your face trash talking between Perkins and Garcia.

While the referees were conferring, Perkins decided to do this.

The pushups didn’t end on the basketball floor for Perkins either. Perkins would celebrate at the airport after the win doing the very same thing.

This is what makes Kendrick Perkins so valuable, right? The little things?

Well, Perkins wasn’t much help for the Thunder vs. Houston after they decided to commit to small ball after Game 1.

Perkins will be of much bigger use in the next round when the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Then, Perkins will get to use his physicality on Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in the paint.

There’s a good chance that more pushups and technical fouls will ensue too. Just look at what Randolph did with Blake Griffin last night.

Randolph and the Grizzlies won their wrestling match vs. Griffin and the Clippers. Perkins will gladly accept the next challenge, which begins tomorrow at noon CST on ABC.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) guards Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided what would have been one of the biggest meltdowns in NBA history by beating the Houston Rockets 103-94 in Game 6 last night.

After going up 3-0 vs. the Rockets, Houston came back to win the next two leaving everyone questioning how good this Thunder team was without Russell Westbrook.

It was a tough test that Houston presented but the Thunder passed. What’s ahead will be more of the unknown.

The Memphis Grizzlies dismantled the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. After losing the first two in LA, they came back to win four in a row led by Zach Randolph who averaged 25-9 in those four games.

The Grizzlies are starting to look like the Memphis team that knocked out the Spurs in the first round two years ago. Fittingly, they will again see the Thunder in the second round.

Who is the favorite in this series?

The Thunder would of course been favored if they had Westbrook. They haven’t exactly not missed a beat since his injury so a lot has changed. The Grizzlies looked very good in the last four games too so you maybe give them a little advantage momentum-wise.

I actually think this matchup vs. Memphis is better for the Thunder than Houston was in a way. The Thunder simply always had huge defensive problems against small lineups this season and never was that the case more than vs. Houston.

Against Memphis, the Thunder will see the traditional lineups with two bigs at a time. This means Kendrick Perkins will be relevant again and Serge Ibaka shouldn’t be getting lost on defense as much.

But the fact of the matter is that the Grizzlies are a much better team than Houston is. They are leagues better defensively and the problems Oklahoma City had on offense vs. Houston will be magnified tenfold vs. Memphis.

The Grizzlies actually have some decent options to use on Kevin Durant too. Tayshaun Prince is old but experienced and long and has always been sound defensively. Then of course there’s Tony Allen who doesn’t have to be concerned with Westbrook anymore.

The Grizzlies have the bodies to match up with Durant better than probably anyone. If they are able to play him kind of straight up and not have to help as much as Houston did, the Thunder will be stuck with their role players trying to create shots, which they haven’t been very good at.

Let’s not forget that Houston gave the Thunder so much trouble despite Durant playing out of this world. KD averaged 35.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the last four games without Westbrook. He also shot 51.1 percent from the field and averaged 11.5 free throw attempts per game.

It’s going to be hard for Durant to put up those kinds of numbers vs. Memphis. The pace will certainly be slower and the Grizzlies should slow him down more than Houston did.

Some Thunder role players stepped up last night. Kevin Martin was huge in the first half where he scored 21 of his 25 points. Reggie Jackson has come on strong in Westbrook’s absence too. Derek Fisher still can’t seem to miss.

This trend will need to continue more than ever vs. Memphis for the Thunder to have a shot. OKC will really need role players stepping up every game too because Memphis will be good enough to beat the Thunder even if OKC gives them a good punch.

Defense will be the most important thing for the Thunder. Even without Westbrook, they are still a team that is built to handle a team like the Grizzlies. Without Rudy Gay, Memphis may have a very difficult time scoring against the Thunder. I don’t think anyone expects otherwise.

Let’s also not forget that the Thunder have homecourt advantage in this series. They did lost at home in Game 5 vs. Houston and the Grizzlies didn’t have homecourt against the Clippers and still won. So who knows how big this will end up being. Both OKC and Memphis have proven they can win on the road in the playoffs.

So let’s go back to the original question: who is the favorite in this series?

The Thunder have the best player, Memphis has the next two. Whoever steps up as numbers 4-7 will tell us a lot.

I honestly think this series is a toss-up at this point, one of those series where we just say it will go seven games and we don’t know who will win. Maybe I’m being a homer and the Grizzlies are the clear-cut favorites but I think the Thunder can still win this one.

The biggest thing is that we still don’t know so much about the Thunder post-Westbrook. We don’t know if they will continue to improve offensively, if Jackson can keep playing so well, if Martin/Ibaka will wake up, if Fisher will still shoot over 50 percent from three. We just don’t know so much.

But we will soon find out. Game 1 will be tomorrow at noon on ABC.

May 3, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) controls the ball as Houston Rockets shooting guard Francisco Garcia (32) defends in the first quarter in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone take a deep breath. This series is over.

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 103-94 tonight in Game 6 to advance to the second round where they will take on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists. After being held scoreless in the fourth quarter in Game 5, Durant came out aggressive scoring nine points in the final period tonight.

The Thunder got a huge help from their bench tonight.

It was Kevin Martin stepping up in the first half where he scored 21 of his 25 points in the game. Derek Fisher also came in to provide a huge lift with 11 points and three three-pointers. The Thunder were plus-32 in Fisher’s 27 minutes.

Nick Collison played 22 minutes and the Thunder were plus-20 while he was on the floor. He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end.

Reggie Jackson also came up huge for the Thunder finishing with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

James Harden struggled for the most part scoring 26 points on 7-for-22 shooting.

The biggest key for the Thunder tonight was Martin and Jackson stepping up in the first half and then Fisher and Collison in the second. Durant didn’t have to do everything tonight and the well-balanced effort from OKC allowed them to outlast a valiant Houston effort.

Give Scott Brooks credit too for matching up with the Rockets and playing Kendrick Perkins just four minutes.

The road will of course get tougher in Round 2. Houston was no slouch and became that much tougher after the Russell Westbrook injury. But the Grizzlies should be tougher.

The good news for the Thunder is they won’t have to worry about matching up with small lineups in the next round. Perkins becomes relevant again and the more conventional style of play may actually bode well for the Thunder.

Game 1 in that series will be Sunday at noon CST in OKC on ABC.

May 1, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (15) and Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha (2) during the first half in game five of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Things just seem to keep getting worse for the Oklahoma City Thunder in this series.

Since taking a 3-0 lead, the Houston Rockets have fought back to force tonight’s Game 6 and all of the momentum seems to be in their favor.

The loss of Russell Westbrook has left the Thunder scrambling to figure out how to play without him. It hasn’t been pretty and really the only reason they have been in these games has been the offensive brilliance of Kevin Durant.

Durant is averaging 38.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game since the Westbrook injury and he’s shooting 52 percent from the field.

In the fourth quarter of Game 5, we saw Durant held scoreless for the first time in his playoff career in the fourth quarter as the Thunder could not come back.

OKC resorted to hacking Omer Asik again and again in what is usually a plan for a team with no answers.

James Harden stole the show playing his best game of the series and making all seven of his three-point attempts.

The Rockets’ confidence is now at an all-time high and for good reason. They still need to win two more games though.

There were some positive signs you can take from the last game. The offense did seem slightly better but maybe that was just because they were playing at home.

It was impossible though for the Thunder to overcome Kevin Martin shooting 1-for-10 from the field. Odd as well was Nick Collison playing just six and a half minutes in the game.

For as bad as the Thunder offense has looked, they’ve still been decently efficient. It’s the defense that is really struggling against Houston’s small lineups.

Small lineups have stumped Scott Brooks in the past and this series is more of that. Kendrick Perkins has been basically useless and even the perimeter players are making simple mistakes on a regular basis.

The Thunder need to get it together on that end of the floor before anything else to finish the Rockets off. Two losses in a row should serve as a pretty big wakeup call and the Thunder should put forth a better defensive effort and performance tonight.

It feels like the Thunder will need a complete game to get the win though. They need to tighten up the defense and hope Durant can still play out of this world.

The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST tonight and air nationally on ESPN.

Jan 6, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) talks to forward Serge Ibaka (9) and guard Reggie Jackson (15) against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Thunder beat the Raptors 104-92. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s dynamic duo was broken up this postseason after Russell Westbrook’s injury in Game 2 required knee surgery.

It’s the second break-up this season that the Thunder have had to endure. Their amazing trio that included James Harden was also broken up right before the season.

OKC has had their problems adjusting without Westbrook in this series vs. the Houston Rockets and it’s resulted in them losing the last two games.

Amazingly, Westbrook’s replacement, Reggie Jackson, has produced along with Kevin Durant’s new production very close to what KD and Russ did in the regular season.

Take a look at this:

Durant and Westbrook regular season
73.4 minutes per game
17.2-36.4 field goals (47.3 percent)
14.0-16.3 free throws (85.9 percent)
51.3 points per game
12.0 assists per game
13.1 rebounds per game
6.8 turnovers per game

Durant and Jackson the last three games
75.7 minutes per game
17.7-36.0 field goals (49.2 percent)
16.3-19.4 free throws (84.0 percent)
55.6 points per game
8.0 assists per game
13.0 rebounds per game
7.0 turnovers per game

As you can see, the Durant-Jackson duo has actually been slightly better than Durant-Westbrook were in the regular season in a lot of areas including scoring and field goal percentage.

Ironically, the area of Westbrook’s game that the Thunder miss the most is his passing. The Durant-Jackson duo is averaging just eight assists per game combined while KD and Russ got 12 per game in the regular season.

This totally confirms what we’re seeing in this series. The Thunder are relying on isolation more than ever before. Durant is basically playing point guard for most of the game. The Thunder are ending up taking way more terrible shots than ever before. The spot-up shooters in Kevin Martin, Thabo Sefolosha and Serge Ibaka have not stepped up. Only Derek Fisher has.

The other area that this doesn’t take into account is Westbrook’s defense. This was the one area that we thought Jackson could do the best job replacing. It’s not as much that he hasn’t either as it also is that the Rockets are going small and the Thunder would have had trouble with this even with Westbrook in the lineup.

It feels like the Thunder are right now in the worst shape they’ve been in a long time. The Rockets have stolen all of the momentum in this series and look like they may actually have a legitimate shot at winning this series.

The big thing that needs to change for the Thunder is the ball movement, which is tough when you basically don’t have a point guard anymore. The Thunder did do a better job of this in Game 5 and have made at least a tiny bit of progress over the last three games.

Just to keep up with Houston, Durant has been playing out of his mind the last three games. If he lets up even a little, the Thunder may not have a chance.

Game 6 is tonight at 8:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.

October 24, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Houston Rockets power forward Royce White (30) against the New Orleans Hornets during the first half of a preseason game at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets rookie Royce White – who has yet to make his NBA debut – has made a name for himself this year on Twitter.

He says what he feels and rarely seems to hold back.

Last night after Houston’s 107-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, White tweeted at Kevin Durant.

@kdtrey5… Y’all are looking SHAAAKYY BAAABYY.#RedNation

— Royce White (@Highway_30) May 1, 2013

White later backed up his tweets and called Durant a “deadly player.”

The truth is that the Thunder have looked pretty shaky since Russell Westbrook’s injury. They are in a very tough situation trying to learn on the fly how to play without the guy that ran the show for them all season.

The Thunder don’t seem to really be making great strides either. The offense still ends up with Durant doing everything and when he’s not, his teammates look lost quite often. Worst of all the defense has been struggling too and giving up way too many open looks for the Rockets on the perimeter. The Thunder need to figure that out as well.

I don’t really care what White tweets and I’m not one to tell him to shut up. That’s the job of the Thunder. A win Friday night in Houston will do the job.

Maybe the Thunder can use this as motivation although they probably don’t really care.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) talks to NBA official Jason Phillips during play against the Houston Rockets in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have gone from the Western Conference favorites to a team fighting for their playoff lives since Russell Westbrook injured his knee in Game 2 of this series.

The loss of Westbrook is proving to be devastating for the Thunder, who most recently lost 107-100 at home to the Rockets last night.

Given the makeup of this Thunder team this season, Westbrook may very well be one of the most valuable players in the NBA, even more so than Durant to a degree.

This is about value and not about talent. Durant and LeBron are more talented than Westbrook without question but all that Westbrook was asked to do for this Thunder team puts him right up there with those two in terms of value.

Think about this: the Thunder basically run the simplest offense in the NBA. They’re the opposite of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs yet are just as efficient and for most of the NBA season, had the most efficient offense in the NBA.

We are seeing that same offense in the last three games vs. Houston. It is ugly. Without Westbrook, the offense has been revealed for what it truly is.

Westbrook was basically an insertion of chaos into the offense. He could single-handedly make it unpredictable and overwhelming for opponents. He would attack at odd times, pull-up for jumpers in transition and just always keep the engine revving at a high level.

With the Russ chaos factor now missing, the Thunder have fallen back to a slightly above average.

In the last three games, the Thunder are scoring 106.0 points per 100 possessions. They scored 112.0 points per 100 possessions in the first two games of this series and 110.2 in the regular season.

The team’s true shooting percentage has also dropped about 4-5 points and the assist percentage is down to quite a bit as well.

The Thunder were able to match and exceed Houston’s pace with Westbrook in this series. That hasn’t been the case at all in the last three games as the Thunder have drastically slowed down the pace by about five possessions per game. Westbrook gave the Thunder the ability to be a high-octane offense and also one that could thrive in the halfcourt and now they are neither.

Even defensively the Thunder are now much worse without Russ. Did you see how Aaron Brooks and Patrick Beverley penetrate last night whenever they wanted? Westbrook is by no means a perfect defender but that doesn’t happen if he’s on the floor. The open threes the Rockets have been going would not nearly be as frequent either, especially considering how Westbrook plays the passing lanes.

The other crazy part of this is that Durant has stepped up in Russ’ absence as much as anyone could have expected that he would. He’s been amazing averaging 38.3 points, 5.7 assists and 9.7 rebounds in 44.7 minutes per game. He’s doing that while still posting a 65.1 true shooting percentage, which is better than what he shot in his 50-40-90 regular season.

What Durant has done the last three games is insane. He didn’t score in the fourth quarter last night, which may be a sign of how difficult it will be for Durant to continue playing at this level.

Imagine if Durant performed like a human these last three games and the increased workload resulted in his efficiency decreasing instead of increasing. Where would the Thunder be and what would they look like?

The Thunder are in real trouble right now. They should still be able to win this series. It’s hard to imagine them losing four times in a row to the Rockets even without Russ.

What awaits them in the next round is looking more like the end of the road when just a week ago it was supposed to be the next step toward a championship.

The one winner in this is Westbrook. The hate and criticism should completely leave him now. Scott Brooks’ turn now.

Apr 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) gets the ball on a fast break during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game three in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden left the team’s shootaround today with flu-like symptoms.

Coach Kevin McHale says he’s sure Harden will be ”ready to go” on Wednesday night.

”We’re confident coming in here. Obviously, we need James and we want James to play for us to win at a high level,” teammate Chandler Parsons said.

”No doubt in my mind, he’s going to play tonight. There’s no way some little flu bug is going to keep him from playing in an elimination game.”

Via FoxSports

Harden struggled mightily in Game 4 against the Thunder scoring just 15 points and turning the ball over 10 times.

Harden is averaging 25 points per game in the series but for the most part the Thunder have been able to handle him.

Houston obviously needs to be at full strength tonight to beat the Thunder at home and if Harden is under the weather, that will make it tougher for them to overcome OKC.

Harden seems like the kind of player that is easily affected by something little like this messing with him. I wouldn’t feel good about him possibly being pretty sick for the game tonight.

The Thunder will be back home for the first time since the Russell Westbrook injury and they will be looking for some of their role players – who always play better at home – to step up.

Thabo Sefolosha didn’t shoot well in Houston, Kevin Martin only played well in the first halves and Serge Ibaka no-showed Game 4.

Houston saw their role players shoot lights out in Game 4 and expect that to go down tonight, especially if Harden isn’t 100 percent and unable to get them as many open looks as usual.

Apr 29, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets small forward Chandler Parsons (25) takes a shot over Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in the fourth quarter in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Thunder 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder return home tonight to try and close out the Houston Rockets for the second time in this series.

The Thunder had a chance to sweep Houston Monday night in Game 4 but came up just short, losing 105-103.

Serge Ibaka missed a putback as time expired that would have sent the game into overtime.

Kevin Durant had another monster performance throwing up 38 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He did turn the ball over seven times however but he was 12-for-16 from the field.

The Rockets were hot from deep and hit the offensive glass which helped them come out on top. James Harden had a very weak game for them scoring just 15 points and turning the ball over 10 times.

Odds are the rest of the games in this series will be tight. Both teams didn’t quite play as well as they could have in Game 4 but also came up big in other areas. If it balances out at all, we’re still in for another close game.

The Rockets showed in Game 2 – the first game in which they totally committed to small ball – that they can hang with the Thunder in OKC. And the Thunder had Russell Westbrook for that game.

As long as the Rockets keep playing small, they should have enough depth for enough guys to step up and knock down shots while they continue to give the Thunder trouble by spreading the floor.

The Thunder’s offense is still a work in progress since the Westbrook injury. Durant handled the ball slightly less in Game 4 than in Game 3 but the stagnant sets still showed up late in the game.

Reggie Jackson can still handle the ball more in the pick-and-roll as he continues to learn the right decisions to make. Kevin Martin did a decent job establishing himself. And Derek Fisher can’t miss.

The Thunder had to work so hard to get Durant touches and only his brilliance saved them and made it a close game.

The real key for the Thunder though is to hurt the Rockets on the offensive glass. Ibaka needs to be the guy here. He had seven offensive boards in the Game 3 win but just two to go with eight points in the last game.

The Thunder should be able to settle down some since they are at home and get a better offensive game from everyone. The way Houston is stacking up on defending Durant has made it so that the open spot-up looks still exist for the Thunder role players. They’ll shoot better at home.

The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST tonight and air nationally on TNT.

Mar. 20, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Washington Wizards center Jason Collins against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Wizards defeated the Suns 88-79. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Not everyone is happy about Jason Collins coming out as the first gay, active professional sports player.

It’s brought out a lot of hate in some people, in particular the Westboro Baptist Church, who will be out protesting Game 5 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets tonight.

In light of NBA veteran Jason Collins becoming the first active professional athlete who is openly homosexual, Westboro Baptist Church’s Twitter account @WBCSays said Tuesday it will picket outside Chesapeake Energy Arena for the Rockets and Thunder Game 5 first-round playoff matchup.

Westboro supporters have sent out threatening messages to Collins, Thunder forward Kevin Durant and others associated with the NBA while also using a ‘#GodH8sTheNBA’ hashtag.

The independent church, led by pastor Fred Phelps and his daughter Margie, is known for protesting military funerals and believes that President Barack Obama is the Antichrist.

Via the Houston Chronicle

Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie disagrees with the notion that God hates the NBA and he brings up some good points.

I’m guessing God was particularly happy with a few highlights over the last 65 years – rumors abound that the Almighty was a keen fan of Dick Motta’s offense, the 2004-05 Phoenix Suns, Wes Unseld’s outlet passes, those old Denver Nugget uniforms and the San Antonio Spurs’ coyote – but this relationship is apparently over, according the minds at the Westboro Baptist Church. I’m mostly fearful that God couldn’t have waited out Derrick Rose’s return, because that doesn’t speak well for this mortal’s potential to stay patient.

Via Ball Don’t Lie

Whatever you believe, hopefully nothing crazy happens from this.

Apr 21, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) handles the ball prior to a free throw attempt in action against the Hosuton Rockets in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

On the Oklahoma City Thunder’s final possession of Game 4 vs. the Houston Rockets Monday night, Serge Ibaka missed a simple putback as time expired that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime.

Ibaka said he couldn’t sleep after the game.

The Thunder lost their first game of the series largely due to Ibaka’s absence. He finished with just eight points and five rebounds on 3-of-8 shooting. The Thunder cannot afford another performance like that from Serge.

The fact that Ibaka was bothered by missing that final shot so much is a good thing for the Thunder. Don’t expect Ibaka to no-show in Game 5, especially since the Thunder will be back home.

Ibaka holds one of the biggest matchup advantages vs. the Rockets and is therefore one of the keys to this series. The Rockets have committed to going small against the Thunder leaving an opportunity for Ibaka to dominate the offensive glass. He did that in Game 3 as he outworked Houston for seven offensive rebounds.

The Thunder in the post-Russell Westbrook world will need to adapt more than ever expected. Ibaka maybe the most. The open midrange looks simply will not be as frequent for Ibaka without Russ drawing the attention off him. Ibaka will have to find his offense from rebounding and hustle. He’ll need to play smart and cut when the opportunity is there and not hesitate when he gets the ball.

We’ve seen this before from Serge. By all accounts, he appears to be extremely confident in his abilities and taking more shots, which he’ll need to do, is something he doesn’t have a problem with.

The Thunder aren’t losing to Houston of Ibaka comes up big again like he did in Game 4. Odds are, he’ll do just that.

Apr 29, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) and power forward Serge Ibaka (9) show emotion after a foul call against the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Thunder 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder were unable to come up with the sweep last night in Game 4 vs. the Houston Rockets, falling 105-103.

Kevin Durant had another fantastic game with 38 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He shot 12-for-16 from the field, 13-for-15 from the free throw line but he did turn the ball over seven times.

The Rockets are a good team that you didn’t really expect the Thunder to sweep before the playoffs started. Everything changed in this series after the Westbrook injury and we still don’t know exactly what to expect from the Thunder going forward.

What we’ve seen in the two games since Russ has been somewhat troubling. Durant is really handling the ball a lot and while the offense looked better in Game 4 than it did in Game 3, it has still been pretty troubling.

The Rockets really swarmed KD last night and that’s why he could only take 16 shots. His makes were all very tough and you don’t expect him to shoot 75 percent from the field the rest of this series while Houston may be able to keep him under 20 shot attempts per game if they keep playing this way.

The real question is: did the Rockets give the Thunder one of their best games last night and is that why they won? Yes and no.

Houston was hot from deep (12-for-27) and got a career game from Chandler Parsons (27-10-8). But James Harden went just 4-for-12 in the game and scored 15 points while turning the ball over 10 times. You definitely expect Harden to play better than that going forward.

The Thunder also shot particularly well from deep going 11-for-25 in the game. Derek Fisher made 4-of-5 threes and Kevin Martin scored 16 points, which has been very above average from him in this series.

Serge Ibaka however was far too quiet going just 3-for-8 from the field with eight points and five rebounds.

Ironically, Reggie Jackson, who has been starting in place of Russell Westbrook, shot two more times than Durant did last night. Jackson had a solid game scoring 18 points in 36 minutes but only had three assists.

Houston definitely has something with these small lineups against the Thunder. OKC desperately needs Ibaka to be a force on the offensive glass to counteract them. The Thunder are still waiting for another ball handler to step up. Jackson did a fine job last night as a scorer but he missed some opportunities to set up his teammates and settled for a few jumpers when he should have driven.

I don’t think there is any need to be worried yet if you’re the Thunder. The Thunder should be able to match as well as they played in Game 4 at home for Game 5 and really should be able to play a better overall game.

The Rockets can be better too but they’ve shown their youth in this series. On the road, it will only get tougher for them and the three-pointers shouldn’t fall as frequently.

Game 5 will be Wednesday night. It’s by no means a must-win but the Thunder would definitely prefer to close them out at home and avoid another trip to Houston.

Kevin Durant took flight with one of his best ever Monday night in Game 4 on the road vs. the Houston Rockets.

It wouldn’t be enough though as the Oklahoma City Thunder lost 105-103.

Durant ended up with 38 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He also turned the ball over seven times though as the Rockets made it their primary focus to double-team him on every occasion.

This dunk was nasty though. Durant had just hit a three to pull the Thunder closer and then took matters into his own hands as much as anyone could with this play and finish.

This is now the third time in the last two games that Durant (in Russell Westbrook’s absence) has gone coast-to-coast with a crazy dunk.

We’re seeing a different Thunder team as was expected since the Westbrook injury. Durant has assumed a larger role which is very interesting considering he is the second best player in the NBA and I guess we never really knew what it would look like if he was on the 2010 Cavaliers.

The loss is not too worrisome for the Thunder that are still up 3-1 in this series. The Rockets played a great game at home as they desperately didn’t want to get swept in front of their home crowd. They came out with a strategy and stuck to it and made big shots.

Game 5 will be Wednesday night back in OKC.

Apr 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Kevin Martin (23) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center. The Thunder defeated the Rockets 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will get a chance to go for the sweep tonight on the road against the Houston Rockets in Game 4.

Game 3 was the first game in Thunder franchise history without Russell Westbrook.

Kevin Durant dominated playing 47 minutes and scoring 41 points to go with 14 rebounds and four assists. Durant also hit a huge three-pointer with 41 seconds left to seal the deal for the Thunder.

The Thunder got out to a 26-point lead in the game but the Rockets were able to come all the way back and take the lead at one point late in the fourth quarter.

Despite getting the tough, road, playoff win, there is a lot to worry about with the Thunder going forward.

It felt like they willed themselves to win Game 3 in honor of Westbrook. That should be less of a factor tonight and if we see more of what went on in the second half of that game, the Thunder won’t be in good shape.

Durant essentially played point guard the entire game. The Thunder need to find a way to feature players like Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin more.

Durant probably won’t play the entire game again but don’t be surprised if his minutes are still up around 45. It’s not just resting him on the bench that is important but resting him on the floor and not asking him to do absolutely everything.

Jackson played well starting in place of Westbrook and it feels like his confidence will only grow with the more experience he gets.

Ibaka got seven offensive rebounds which is key in this matchup vs. the Rockets. He needs to keep that up and find more touches within the offense as well.

Martin has had three bad games in this series and is basically due to wake up. The Thunder desperately need to be able to run their offense through him some with Westbrook out.

The Rockets will continue to go small in this series and don’t be surprised if they pull out the win tonight. This doesn’t feel like a team that should be swept, even by the Thunder.

The game will tip tonight at 8:30 p.m. CST.

Apr 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley (12) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

An Oklahoma City Thunder ball boy tweeted a death threat at Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley and now the police are investigating the matter.

Oklahoma City police captain Dexter Nelson tells The Associated Press that their department is working with the Houston police and the NBA to investigate the threats.

The Thunder says in a statement that they “do not condone his comments. He works game nights on a voluntary basis and the matter will be handled internally.”

Game 3 was Saturday night in Houston. Security was increased for the game, but it was done because of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Via ESPN

The ball boy tweeted that he “is coming to kill” Beverley after news broke that Russell Westbrook would be having knee surgery after his collision with Beverley in Game 2. He later deleted the tweet.

The ball boy later tweeted an apology to Beverley and then claimed that his Twitter account had been hacked and that he was not the one who tweeted.

Like I wrote yesterday, I in no way believe that this 17-year old kid planned to actually kill Beverley. This was just one of very many nasty tweets that Beverley received. People don’t think before tweeting and definitely don’t think their tweets will be taken seriously.

But at the same time stuff like this needs to be taken seriously. The reason is that this kid works for the Thunder and would have access to being on the court for another Thunder home game. It is unfortunate that it has come to this but there is really no other option than for the police to investigate this thoroughly.

Hopefully, this is the last we here about this.

Apr 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots during the fourth quarter as Houston Rockets power forward Terrence Jones (6) defends during game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant put the Oklahoma City Thunder on his back last night leading the Thunder to a 104-101 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Durant had 41 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in 47 minutes of action in what was the first game in franchise history without Russell Westbrook.

It was clear that the team and Durant had one thing on their minds coming into the game and that was to win it for Westbrook.

Durant basically played point guard for much of the game. Twice, he went coast-to-coast bringing the ball up the floor and finishing with dunks over Houston big men. KD provided the finishing touches in the win too when he sunk a three-pointer with 41 seconds left after watching the ball bounce around the rim three times.

The three was meant to go in and the Thunder were meant to win this game. They willed their way to victory without their vocal leader. Durant stepped up.

Where does Durant’s performance rank among the all-time great playoff performances?

There have only been 10 times when a player had at least 41 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a game since the 1985-86 season. LeBron James did it once, Charles Barkley twice and Shaq three times.

There was more riding on Durant’s game last night than any of the other’s except for LeBron. This was a statement by Durant that this Thunder team is not rolling over and dying.

It brought with it shades of Magic Johnson in his rookie season when he led the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title. After a devastating injury to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1980 NBA Finals, Magic stood up in front of his teammates and proclaimed, “Have no fear, Magic is here.” Magic then went on to have 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in Game 6 as the Lakers beat the 76ers for the championship.

Durant and the Thunder are only in the first round but it was a similar moment for OKC. Everyone was ready to completely write them off after hearing news that Westbrook was done for the playoffs. Durant reminded everyone that he’s still healthy.

Last night was definitely the greatest playoff game in Durant’s career and he’s had some good ones. If the Thunder can make a run to the Western Conference Finals without Westbrook then everyone will remember last night’s game as one of the best ever.

For the Thunder, Durant will need to continue having these all-time great performances for them to keep winning in the playoffs. Until OKC learns how to get more production from Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin, they will rely on Durant to put up gaudy numbers like last night just to stay in games.

If there’s one thing we learned last night, it’s that Durant is up for the challenge. We’ll be in for a show the rest of these playoffs. The Kevin Durant Show.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) attempts a shot against Houston Rockets cetner Omer Asik (3) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The mood among Thunder fans is a somber one right now after hearing news that Russell Westbrook will be out for the remainder of the playoffs. I give you the Thunderous Intentions staff answering some burning questions regarding the injury and how it affects the Thunder.

1. What was your first thought when you heard Westbrook needed surgery?

Andrew Kennedy: Oh no. I can’t believe this. Didn’t even know it was possible. The Thunder’s title chances are suddenly out the window.

Eli Friedman: My knee jerk-reaction was rough. I was heartbroken, and was just ready to tear up. Thought of ,”boom. There goes all of those finals expectations,” and “No more playoffs run for the Thunder” came to mind. I was totally speechless, I lost for words.

Cyrus Geller: I was in shock, I really was. This is a huge blow to the Thunder and I really am scared at the thought of OKC playing without Russ. He is such a good player, and one of the most dependable guys in the league as well. It was a such shock to find out that he will be gone, because in his career he has never missed a game. The Thunder are really going to struggle without him.

2. How will the Thunder do the rest of the Houston series with Westbrook out?

AK: I think they will still win this series with relative ease. The 2-0 series lead helps a lot with this and I think the team will be really up for the next few games to win them without Russell. Houston’s just not good enough defensively to make it tough enough on the Thunder.

EF: For the Houston series, the Thunder should be just fine. Its not like Houston has any special PG, especially with Lin questionable for Game 3. Anyways, the Thunder still have #35.

CG: I think they will still finish them off in five games. Kevin Durant is just too talented to let the Rockets back into this series. The Thunder will also be playing with a lot of emotion because I believe that Russell is the heart and soul of this team, even more than KD. When a team loses their heart and soul, they will play very inspired basketball.

3. Assuming Westbrook is out for the playoffs, what are the Thunder’s chances at reaching the NBA Finals?

AK: I think there is still a chance but things will get much more difficult earlier than expected. I thought the Thunder were the clear-cut favorites in the West before the injury and now it feels like the Spurs are. Clippers/Grizzlies will be very tough but I think with KD still there is a chance to get past them and possible the Spurs as well.

EF: Slim. I wont say slim to none, because like I said: Oklahoma City still has #35, and a deep young, excited team. I will not be easy getting by San Antonio now though.

CG: I would give them around a 30% chance of actually making it to the finals. If they somehow get there then they will be swept by Miami. The only reason I give them 30% is because of how weak the rest of the west is. After the Rockets series they will probably face the Clippers and OKC has shown that they can beat the Clips pretty easily. Granted they had Westbrook during those games, but the Thunder do have other guys that can play and in my opinion beat the Clippers in seven games. However if they have to play the Spurs after that without Westbrook, then they will probably go down in five or six games to them. OKC is just not as talented without Westbrook, and that really brings them down a couple of levels in this league.

4. Should Westbrook come back if he’s not 100 percent?

AK: I think it would probably be too risky considering the way he plays. Also, it’s hard to imagine Westbrook being very effective if he can’t be the super athlete that makes him so great. His game revolves around his athleticism and without it, what’s the point?

EF: Oklahoma City is so young, and there future is so bright, so probably not. Let him rest up, heal, and then be ready to go for a finals run in the 2013-2014 season.

CG: No. Absolutely not. Westbrook has way too bright of a future to jeopardize it over this one playoffs. Westbrook and KD are only 24 years old. They will have plenty of more chances to get back to the finals. If Russ comes back too early and damages the knee further, he could be out for a lot longer period of time and maybe never come back the same player. I say wait until it is 100% then come back and make another run to the finals with Durant.

5. What kind of numbers will Kevin Durant put up with Westbrook out?

AK: I’m hoping for 35-plus per night and 25-30 shots. I think teams will really focus on doubling him though allowing Duran to flirt with triple-doubles every night. He will be playing huge minutes so expect bigger numbers while being less efficient.

EF: If you look at the situation in New York, its quite similar. Amare Stodimire, the Knicks second option at the time, goes down. And as well know, Carmelo just went on a tear. MVP contender, scoring title, and leading his team to the 2 seed. Hopefully Durant will realize what is at stake, and just puts matters into his own hands. I say Durant averaged 31 or so points a game for the rest of the playoffs.

CG: I think KD will put up 30+ a night. He is going to absorb most of Russell’s shots and because of his incredible ability to shoot, he is going to convert those shots into points. You combine that with the fact that he will be playing with a lot of emotion, I think ‘Angry KD’ is going to show up.

6. Do you see Kevin Martin, Reggie Jackson or Serge Ibaka taking their game to another level with Russ out?

AK: I think they will all step up and do a good job. I’m not sure how long it will last in the playoffs though. They may look great in the Houston series and then start to decline. Ibaka is the one I’m worried about since his production has always been tied so closely with Russ.

EF: I sure hope so. Scott Brooks is counting on it, and so are every Thunder fan. Kevin Martin in particular he has the ability to do so. A great opportunity for Ibaka, Martin, and Jackson to make a name for themselves, and I hope they seize the opportunity.

CG: Honestly I don’t see any of them playing that much greater than they already do. Ibaka has already improved so much over this past year that I doubt he can play much better in this years playoffs. Martin may put up some more numbers, but that doesn’t mean he will play at a higher level. I think he is just going to get more shots, and therefore he will get more points. As for Jackson, I know that the kid is very talented, and by playing starter type minutes he will definitely prove that he is a solid player, but I don’t think he is going to improve his game a lot in this short period of time.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) talks with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Well, this series took a turn for the worse.

We found out yesterday that Russell Westbrook would be having surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus from a collision with Patrick Beverley in Game 2. We find out today that Westbrook is out for the rest of the playoffs.

Now we get to see a Thunder team that we have literally never seen before: one without Russell Westbrook.

This changes so much in this series basically because we don’t really know what to expect from the Thunder.

Houston committed to small ball in Game 2 and it gave the Thunder some trouble and resulted in a much closer game. That’s surely going to be the strategy going forward for the Rockets while we’re not even sure what the Thunder will do to combat it.

Kevin Durant will be called upon to do it all from now on in the playoffs. This is something he has basically been preparing for with his LeBron James imitation this season. Expect KD to play 44 minutes per night and probably the entire second half of every game the rest of the playoffs.

Defenses should be more geared to Durant than ever before now which will mean Durant’s willingness to pass will be on full display. The Thunder can only hope that their shooters will be open and they will be ready to knock down shots.

Reggie Jackson will start at point guard in place of Westbrook. He should see a big increase in minutes along with Derek Fisher and Kevin Martin.

The Thunder desperately need Martin and Serge Ibaka to step up as scorers. Both haven’t exactly been consistent at that this year but have shown the potential to do so at times.

Tonight will be about winning it for Westbrook. The Thunder are worse off for the rest of the playoffs without him but tonight should be an emotional game for a Thunder team that will play their hearts out to win it for Russ.

You expect someone will have to be inserted into the rotation to replace Russ and that might be Ronnie Brewer, who should fit in well with this series as a defender against Houston’s small lineups.

We will see how Scott Brooks reacts. The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST and air nationally on ESPN.

Apr 4, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates a 3 point basket against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

It’s official now. Russell Westbrook has had surgery on his torn meniscus and the Oklahoma City Thunder announced that he will miss the remainder of the season and playoffs.

Not surprising the Thunder opted for the safe, long-term route. Have to think of Westbrook’s health and career first and foremost.

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) April 27, 2013

Thunder GM Sam Presti said that repairing the meniscus as opposed to removing it was the best possible scenario for Russell’s long-term health as a player and a person.

This was expected. The Thunder are playing it safe here and that’s exactly what they should do. While I guess there was a chance Westbrook could have tried to return in these playoffs, considering the way that he plays injuring his knee even worse seems like it could have been a real possibility.

The chances that the Thunder win the NBA title this season are just about completely gone now. There’s just no way to think they could get past the Miami Heat without Westbrook.

I do think that there is still a shot they could win the Western Conference, which would be a heck of an accomplishment. They will be underdogs from the second round on out.

The Thunder should be able to get past the Rockets with relative ease thanks to the 2-0 cushion they now have. But the Los Angeles Clippers or Memphis Grizzlies will be very tough to deal with in the second round.

Homecourt will help and the fact that the Thunder still have the second best player in the world in Kevin Durant. This Thunder team just isn’t well-practiced in playing without Westbrook.

I’m not sure what to expect tonight. Hopefully the guys rally for Russ and get the win. Game 3 will tip at 8:30 p.m. CST.

This is what happens on Twitter these days. It happens every day and it’s pretty nasty to look at. It’s even happened to Kevin Durant before.

We’re almost to the point where we are numb to what people tweet. I know I just expect the worst at this point.

One of the death threat tweets Beverley has received has come from an Oklahoma City Thunder ball boy. This was first discovered by ClutchFans.net, a Houston Rockets blog.

@patbev21 I’m coming to kill you. #spaz

— Mitchell Brown (@MitchellBrwn) April 27, 2013

Is this now where we need to take Twitter death threats seriously? What if this ball boy actually does plan to kill Beverley?

I’m here to say right now that I don’t think in any way that this Thunder ball boy is seriously considering this with this tweet. I fully believe that he just didn’t think before tweeting this or think that anyone would care enough to take this seriously. He’s just upset and doesn’t actually want to kill Beverley.

That’s what I think.

But should we play this on the safe side and not allow him to be present at any more games in this series?

That’s what a lot of the Rockets fans from this forum believe. It’s hard to argue with them.

What do you think?

Update: Ball boy claiming someone hacked his account so I guess he’s kind of apologizing for the tweet.

@patbev21 yesterday someone tweeted on my account making a death threat towards you and it wasn’tme. I apologize.

— Mitchell Brown (@MitchellBrwn) April 27, 2013

April 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The City Thunder defeated the Warriors 116-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time to see for the first time in franchise history what the Oklahoma City Thunder will look like without Russell Westbrook. The timing couldn’t be any worse.

The Thunder are up 2-0 in their series with the Houston Rockets but only barely beat them in Game 2. One of the biggest reasons, to no surprise, that the Thunder are such a tough matchup for the Rockets was Westbrook.

We will have answers to a lot of questions tonight when the Thunder play without Westbrook. What will Kevin Durant look like without him? Will Serge Ibaka still be able to be effective without him? Are Kevin Martin and Reggie Jackson ready to step up?

Now, it’s really impossible to know exactly what the Thunder will look like without Russ. You can look at the numbers of how they produced with him off the floor this season but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Kevin Durant

The most interesting thing is how Durant will be now. All of the defensive attention will be geared toward him more than ever. He will be constantly doubled in the post and in the pick-and-roll and coming off screens. He’s become a willing passer this season as he’s tried to imitate LeBron and now he will have the most opportunities to be a playmaker.

The key for KD will be keeping the turnovers down. Losing Westbrook is horrible but if the Thunder can somehow flip this into becoming a team that now turns the ball over much less, that will limit the loss.

Reggie Jackson and Derek Fisher

We will have players tweaking their roles and playing more minutes now. Jackson will start in his place and see a big increase in his minutes. He’s in just his second season this year and has really come on strong but increasing his minutes is something he may not totally be ready for. The good news is in this series vs. Houston, Jackson has a big athletic advantage against Houston’s point guards so the pressure won’t be on him too much yet.

Derek Fisher will be getting more minutes now too. Finally, that doesn’t feel like such a bad thing and his signing looks like a good one now. The reality is that the Thunder will need him now without Westbrook. He is a solid backup to Jackson who at times may be the better option, depending on how Jackson handles all of this.

Kevin Martin

Martin will definitely be playing more now. At times, Martin was not on the floor this season closing out games but he will be needed more than ever now without Westbrook. Martin really needs to become the second scorer on this team. He can kind of create his own shot now and then and the Thunder will need him to try.

Expect to see more isolation plays from Martin now. He’s actually pretty decent on isolation plays scoring 0.93 points per possession. He will need to be more aggressive than he’s ever been with the Thunder going forward.

Serge Ibaka

Ibaka’s production has always been tied to Westbrook as much as any player in the league. When Westbrook was making good decisions and passes in the pick-and-roll, it was Ibaka who benefited the most. It will be interesting to see if Ibaka’s looks in the pick-and-pop now go down or if they stay the same. There’s a chance for either.

Ibaka should get more opportunities posting up. It won’t be a lot more but if he gets going at any point in the game, the Thunder will look to go back to him more than they ever have in the past. Ibaka has gotten much better in the post this season but is still very far away from being a consistent option down there.

The prediction

I think we see a team trying to run the same stuff even though they’re now without Russ. KD will be handling the ball a lot more now, and he was already handling it quite a bit. Jackson will try and push in transition similar to how Westbrook did.

Westbrook wasn’t always the most efficient player in the world as we all know. So replacing his production is possible in a sense. Though, it’s hard to know if the Thunder are up to it. Not to mention, the Thunder were of course always at their best and looking like a title threat when Westbrook was efficient. The hope is that he would be that in the playoffs.

I think Durant will have moments where he goes to another level. He will take over some games but at the end of the day, Durant is better when he has Westbrook on the floor with him to take the attention away from him. At first, Durant will probably turn the ball over a lot but I think he figures out playing without Russ quickly.

Ibaka is the one I’m really worried about. Maybe not in the Houston series but in the second round, teams are easily going to be able to take him away. Russ created so much havoc for any defense that it was easy for Ibaka to get looks. Teams will focus on him more and his game is not good enough to score a lot by himself.

The Thunder should still be able to get past Houston with relative ease. It might take six games now instead of four or five but don’t worry, OKC will be advancing to Round 2.

The Clippers may very well and with good reason be considered the favorites in the second round now. Maybe even the Grizzlies would be. The series becomes so much tougher for OKC now without Russ. The good news is that Russ always really struggled against those teams and the Thunder still managed to beat them. So in the next round, the Thunder will basically only have to replace a struggling Russ and they should be able to still win the series. I doubt that series doesn’t go six or seven though.

Now is not the time to look past the second round. You can’t do that with the Thunder now without Russ.

Hopefully for the Thunder, Westbrook is somehow able to come back by the conference finals. It is possible but we don’t know enough yet to say.

Tonight, we get the first glimpse of OKC without him. It will be weird.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) is helped from the floor by Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action against the Houston Rockets in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

If Russell Westbrook was mad at Patrick Beverley immediately following the injury on the court, that’s nothing compared to how he feels about him now.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Westbrook is “irate” at Beverley, who ran into him causing this injury in Game 2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first round series vs. the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Yahoo! Sports is also reporting that the injury – a tear to his lateral meniscus – is “minimal.” Westbrook could potentially return within weeks instead of months from this.

The first thought when you hear Westbrook is injured and that he needs surgery is that he would be done for the playoffs. This isn’t that type of serious injury. If anyone can return quickly from an injury, you’d think it would be Westbrook who hasn’t missed a game in his high school, college or NBA career.

At best, it does seem like Westbrook will miss the first and second round. Maybe he could return very late in a second round series vs. the Los Angeles Clippers or Memphis Grizzlies but that feels unlikely.

We don’t really know yet though.

Metta World Peace suffered a similar injury earlier this season and amazingly returned in just 13 days. Blake Griffin suffered a similar injury in his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma and returned in only six days.

Again, Westbrook seems like the type to do the abnormal and come back as quick as possible.

We know Westbrook’s competitveness will make him try and come back as soon as possible.

Yahoo! Sports also reported that the Thunder do not want to rush Russ back in a way that would risk his future. Considering the way Westbrook plays, unless he is 100 percent it seems like that risk will definitely be there is he tries to return in the playoffs.

It’s going to be weird watching the Thunder without Russ the next few games. Kevin Durant hasn’t played in a Thunder game without him since his rookie season.

OKC should be able to still get past the Rockets but this series just got a lot more interesting. A second round matchup vs. the Clippers or Grizzlies is an entirely different story though.

The impossible has happened. Russell Westbrook is injured.

Westbrook injured his knee in the video above in Game 2 and will now undergo surgery on his knee and may miss the rest of the playoffs.

Most players need 6-8 weeks to return from a meniscus tear. Metta World Peace returned after just 13 days earlier this season which was a unique case. If anyone, you’d think Westbrook could return as fast as anyone.

Blake Griffin also returned very quickly from a minor meniscus tear during his freshman year at Oklahoma. He returned after just six days.

We need more information about Russ’ injury before we can really say how long he’ll be out.

As you can see in the video, this play did not need to happen. The Thunder were about to call a timeout before Patrick Beverley went for a steal that never gets made and made contact with Westbrook’s knee.

Westbrook was very angry after the play and at Beverley.

It wasn’t a dirty play by Beverley but was pretty lame of him in retrospect. You never want to see something so meaningless result in a player possibly being lost for the season.

Westbrook is officially being called “out indefinitely.” Maybe he will miss the rest of the playoffs. There’s no doubt he will make a speedy recovery.

I really don’t even think I’d want Russ hurrying back unless he is 100 percent. Just hard to imagine him being as effective playing hurt. Wouldn’t want to risk injurying himself more either.

Westbrook hadn’t missed a game in his high school, college or pro career up until now. There was never any worry that he would ever get hurt in any kind of way.

Kevin Durant gets to be pretty much a one-man show now. It might actually be kind of cool to watch and I think that this Thunder team still has a good shot to make it to the conference finals.

Reggie Jackson will start in place of Westbrook and hopefully will continue to improve upon what has been a great season for him. It’s time for him to grow up real quick now.

The Derek Fisher signing seems decent now. Who would have thought?

Kevin Martin should start getting to handle the ball a lot more now. The same for Serge Ibaka.

The Thunder still have a lot of talent but it’s just hard to imagine them without Russ.

This is a sad day for the Thunder.

Apr 24, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) talks with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped Game 2 with a 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets Wednesday night.

Kevin Durant came through with two huge assists in the final minutes to help the Thunder clinch the win.

But it was Houston’s change to their starting lineup that made this game so much closer than Game 1. Head coach Kevin McHale elected to start Patrick Beverley and go small with Jeremy Lin, James, Harden, Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik.

The small lineup was an equalizer for the Rockets as the Thunder tried to match up with them.

The Thunder have a much harder time beating teams when both have a small lineup on the floor. There are just so many more holes in the Thunder defense when they are small and when their opponent spaces the floor properly, they can score a bunch on OKC (the 4th most efficient defense in the regular season).

We saw that last night as Harden finished with 36 points and seemed to have a lot more space to operate in than in Game 1. Beverley was also very effective scoring 16.

The Rockets were able to get 18 offensive rebounds as well which was due mostly to the fact that the Thunder weren’t as sound defensively.

This has been a theme all season for the Thunder. They struggle against teams that can go small.

People think the Thunder are fine at going small because Durant is so effective as a stretch four but their defense becomes so much worse.

The reason OKC is still able to beat Houston is because the Rockets simply don’t have the defensive chops to stop the Thunder. The Thunder are hardly turning the ball over vs. Houston and are getting plenty of good shots throughout the series.

This issue vs. small lineups is not an issue in this series but will be going forward in these playoffs for OKC.

We saw what the Miami Heat did to them in the NBA Finals a year ago. If the Thunder see the Clippers and Spurs in the next two rounds, two teams that go small quite a bit, OKC will be in a lot of trouble.

Right now, it almost feels like the Thunder would be better off sticking to their bigger lineups. At least they should be able to have an advantage on the offensive glass, something that the Thunder haven’t been great at taking advantage of this season.

If you’re closing out games with Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison as the two bigs then you will be fine having one of them stick a spot-up shooter in the corner. Closing out games with Kendrick Perkins over Collison won’t be as effective but still might be better defensively than the small lineups the Thunder have been using.

In the past, Scott Brooks seemed pretty committed to the traditional lineups to close out games. This year though Brooks has gone small more often than not and nearly always when facing another small lineup.

This will at best make the games very close for the Thunder. Durant and Russell Westbrook are good enough to close out any close game but it’s no guarantee this way, especially when the Clippers will have Chris Paul and the Spurs Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

This is the biggest worry right now for a Thunder team that really has been great this year. It’s nitpicking but pay attention to when the Thunder go small and how their defense really suffers. It’s worrisome.

Apr 21, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets forward Greg Smith (4) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

After two days off, the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to host the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their first round series.

The Thunder completely dominated the Rockets in Game 1 winning 120-91. The Thunder shot 53 percent from the field in the game and seemingly got whatever they wanted on offense.

James Harden was held to 20 points on 6-of-19 shooting. He was the only Houston starter in double-figures.

Kevin Durant finished with an easy 24 points while Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. KD and Russ both went 7-for-15 from the field.

Westbrook was huge simply putting a ton of pressure on the Houston defense. Any chance he got, Westbrook would drive right at Jeremy Lin and make a play. The Rockets defense simply could not handle him.

Lin really struggled for Houston shooting just 1-for-7 from the field and scoring only four points. Lin turned the ball over a few times early in the game as he just didn’t seem ready for the speed of the playoffs.

Serge Ibaka really came up big for the Thunder aggressively looking for his shot from the start. He went on to score 17 points along with seven rebounds and three blocks.

It will be interesting to see if Houston tries to take away Ibaka going forward in this series. If they do, it will only open up more driving lanes for Westbrook.

We saw in Game 1 just how bad of a matchup this is for the Rockets. The Thunder can play at any pace Houston desires and do so better.

The Rockets will need to commit more to small lineups and hope to shoot lights out from three to stick with the Thunder the rest of the series.

Tonight’s game will tip at 6 p.m. CST and air nationally on TNT.

Apr 21, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin (7) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunderous Intentions staff got together to answer some questions we had after Game 1 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets series.

1. Were you surprised by how much the Thunder dominated the Rockets?

Andrew Kennedy: Not at all. The Thunder are just such a bad matchup for the Rockets and it showed in Game 1. you knew OKC would come out strong to start the playoffs. When the Thunder play focused like they did, they should have no trouble dominating Houston.

Trenise Ferreira: Yes and no. Yes, because this is the Playoffs, and you expect teams to be really competitive at this point in the season. However, it wasn’t all that surprising, as the Thunder ave averaged over 120 points against Houston all season. The Rockets couldn’t find a way to contain all of OKC’s threats during the regular season, and Sunday night’s playoff game proved to be no different.

Eli Friedman: I wasn’t so surprised, as I was more on the “oh i knew this was gonna happen” kind of reaction. The Thunder are just quite simply the better team. More athletic, more experienced, more talented, and just an all around better team. There was no moment in last night’s game where the Rockets actually threatened the Thunder, and when they seemed too when it was 40-40, the Thunder just turned the switch and dominated.

Cyrus Geller: I was actually a little surprised at how badly the Rockets lost. Obviously the Thunder are much more talented than Houston, but I was a little concerned with the Rockets ability to shoot from the outside. If they get hot, they can challenge any team in the league. However, the Thunder showed that they have the defensive capability of shutting down the three point line and once you close that up against the Rockets, they will really struggle.

2. What was the best thing you took away about the Thunder from Game 1?

AK: Serge Ibaka’s big game. Ibaka needs to be the third scorer for the Thunder in the playoffs and Game 1 was a step in that direction. Russell Westbrook did a nice job incorporating Ibaka and finding him in the offense.

TF: The Thunder look like a team that is ready and capable to compete with anybody. If they continue to come out the gates fiery like they did against Houston, the teams in the West will be hard-pressed to slow them down. One thing that really stood out to me was how well this team shoots when it can establish a rhythm; they are nearly impossible to stop.

EF: The play of Serge Ibaka. I always talk about how vital and important this guy is to the Thunder playoff run. Some question Oklahoma City’s lack of an inside scoring presence, but if Ibaka can be the player he was last night, the Thunder are almost unstoppable. Now, you add a fourth 15 a night kind of guy to go along with Martin, Durant and Westbrook. The Rockets play a decently small line-up, but Ibaka just dominated last night.

CG: The major thing I took away from this win was the Thunder’s defense. The Rockets were the best scoring team in the league coming into the playoffs, and the Thunder totally shut them down. If OKC can do this consistently throughout the playoffs, they may have a shot at the NBA title.

3. How many games will the Rockets win in this series and what will it take for them to win any?

AK: I think they win one but no more than that. I still think the only way they win a game is if James Harden goes off in one. I wouldn’t be surprised if that doesn’t ever happen either and the Thunder sweep them.

TF: If the Rockets play mail in Game 2 like they did Game 1, they will be lucky to win any games! I want to believe they have more fight than this, and all it takes is a win for Houston on their home turf for this series to stabilize. For them to get a footing, they have to find a way to impede Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s ability to score at will; they dominated in the paint on Sunday and really gave the Rockets headaches. When this series comes to a close, I anticipate the Rockets will win…2 games.

EF: Maybe 1. And if Houston wins a game, they would have to shot there way into a win. Last night, Houston jacked up 36 threes and only made eight of them, while the Thunder shot 24 and made 10. So, it the Rockets would find a way to snatch a game, the Thunder would have to play absolutely atrocious and Houston would have to be on absolute fire from downtown.

CG: I will give the Rockets one game just because of James Harden. Harden is a top ten player in the league in my opinion, and he is capable of going off for 40 any night. I think Harden will do this in either games 3 or 4 in Houston, and he will at least save the Rockets from the embarrassment of a sweep.

4. Are the Thunder the favorite to win the West right now?

AK: I think they should be considered this. There are definitely some teams out there that could give the Thunder trouble in a series. OKC still seems to be the team with the best chance to make it back to the NBA Finals.

TF: If the Thunder aren’t the favorite in the West, they should be. As fundamentally sound as The Spurs are, I don’t see them going toe-to-toe with Oklahoma City through seven games. The Clippers could prove to be formidable, but I anticipate that the Thunder will storm their way through the West, onto the Promised Land.

EF: Right now, I would say so. Judging just from Game one’s from around the West, I would say so. Denver had to win on a buzzer beater, the Clippers haven’t beaten the Thunder all year, and the Spurs can’t handle Oklahoma City’s uptempo game in a seven game series. Oklahoma City took the regular season crown and it looks as if they are the favorite to be once again the Western Conference Champions.

CG: Right now I think they are, but I also thought that they were the favorites before the playoffs even began. The west is very weak this year and because of this, the Thunder have to be the favorites, just by default. They are just too talented for any other team out there, and barring any significant injuries, I think that they are going to steamroll their way to the finals.