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.

Apr 17, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwauee Bucks guard Monta Ellis (11) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb (11) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

When looking back and evaluating the James Harden trade, one of the disappointing things is that we haven’t seen yet what Jeremy Lamb can do on the NBA court.

Lamb killed it in the D-League this season but got very few opportunities with the Thunder.

One of the reasons the Harden trade made at least a little bit of sense at the time was that Lamb, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, looked like he could possibly emerge into a star one day.

Obviously, it’s early but it’s still worrisome that Lamb didn’t get a chance at all in his rookie season.

There has been some talk that Lamb wasn’t able to give the same intensity during practices that has become commonplace with the Thunder organization. We also know that Scott Brooks will not play you if you are unproven on the defensive end and not totally committed to contribute on that end of the floor.

Will the Thunder think about trading Lamb on the day of the NBA Draft before even giving him a shot in the NBA?

We have to think this is a possibility. The Thunder will have the 12th overall pick in the upcoming draft. I’ve been saying all along that if they see someone they like in the draft, they have the tools to move up and go after him. One of the tools is Lamb and the idea of trading him.

A player like Victor Oladipo is an intriguing one. He looks like a player who can come in and play right away. We know he is an elite athlete that should be able to become a very solid defender quickly in the NBA, meaning he could see more early playing time than most of the recent Thunder rookies.

Right now, there are some mocks out there that have Oladipo going around pick number five which would be tough for the Thunder to move up that high. But if Oladipo is still around a few picks later, don’t be surprised if the Thunder think about moving up to get him.

We saw how much Reggie Jackson improved from his rookie season and how he broke out in the playoffs this year. Should we expect Lamb to make the same jump?

Lamb isn’t Jackson and it’s still pretty unknown if he has shown the same signs Jackson did this season with the Thunder.

If he hasn’t, then don’t be surprised if the Thunder decide to cut ties with Lamb on the day of the draft.

We should start to hear a little bit more about who the Thunder are interested in drafting in the coming weeks. That will tell us a lot more about the potential trading of Lamb.

April 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with point guard Russell Westbrook (0) after the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The City Thunder defeated the Warriors 116-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA announced the members of the All-NBA Teams today.

Kevin Durant was named to the All-NBA First Team and Russell Westbrook was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

Joining Durant on the First Team is LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul.

Joining Westbrook on the Second Team is Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol and Tony Parker.

James Harden made the Third Team along with David Lee, Paul George, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade.

Durant making the First Team was of course expected. Westbrook getting the nod on the Second Team is pretty impressive. I thought maybe Harden would have made it ahead of him.

Stephen Curry looks like a pretty big snub right now. I thought he would have made it over Wade. You could also make the case for Zach Randolph making the team ahead of a few players.

First Team
G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers, 537 points
G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, 521 points
F – LeBron James, Miami Heat, 595 points
F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, 555 points
C – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, 392 points

Second Team
G – Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, 273 points
G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, 306 points
F – Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, 397 points
F – Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers, 132 points
C – Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, 295 points

Third Team
G – James Harden, Houston Rockets, 253 points
G – Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, 145 points
F – Paul George, Indiana Pacers, 73 points
F – David Lee, Golden State Warriors, 79 points
C – Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers, 203 points

Other players receiving votes, with point totals: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, 132 (7 First Team votes); Stephen Curry, Golden State, 72; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 62; Chris Bosh, Miami, 59 (4); Joakim Noah, Chicago, 56 (3); Zach Randolph, Memphis, 45; Al Horford, Atlanta, 31 (2); Paul Pierce, Boston, 24; Al Jefferson, Utah, 20 (1); Tyson Chandler, New York, 19 (1); Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 9; Luol Deng, Chicago, 8; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 8; Ty Lawson, Denver, 8; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 7; Deron Williams, Brooklyn, 6; Pau Gasol, LA Lakers, 4; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 4; Omer Asik, Houston, 3; Kenneth Faried, Denver, 3; Raymond Felton, New York, 3; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 3; Carlos Boozer, Chicago, 2; Mike Conley, Memphis, 2; David West, Indiana, 2; Rudy Gay, Toronto, 1; J.J. Hickson, Portland, 1; Andre Iguodala, Denver, 1; Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas, 1; Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota, 1; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 1; Nikola Vucevic, Orlando, 1.

May 15, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Miami Heat won 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The last awards to be given out this season will be the All-NBA teams. There’s really no better way to look back on a season and remember who impacted it the most than by looking at the All-NBA teams.

Here are my picks below for the three All-NBA teams:

First Team
G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
F – LeBron James, Miami Heat
F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
C – Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

Second Team
G – Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
G – James Harden, Houston Rockets
F – Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
F – Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies
C – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Third Team
G – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
F – David Lee, Golden State Warriors
F – Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
C – Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

The first team was pretty easy to determine. You could have made a case for Parker or Harden making it over Kobe but I think Kobe deserves and will get the nod.

The forward position got tricky for me with the second and third teams. I decided that Duncan was a center and coming up with the second forward after Carmelo was a tough one. I went with Randolph but I don’t feel great about it. I could easily see Lee or Griffin making it at that spot.

Forwards like Paul George, Josh Smith and Chris Bosh got snubbed by me and again you could easily make a case for either of them to make it as well.

Curry is close to making the second team over Harden. I think the top six guards are pretty clear though with the exception of Dwyane Wade, who was probably my biggest snub.

What do you think about these picks? Who do you have making the teams?

Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) puts up a shot against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the NIT Tournament Semi-Final at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

In case you missed last night’s draft lottery, the Raptors failed to gain a top three pick, meaning the Thunder gained the rights to the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

In so, it’s time to make some phone calls, do some scouting, and watch film of possible draft picks for Sam Presti.

In terms of who the Thunder are looking for, it’s pretty evident what the Thunder are missing. An inside scoring presence. Yes, Serge Ibaka continues to improve. Yes, Kendrick Perkins does a great job defending the post and being a leader.  No, the Thunder do not get enough production in the paint.

So, who will do that job for the Thunder? Let’s take a look at possible candidates for who Sam Presti will call on June 27^th to become the newest member to play for the blue and orange.

1. Gorgui Dieng, Louisville

Dieng is 23-years-old who had a few years of experience, and was a big part of the championship run for Louisville. Despite him only averaging 9.8 points a game, he grabbed 9.4 rebounds a game. Ibaka and Perkins had trouble finishing all year, and Dieng shot about 72% at the rim this season according to hoop-math.com, which is huge for the Thunder. If Dieng is the guy where Durant or Westbrook can get in the lane and drop it off to him, I’ll be happy to see the Louisville big man in a Thunder uniform.

2. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga

Olynyk is a solid seven footer with a versatile game. Many scouts say he has the ball handling ability of a SF, and can shoot the ball very well. He averaged 18 points a game this year, to go along with shooting 63.1% from the field.

3. Alex Len, Maryland 

Len is also seven foot and weighs 225 pounds. Len had surgery to stabilize stress fracture in his ankle, and many question his ability to stay healthy. Len only averaged 11 points a game, but can really play around the rim.

4. Rudy Gobert, France

Don’t be surprised to see his named get called with the 12^th pick. At the combine, he reached a 7’8.5” wingspan and a 9’7” standing reach, which is incredible. There are question marks with him being 231 pounds. According to Draft Express, “He shot almost 80% from the field in Pro A, while showing impressive potential as a rebounder and shot blocker. The progress he’s made since last season is extremely promising, and he’s maturing at a terrific rate.” To me, this seems like a high risk, high reward type of situation.

5. Guards like Dennis Schroeder (Germany), CJ McCollum (Lehigh), and Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse)

In 2011, the same scenario happened. We all thought Sam Presti would get a big man to complement Ibaka and Perkins, and Presti decided to go with Reggie Jackson (great idea). You never know what Presti has up his sleeve. The more reasonable pick if the Thunder were to get a guard, would be CJ McCollum. He went down with a season-ending injury early this year, but says he’s 100% healthy. McCollum averaged 23 points a game last year, and even though he played at Lehigh, he put up 26 points in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament against Kansas.

www.court-side.com

The Oklahoma City Thunder came away with the 12th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft from the lottery last night.

It hasn’t taken long for the millions of mock drafts to come out now with the draft order set.

The Thunder are a team that may look to be on the move according to some experts.

There is increasing chatter among NBA executives that the Thunder — who have two first-round picks and young talent in Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones — will look to make a major move on draft night. If they keep this pick, Saric, a smooth, mobile big man one executive describes as “the best passing big man in the draft,” is a nice find. Saric isn’t the bruising post-up scorer Oklahoma City craves, but he is exactly the kind of high-potential talent GM Sam Presti loves to develop.

Via Chris Mannix/SI.com

It’s no surprise that the Thunder will be looking to do more than just draft a player with this pick. I’ve been saying for awhile now that soon we will hear that the Thunder really like certain players. They’ll have the ability to go after them on draft day and move up a few picks if necessary.

This is the first I’ve heard of the Thunder potentially being interested in Saric, a 19-year old 6-foot-10 small forward from Croatia. But it’s not surprising.

The Thunder are in position right now to get better over a long period of time. They won’t necessarily be looking for a player in the lottery who can immediately come in and help the team.

Saric seems like the type that would be a project. He may not even come over to the NBA right away and if he does for the Thunder, that will likely mean a lot of Tulsa 66ers time for him.

Saric has been described as the European Magic Johnson. If this is true, then I hope the Thunder pick him but it’s hard to believe any comparison with Magic can be true.

Draft night will be an exciting time for the Thunder. With so many options, there’s a lot the Thunder could choose to do.

Mar 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ben McLemore (23) shoots a jumpshot in the first half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second round of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will keep the Toronto Raptors’ draft pick as they end up with the 12th overall selection in the upcoming draft.

The Raptors would have kept the pick had the lottery slotted them in the top three, but there was only about a one percent chance of the happening.

This was pretty much expected for the Thunder. The Thunder will have a lot of options come draft day.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery and will be selecting first overall. The Cavs had a 15.6 percent chance to win the lottery.

The Orlando Magic, who had the best chance to win the lottery at 25 percent, will be selecting second overall.

The Washington Wizards, who had just the eighth best chance of picking first overall, snuck into the top three and will get the third overall pick.

Here is the official NBA Draft Lottery results:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Washington Wizards
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Phoenix Suns
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Portland Trail Blazers
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Utah Jazz

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) checks the replay screen during game five against the Memphis Grizzlies in 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

One of the first things I thought of when watching the tornados destroy so much of Oklahoma City yesterday was the Thunder players and how you just knew they would come out and help with the relief effort for the victims.

@kdtrey5 steps forward and gives $1mil matching gift to the ARC for disaster relief, text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation.

— Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 21, 2013

It didn’t take long for Durant to start it off with this $1 million donation to the Red Cross.

This won’t be the last we hear of Thunder players helping out with this cause and of NBA players and people around the sports world in general.

It is one of the things that makes this team so great though. They really do feel like a big part of the community and represent Oklahoma.

Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days..Everybody stay safe!

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 20, 2013

This pretty much sums up Durant perfectly from Daily Thunder’s Royce Young:

Here’s the thing that says it all with KD’s $1 million donation: It’s the least surprising thing ever.

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 21, 2013

If anyone would like to donate to the relief effort, text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation.

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Nerlens Noel is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight at 7 p.m. EST and the Oklahoma City Thunder are actually in the lottery.

As part of the James Harden trade, the Thunder also received the first round pick of the Toronto Raptors.

The pick is top-three protected meaning that if the lottery results in the pick being in the top three, it goes to the Raptors and the Thunder won’t see it until next year.

Here are the official odds for getting each pick:

#1 – 0.7 percent chance
#2 – 0.8 percent chance
#3 – 1.0 percent chance
#4-11 – 0.0 percent chance
#12 – 93.5 percent chance
#13 – 3.9 percent chance
#14 – 0.0 percent chance

As you can see, more than likely the Thunder will end up with the 12th pick in the draft. Do the Thunder want this pick or are they hoping that the Raptors miraculously get a top-three pick so they can again get their first round selection next year?

This draft has gained a reputation as being particularly weak. Usually what that means more than anything is that there aren’t a lot of obvious future stars who are going to be taken early on. We’ve learned in recent history that can be misleading. The 2011 draft that produced Kyrie Irving as the top pick was also supposed to be very weak and turned out to not be.

The Thunder ending up with the 12th pick doesn’t mean they’re going to necessarily keep that pick either. The Thunder will also have their own first round pick (29th) and the Charlotte Bobcats’ second round pick (32nd) to work with. This will give the Thunder flexibility to move up or down a few slots if they see a reason to.

We haven’t heard much about who the Thunder might be interested in taking yet. There’s a lot of talk that they might be going for a big man who would eventually replace Kendrick Perkins as the starting center. But if an athletic wing like Victor Oladipo is on the board, they could go in that direction as well.

It will be very interesting what the Thunder decide to do on draft day. Trying to piece together what direction they might be going in will start tonight with the lottery.

April 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates after dunking against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the Thunder’s second round exit in this years playoffs, I really believe that OKC can win the NBA title next year. There was not much holding OKC back heading into this past year, but Russell Westbrook’s injury during the Rockets series prevented them from having the chance of winning the championship. However I think that this will be the reason why I think the Thunder can bec0ome the champions next season.

First, assuming Westbrook comes back healthy there is nobody in the western conference that will be able to challenge OKC next year. They still have that core of Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka and because of Russ’s injury in the playoffs we have seen guys like Reggie Jackson and even De’Andre Liggins progress as players. I think that these guys will make very good contributions to the Thunder next year and make an already great team even better. Even though it seems impossible, KD and Westbrook both improved greatly last year. KD became a much better facilitator and all around player, and Russell learned to play much more under control. These two factors alone helped the Thunder become a much better team and I think that this will continue next year. The main contenders for next season will still probably be the same teams as this past year. Teams like the Spurs, Clippers, Nuggets, and Grizzlies. None of these teams have the firepower to keep up with a healthy OKC team, and that is why I think that the Thunder will win the western conference next year.

Now the real issue is the Miami Heat. The Thunder just haven’t been able to get past them, whether it is the regular season or the NBA finals. I think that the Thunder have the talent to beat them in a seven game series, but there is some mental road block that they have yet to hurdle. However, I think that they may now have the perfect thing to be able to overcome the Heat. I believe that Kevin Durant will now begin to receive a lot more criticism in this upcoming year. We can call it a less extreme “LeBron treatment”. When LeBron couldn’t carry a team to a championship in his early years with the Cavs or even in his first year with the Heat, he got a lot of criticism heaped onto him. I think that KD is going to begin to feel this next year because of his failure in the playoffs this past year. Now, I don’t think that he will deserve any of this because he did just about all he could in the Thunder’s playoff run without Russell Westbrook, but that is just how America operates. Everybody always jumps at the opportunity to criticize a player as good as Durant or LeBron. The reason that I think this will help the Thunder in beating the Heat, is because I don’t think that all of the talk and criticism of KD is going to resonate very well with him. I really think that KD will bring a 2011 LeBron mentality to the table for the Thunder. In that year LeBron had the mindset of “championship or championship” he was not going to let anybody take that from him and he got rewarded. The Thunder have all of the players needed to beat the Heat, but they just have to get over that mental hurdle of “we can’t beat the Heat”. If that 2011 LeBron mindset shows up in KD for next year, I think that the Thunder will be able to get over that hurdle and overtake the Heat for the NBA championship.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (15) in game four of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis defeated Oklahoma 103-97 in overtime and lead the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

There are always positives to take out of a bad and negative situation. Oklahoma City beginning their off season a tad bit early was heartbreaking, and hard to take in.

But when you sit down and just think about how the playoff run helped the Thunder long-term. One thing comes to mind: Reggie Jackson.

Sam Presti always talk about the words growth, development, process, maturity and youth. And that is what Jackson has done. He was drafted in 2011 with the 24^th pick out of Boston College, and many questioned: Why another PG? What is Sam Presti doing?

But, in the end, it all worked out. Maynor went down with the ACL injury, and Jackson had to step up. He didn’t. Jackson turned the ball over too much, played at a bad pace, and just didn’t fit in with Harden and the second unit. The Thunder brought in Derek Fisher before the playoffs, and he produced. Jackson played in the summer league in Orlando with Mark Bryant, and just looked like a whole new PG. He looks mature on the floor, and basically ran that summer league team, and what do you know, this year the Thunder dealt Maynor at the deadline to Portland, Westbrook went down in the opening round of the playoffs, and it was Jackson’s opportunity again.

This time, the kid just took the opportunity to heart and didn’t look back.

During the season, he only averaged 5.3 points a game, in about 14 minutes of time on the floor a game. When he was given the chance to play big time minutes with Westbrook out, Jackson exploded on the scene.  14 points a game to go along with a solid five rebounds and a good four assists in 33.5 minutes a game. But, the stat that really jumps out at me is that he shot 47.9 percent in 11 games.

Jackson did all he could. Jackson showed all the things Presti talks about with his amazing growth. I would even but him in the contention as one of the best back-up point guards in the NBA right now along side Norris Cole, Andre Miller and Eric Bledsoe.

And for what’s next? Jackson seems excited. Real excited.

“I’m ready to flash forward to camp right now,” he said.

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard James Harden (right) of the Houston Rockets and guard Russell Westbrook (left) of the Oklahoma City Thunder react after a three pointer in the fourth quarter of the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

This comparison and debate was brought up on Twitter the other day. It’s one that you think would be more common but I don’t remember giving it much thought.

Who is better? Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

Not very long ago there was an easy answer to this. Just about everyone would have given the nod to Westbrook.

Since Harden has gone to Houston and had a breakout season, the question is now much tougher to answer.

The first thing that needs to be decided in a debate like this is what makes a player better than another one. You’ve got overall impact, raw ability, potential, value to one’s team, etc. There are really so many factors that there’s no right answer especially when the player’s are this close.

Overall Impact

This is what I think is the most important factor in determining if a player is better than another. How much does a player affect a game and how much does he have his fingerprints on?

Westbrook was second in the league (and ahead of Kevin Durant) in terms of usage percentage for the second straight season. Only Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant used more possessions than Westbrook did the last two years. This is important because it represents the amount of a load that Westbrook carries with the Thunder and the argument that he does less because he plays with Durant is clearly not very relevant.

Harden was ninth in the league in usage percentage this season right behind John Wall and ahead of Brook Lopez for some perspective.

Harden has a reputation for being much more efficient than Westbrook and in many respects he definitely is. Harden boasts a 60.0 true shooting percentage this season while Westbrook was only at 53.2 percent. Harden took 16.1 shots per game and got to the line 9.6 times while Westbrook took 18.7 shots and got to the line just 7.0 times per game. Since Harden is a clearly superior outside shooter, he is much more efficient.

Harden did turn the ball over more frequently than Westbrook this season (14.9 percent of possessions compared to 13.2 for Westbrook). Westbrook averaged more rebounds per game and assists per game but large margins. Of course, the two play different positions. Harden can safely be considered a better passer for his position than Westbrook is but the same must be said for Westbrook being a far better rebounder, especially on the offensive side.

At the end of the day, Westbrook had a higher PER than Harden this season which may be surprising to some. Westbrook was at 23.9 while Harden 22.9. Considering that PER takes into account your production compared to the rest of the league at your position, this is even more impressive for Westbrook as the point guard position is far deeper than shooting guard is.

Defensively, Westbrook should be the clear-cut winner when compared to Harden. Westbrook has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the league but his lack of discipline and desire to play the passing lanes and take risks has kept him from this status. Not to be too harsh here, but Harden is a really weak defender. His disinterest level is much higher than Westbrook’s and while he was able to still average the same number of steals per game as Westbrook this season, his overall impact on that end of the floor isn’t as high. When focused, which is a pretty decent way to judge defense really, Westbrook definitely is a step above Harden.

Ability/Potential

We are getting away from determining who is the better player right now by delving into this but I still think it is at least somewhat relevant because potential can simply mean how high a player can perform in certain instance throughout the season.

I consider Westbrook to be the best athlete in the NBA because he is most consistently playing at an elite athletic level compared to anyone else. I think for the most part, people would say LeBron is the most athletic player league then Westbrook and then there’s a pretty big drop-off.

So Westbrook is definitely more athletic than Harden which immediately gives him a big advantage in the potential category since we’re talking about a game where athleticism can overpower almost anything.

But you can definitely make the case that there is a lot of room for improvement for both of them in their careers. Imagine if Westbrook became more efficient and a better point guard. Imagine if Harden became a 50-40-90 player and a lockdown defender. There’s a lot that could happen in the next few years.

In two years or maybe even sooner, we might be talking about the NBA and saying Westbrook is the best point guard, Harden is the best two-guard and Durant is the best small forward. Great trade by the way!

The situation they are in

What if you traded Westbrook for Harden right now? What changes?

Westbrook would still be an All-Star and probably would put up huge numbers in the Rockets’ system. With more spacing, he would shoot a higher position, get more assists and more rebounds with the higher pace.

We have a pretty good idea of what Harden would be in OKC. He’s pretty much a super Ginobili with some Paul Pierce thrown in. He will pick you apart in the pick-and-roll and the more spacing, the better. He will destroy you in transition. It’s safe to say though that Houston is a spot where Harden’s abilities are being maximized as opposed to OKC for Westbrook.

If you go through the list of NBA teams, there will be a handful that would prefer Westbrook and a handful that would prefer Harden. It’s a manner of taste and need and fit.

Trying to come up with an answer

Like I said before, I don’t think there is a right answer here necessarily. But I’d go with Westbrook and not just because I’m an OKC fan. Trust me, I was a much bigger Harden fan than Westbrook fan the past two years.

Westbrook simply has a bigger impact on the game. Look no further than the PER rating. Shouldn’t Harden have a better one than Westbrook? That’s how valuable Westbrook is and shows how much of the game he affects.

You will shake your head at things Westbrook does 100 times more per year than Harden. Harden is textbook in his approach to the game. Westbrook is a loose cannon.

This debate has only started though. As the year’s go on, it will probably become one of the most prevalent ones in the NBA. There will be times when you’d take Westbrook and times when you’d take Harden. But for now, give me Russ.

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 was hard to believe when Russell Westbrook was ruled out for the playoffs after injuring his knee in Game 2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets series.

Westbrook hadn’t missed a game in his entire NBA, college and high school career before then. The Thunder were simply not the same without him losing in five game to the Memphis Grizzlies in the next round and going 1-3 at home without him.

Thunder GM Sam Presti spoke to the media yesterday about a number of things. He also added this about Westbrook and his injury.

Presti said Russell Westbrook should have a full recovery and be the same player, in terms of health, he was prior to the injury.

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 18, 2013

This is pretty much expected. Westbrook tore his right meniscus, which is an injury that typically keeps an NBA player sidelined for 6-8 weeks. This isn’t even close to tearing an ACL like Derrick Rose did.

Westbrook will have plenty of time this summer with no Olympics to fully recover and be ready for next season.

Next year’s Thunder team should again look a bit different. Kevin Martin’s future with the team seems unlikely and Derek Fisher won’t be coming back either. That will leave two players within the regular rotation to be replaced.

We saw Reggie Jackson really step up in the playoffs without Westbrook and Presti said this about rookie Jeremy Lamb, who hardly played this season.

Presti: “Jeremy [Lamb] is somebody we feel really good about. He’s definitely going to be a contributor to our team in the near future.”

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 18, 2013

What will remain the same is the presence of Kevin Durant and Westbrook. Watching the team without Russ in these playoffs was an unpleasant experience. Let’s hope we never have to go through that again.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) and center Kendrick Perkins (5) watch the game against the Memphis Grizzlies from the bench during the second half of 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

Many people think that amnestying Kendrick Perkins is a good idea for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Perkins had the worst playoff performance in the history of the NBA this year and it increasingly seems like there is just no room for Perkins on this team anymore.

Thunder GM Sam Presti commented about Perkins and the idea of amnestying him today.

Sam Presti on the amnesty clause: “We just haven’t considered using the provision…We think Perk has a lot of value to our team.”

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) May 18, 2013

I wrote about yesterday how amnestying Perkins does seem like something that is very unlikely now. The Thunder wouldn’t benefit enough by doing so and wouldn’t save enough money to make a significant move elsewhere.

The hope if any now is that the Thunder trade Perkins or simply stop playing him as much, which seems very unlikely.

The worry here is that Presti says Perkins has a lot of value to the Thunder. Whatever value that may be, it certainly doesn’t show up on the court. Maybe he’s a great leader or whatever in the locker room but the Thunder are clearly much worse when he is playing basketball for them.

Something needs to be done about Perkins this offseason whether it’s trading him or amnestying him. It’s just hard to imagine him being on the roster and Scott Brooks not starting and playing him 25-plus minutes per game.

Hopefully Presti was just being nice with this comment and he is looking to get rid of him somehow.

Feb 14, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the first half at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James was asked about the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook and he had some nice things to say.

LeBron on OKC: “You can’t replace Russell Westbrook. He’s an Olympian and if he continues on the path he’s on he’s a future Hall of Famer.”

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 17, 2013

Calling a player a future Hall of Famer is about as high of praise you can give someone. And it may be appropriate praise for Westbrook with all he has done so far in his career.

We’ve already examined last week just how good and valuable Westbrook is in the current makeup of the league. You can easily make the case that he is a top five player and in a year or two from now may even be a top three player.

So the Thunder are in good shape. They may have lost James Harden and this season ended way sooner than most anticipated but going forward in this league with two top five players and the flexibility to build around them is a lot better than what most teams have going for them.

Back to LeBron though. Why he is such a nice guy? He doesn’t say anything wrong at all ever. Skip Bayless would say this is his way of befriending his rivals to weaken them. Maybe it’s some of that but I don’t know. Point is, LeBron never says anything wrong.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) grabs a rebound in front of Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) during the second half of 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 thought at one point like they would have a perennial Sixth Man of the Year Award winner on their roster for the next decade.

Remember when we actually envisioned James Harden might stay with the Thunder, continue to embrace his role coming off the bench and win multiple championships with this team?

That obviously didn’t happen and when Harden left last year, replacing him in the Sixth Man role was Kevin Martin, who overall did a pretty good job. Martin wasn’t Harden by any stretch but averaging 14.0 points per game and shooting 42.6 percent from behind the three-point line was still a solid season.

Martin was in the last year of his contract this season making over $12 million. The Thunder have a decision to make on whether or not to re-sign him this season. How much do you want to pay a Sixth Man putting up the kind of numbers Martin did?

Making matters more interesting is the emergence of Reggie Jackson this season and in the playoffs. Those who watched the Thunder closely all year, saw Jackson progress all season and look like a completely different player than he was as a rookie, in terms of confidence and everything else.

In the playoffs after Russell Westbrook got injured, Jackson stepped into the starting role and averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 36.2 minutes per game while also shooting 47.2 percent from the field.

As crazy as it may sound, Jackson actually resembled Harden at moments this season. They both are very adept at getting to the rim (with the eurostep) and finishing. The Thunder ran some of the same exact sets that they did for Harden with Jackson this season. Jackson was a monster in transition just like Harden too.

Jackson’s play looks to really be on the rise and the idea that he could fill the Sixth Man role may make the Thunder think less about re-signing Martin.

Martin would really need to take a severe pay cut to remain with the Thunder. OKC can probably only realistically offer him $5-6 million per year and they may not even want to pay him that much.

There’s also the Jeremy Lamb factor. He hardly played this season but was very good in the D-League. If he improves similarly to how Jackson did after his rookie season, then the Thunder may have another solid player for their rotation to make Martin even more useless.

The Thunder will have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft too. There may be some wing players available like Victor Oladipo or C.J. McCollum that the Thunder could pick to help replace Martin too.

What we’re going to see with the Thunder next season will likely be a team with two of its players in the playoff rotation this year gone. Derek Fisher and Martin will probably not be on the team. So who will replace them? Lamb seems the most likely then maybe Perry Jones, III as well.

The Thunder have a lot of options coming up this summer and we will get a better idea of what Thunder team will be taking the floor next season soon.

Apr 10, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Cody Zeller at his press conference for NBA draft. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Sports

Today at the NBA Draft Combine, former Indiana Hoosier big man Cody Zeller stole the show with an impressive workout.

Zeller posted a standing vertical jump of 35.5 inches, which is the highest recorded by a player 6-foot-9 or taller in the last decade.

Zeller then posted the fastest sprint time among all big men at the camp at 3.15 seconds.

What does all this mean? Hard to tell right now but this is the kind of thing that causes a player’s draft stock to really rise.

Zeller has been up and down over the last year with where scouts projected him to be selected in this draft. At one point, he was thought of as a top three pick and potential number one overall selection. After a pretty weak showing in the NCAA Tournament, some are now saying that Zeller won’t get taken until the very end of the lottery.

Zeller is one of a handful of names that has been linked to the Thunder as a potential selection with their first round pick that they received from the Toronto Raptors in the James Harden trade.

The Thunder may be thinking big because they will likely need to replace Kendrick Perkins some time down the road and Hasheem Thabeet wasn’t exactly the greatest backup center ever last season.

Zeller is looking like an incredible athlete, which is a description that will always follow the Thunder so he may start to be considered an even better fit than before now after the combine.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) fight for position under the basket during the first half of game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard not to think about amnestying Kendrick Perkins after watching what he did in the playoffs this year.

Perkins literally had the worst playoff performance in the history of the NBA, finishing with a PER of -0.7, the worst number of anyone in league history that played at least 200 minutes.

The Thunder need to get rid of Perkins or at least completely change his role with the team. Amnestying him sounds like the easy way to do this but it probably isn’t.

The Thunder would still have to pay Perkins $18 million over the next two seasons if they amnestied him. They wouldn’t be saving any money by dong so even if they dipped into the luxury tax a little bit next season.

The only way it seems then that the Thunder could get rid of Perkins’ contract would be to trade him. Let me tell you, it isn’t easy trying to find a potential suitor that would welcome Perkins to their team.

The Thunder would have to decide what they want out of a Perkins trade. The goal should be to get rid of his contract and bring back someone who is only on a one-year deal so that the cap space would be saved in 2014-15.

Here are a few players on one-year deals that match up with Perkins’ salary: Charlie Villanueva ($8.58 million), Rodney Stuckey ($8.5 million), Marcin Gortat ($7.73 million), Shawn Marion ($9.3 million).

There’s just not a lot out there and it’s hard to imagine the Pistons, Suns or Mavericks wanting to take Perkins on. The Thunder would really have to sweeten a deal for them by throwing in multiple draft picks and some combination of Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb or Perry Jones to even make this feasible. Now were getting to the point where the Thunder probably wouldn’t even want to do this.

Now, it’s still possible to have Perkins eliminated from the rotation. Just because they’re paying him, doesn’t mean he has to play. Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison can easily play a little more and the Thunder can commit more to small ball with Kevin Durant and Jones playing the four.

The Thunder also will have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft where they could go after a big man like Alex Len, Cody Zeller or Gorgui Dieng.

The problem is still that $9 million per year is a lot of money that could bring in one and maybe even two big pieces to help the Thunder make a run at a title. The Thunder would surely want to find a way to use that money instead of just wasting it on the bench in Perkins.

The other huge part of this situation is that as long as Perkins is on the roster, you know Scott Brooks is going to play him. You can’t blame Perkins for being a greta leader and likable to coaching staffs but Brooks needs to see beyond this and realize that Perkins is playing way too much and is killing this team at the end of the day.

The end of the season wasn’t exciting for Thunder fans but the offseason definitely will. There are a lot of things the Thunder can do before the start of next season. This is a franchise that has pulled the trigger on big moves in the past and one that I think understands the importance of putting a team on the court that can win.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) guard Reggie Jackson (15) and forward Kevin Durant (35) walk off the court after game four of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis defeated Oklahoma 103-97 in overtime and lead the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunderous Intentions staff got to together to answer five lingering questions about the Thunder.

1. What was going through your mind when the Thunder were officially eliminated from the playoffs last night?

Andrew Kennedy: I knew this was coming but it still hurt. The biggest disappointment is just that we don’t get to watch this team anymore and the season ended so early in the year.

Eli Friedman: I was heartbroken and just had a weeping, sorrow feeling inside of me. You knew the Thunder were gonna lose at some point without Westbrook, but to be eliminated with four straight losses, and lose in that kind of game with Durant going 5-21 from the field, it hurts.

Trenise Ferreira: “Wow, Russell Westbrook was really a lot more of an impact player than anyone gave him credit for.”

Cyrus Geller: Honestly I wasn’t feeling much at all. I think it was only a matter of time before the Thunder were eliminated without Westbrook. It’s not like we were expecting the Thunder to win the NBA finals without Westbrook at their disposal. Obviously it was very disappointing to see their season end, but I am really more excited for Westbrook to get back to 100% and to see how the Thunder do next season.

2. How should we remember this season?

AK: They had a great year winning 60 games in the regular season despite trading James Harden right before the year. Even so, it is ultimately a disappointment. The Westbrook injury is a valid excuse for why they came up short but the team still should have been more prepared to play without him.

EF: At the end of the day, the Thunder got better this year. A 60-win regular season, and another year for the young core to grow and mature. We should remember this season as a year the Thunder were ready to make another finals run, but Westbrook’s injury really hurting them, making a slight bump in the road.

TF: The Thunder performed extremely well during the regular season, and still have all the tools to make a championship run. The loss of Westbrook early in the playoffs obviously proved to be a bigger hindrance than initially thought, but this team will rise again next year and make another push for a title that continues to allude them.

CG: A season of great improvement, with a huge dose of bad luck to end it. I think that this years Thunder team was much better than last years team, even though James Harden is now gone. Everybody on the team showed a lot of improvement, and I think that if Westbrook hadn’t gone down against Houston they would have rolled to the NBA finals. It is just sad to see Russell go down and virtually a whole years work is thrown down the tube. Horrible luck for OKC.

3. How has the Thunder playing without Westbrook changed how valuable you feel Russ is?

AK: I think it just reinforces how valuable Thunder fans know he is. What he does was impossible to replace for the Thunder and I don’t know if any player in the league could. My issue is that Scott Brooks has an offense in place that relies on Westbrook too much which eventually led to the team’s early exit.

EF: I was greedy. I never pictured the Thunder without #0 on the floor. Without Russ, the Thunder are hopeless. It goes to show you how valuable a PG is to a team. The Thunder were missing a guy who gives you 24 points, 7 assists, and a good 8 rebounds night in and night in.

TF: Westbrooks value is very apparent to me, now. When the Thunder traded away Harden for example, his impact wasn’t really felt, and it is clear to me now that it’s because Wetbrook was there to be KD’s right-hand man. Without him, the Thunder appear very one-dimensional, unless one of the other role players choose to step up in a particular game.

CG: Before the playoffs even began I knew how much Russell meant to this team, but after seeing the Thunder struggle like this without him I really appreciate Russ much more than before. You don’t realize it too often, but Westbrook really saves the Thunder countless times when their offense stalls. Russ can do whatever he wants on the floor and OKC really missed that during these playoffs.

4. What about Durant playing without Russ. Have you changed at all how you feel about KD now?

AK: I honestly didn’t think he would put up the numbers that he did. I was overall very impressed with him. I guess I knew he had it in him but I thought he would have had a tougher time without Russ. He just keeps getting better every year.

EF: KD was brilliant and terrific all playoffs long. Although, he is only human. He needs his sidekick in Westbrook, to help him on the offensive end of the floor. Also, Westbrook makes Durant better. Some of the time, Durant brought the ball up, but with Westbrook, he puts KD into his normal position, allowing KD to relax and take the load off.

TF: My perception of KD hasn’t really changed. Before Westbrook he played with the kind of drive that insinuated he would do whatever it took to win, and I think that was even more apparent in the absence of Westbrook. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t do it on his own.

CG: If anything I have gained even more respect for KD. He pretty much single handedly closed out the Houston series, and then eventually just became too exhausted to carry an entire team throughout the Grizzlies series. There was so much pressure put on KD, and even though they lost four straight games to Memphis, KD continuously gave it his all and produced for OKC. KD needs Westbrook to be 100% effective, but he definitely showed why he is the second best player in the NBA by shouldering the load and playing well after Russ went down.

5. What do the Thunder need to win a title?

AK: Wait until other teams get old and worse. This Thunder team is still young. They have a core in KD, Russ and Ibaka that will only get better as the year’s go on and they will be together for a long time. The team is in good shape to surround those three with solid pieces. Wait for LeBron and the Heat to start to decline and give these guys a few more years and ultimately I think that will be all it will take to win a title.

EF: An inside scoring presence. The Grizzlies are winning games because of the two guys down low in Z-Bo and Gasol. If you look at the Heat last year, Bosh was that guy and the year before that it was Tyson Chandler for the Mavs. You can’t win without a guy who can clog the lane and give you points in the point. Oklahoma City has a great guard game in Westbrook, Jackson, Martin, and you can conclude KD, but there front court struggles. Sam Presti needs to go out and get a big men who can give the Thunder 15 a night.

TF: To win a title, the Thunder need a healthy Russell Westbrook, and a third player a la Harden to shoulder the burden down the stretch. Overall, I think this team has many of the parts needed to make a championship team, they just all need to be functioning at an optimum level at the same time.

CG: A healthy Westbrook, the Ibaka that we saw during the regular season show up in the playoffs, and more Reggie Jackson. If Westbrook had been healthy I think the Thunder would have gone to the NBA finals this year. He is a huge part of this team and as long as he is healthy I think OKC will be fine. Now, in order to get over that hump and beat Miami I think that Ibaka has to play much better in the playoffs than he did this year, and I want to see a LOT more of Reggie Jackson. Jackson showed during these playoffs that he is a very good offensive player, and I really hope Scott Brooks plays him a lot more next season. If that happens, and Ibaka continues to make that 15-16 foot jumper in the postseason, then I think the Thunder will have a legitimate shot at winning the championship next season.

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Michael Carter-Williams is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The season ended for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night but we can already start looking forward to what will be an eventful and interesting NBA Draft for OKC.

The Thunder own Toronto’s first round draft pick that will likely be towards the end of the lottery.

The NBA Draft combine started today and teams have started meeting with players and conducting interviews.

The Thunder have reportedly interviewed Michael Carter-Williams, Otto Porter and C.J. McCollum thus far.

Michael Carter-Williams said he also interviewed with OKC, Minnesota, Detroit and Charlotte

— Jason Quick (@jwquick) May 16, 2013

Otto Porter has interviewed with Charlotte, Phoenix and OKC. Says he looks at Cleveland, Phoenix and Orlando as being the best fit.

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) May 16, 2013

Lot of teams looking to talk to Lehigh’s CJ McCollum. 15 total interviews scheduled. Thunder, Magic, Nuggets and Cavs already talked to him

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) May 16, 2013

All three of those players are projected lottery picks that have a good chance to get picked before No. 12, where the Thunder will most likely be selecting.

Keep in mind too that the Thunder have a lot of assets they could use to move up a few spots in the draft if they really want to go after someone hard. So all three of these players are real possibilities for OKC.

A lot of mock drafts have the Thunder taking a big man with their first pick, whether that is Alex Len, Cody Zeller or Gorgui Dieng. The thought behind that is they will need to replace Kendrick Perkins eventually and many believe Perkins is a strong candidate to get the amnesty axe this offseason.

The future of Kevin Martin with the Thunder is pretty uncertain as well and there is a very good chance he has played his last game with the team. So replacing him by picking another wing player could be a route the Thunder choose as well.

The Thunder do have Jeremy Lamb on the roster coming into his second season. But the Thunder didn’t actually pick him in last year’s draft and he hardly played this season so they may not be sold much on him.

Carter-Williams seems like a player the Thunder won’t really need. They already have two point guards in Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson. Carter-Williams is a big point who doesn’t have an outside shot and will likely struggle against quicker guards when he gets to the NBA. In a sense, he is more of a true point than either Westbrook or Jackson and could be used playing alongside all of them when the Thunder go small.

Carter-Williams is currently No. 9 on Chad Ford’s Big Board.

Porter fits the mold as an all-around three who may be able to play some four at the next level. There is a good chance he will end up going in the top five though, much higher than where the Thunder could move up.

McCollum battled an injury in his last season at Lehigh but his stock has been rising of late as the news gets around that he is 100 percent. He is a scoring guard who can shoot and could fill that role off the bench for the Thunder. OKC hardly plays rookies anymore though so it’s hard to imagine a player like that having an impact anytime soon with the Thunder.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after missing a shot against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of 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

I couldn’t think of a good hook to this piece, and then Durant just took the words out of my mouth: “Sometimes you’ve got to ride out the storm to get to the sunshine,” Durant said. “We’ve got to continue to keep believing in each other and believe in this process and we’ll be alright.”

As soon as Westbrook went down, you knew it was coming. The “another finals run” thought was thrown away. Then it became a question of how long Oklahoma City will show heart and maintain that.  The Thunder scrapped their way to a 4-2 series win vs. Houston, and after Game 1 of the Memphis series, you still held that ounce of hope due to a guy named Kevin Durant. Then, it all perished.

In a blink of an eye, the Thunder lost four straight after going up 1-0. Not bad losses, but stressful and frustrating losses. Losses that will make you say “damn, if only…”. Games 2, 3, and 4 by three, by six, and last night by four.

Back-to-back years losing four straight to end the season. It hurts.  It hurts bad.

But, as we all know, and as Durant said, sometimes you got to just ride out the storm to get to the sunshine. And that’s what the Thunder will do. Take this series as a learning experience, and move on. Because that’s the only thing they can do.

In terms of the learning the experience aspect of things, the guy who profited the most out of the playoffs was Reggie Jackson.  Boy, does he have a ridiculous amount of upside and potential or what? The 2011 24^th overall pick for the Thunder out of Boston College did exactly what Scott Brooks needed him to do with Westbrook out.  Last night, he finished with 16 points, and was 7-15 from the field. Jackson hit clutch free throws down the stretch in both series. He showed his progression as a player. He matured greatly, and as Magic Johnson always says, “you can’t teach experience.”

There are so many things I can say, but I just can’t spit it out. I guess the best way to explain the end to the Thunder season is what the Thunder organization emphasizes: Progress.

Scott Brooks said it well and it just goes to show you that this team’s head is held high: “You will see improvement within our group. Our guys really have improved, but they are not finished. We have a bright future.”

With a healthy Westbrook next year, and another off season for Perk and Ibaka, the Thunder are poised for another finals run next year. And, I can’t even tell you how excited I am for Westbrook to get that standing ovation in the season home opener. Until next year, its been a great and fun season. Keep your head help high, Thunder fans.

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 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 Thunder lost 88-84 to the Grizzlies last night to officially end their 2012-13 season. OKC had a chance at the end to tie it, but Kevin Durant missed a jump shot that sealed the Thunder’s fate.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 48 minutes, 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists- B

KD had one of the worst offensive performances I can ever remember him having by shooting 5-21 from the field and committing seven turnovers. He never really developed any sort of flow and it really hurt the Thunder. He was constantly getting double and triple teamed, and that will prevent anybody from getting an offensive rhythm down. Obviously he missed that last big shot for OKC, and it really was as good of a look as you can get at the end of a game. KD just wasn’t feeling it last night and because of it, the Thunder won’t be heading to the next round. I want to point out that Durant played all 48 minutes of the game, and he played his guts out. You would be hard pressed to find a harder working guy in the NBA than KD, and he proved that once again last night.

Serge Ibaka- 37 minutes, 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks- B-

Ibaka played a decent game last night. He hit a couple of jumpers on offense, and he played pretty good defense on the two Grizz big men. However, the Thunder needed much more from him throughout these playoffs and he didn’t deliver. You can’t place all the blame on Ibaka, but you sure as hell can place some of it. If he had been that guy that was an automatic mid-range jumper machine in the regular season, then I think OKC would be advancing to the conference finals instead of Memphis. I know that Ibaka is a very talented shooter as evidenced by his regular season, but he didn’t show up in the playoffs and that was a huge detriment to the team.

Reggie Jackson- 42 minutes, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists- A-

Jackson was easily the best player of the playoffs not named Kevin Durant for the Thunder. He showed up pretty much every game as the second scorer behind KD, and his ability to come up big in the clutch moments was huge for them as well. Last night again he was great at getting to the rim and opening up some opportunities for other guys. His three pointer late was huge for OKC, and if KD had hit that shot a few seconds later then Reggie Jackson would be talked about across the nation today. It was awesome to see Jackson really grow as a player in these playoffs, and hopefully we see more of that next season.

Kevin Martin- 30 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist- C-

Again Martin was virtually a non-factor for the Thunder, and it really is disappointing to see a guy as talented as Martin is to be so invisible throughout a game. I wish he had been more aggressive for OKC because they really needed his scoring last night and he could have been the difference between a win and a loss for the Thunder.

Derek Fisher- 31 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists- B-

Fisher hit a couple of big threes, but he also missed quite a few of them. He finished 3-11 from three point range and that is not “Fisher-like” in the playoffs.

Thabo Sefolosha- 19 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists- C+

Thabo played some pretty good defense when he was in the game, but he was useless on the offensive end. Sefolosha is a good shooter, but he really didn’t give himself a chance to show it in this game. I think that he has to be more aggressive in taking perimeter shots because it really helps KD and others on the inside.

Kendrick Perkins- 17 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal- D+

I always defend Perk when people say that he shouldn’t be on the Thunder, but the way he played last night and overall in this series really makes me look wrong. Perk’s defense wasn’t very good, his offense was worse than usual, and he wasn’t very effective as a rebounder either. I know that Perk is a much better player than he showed last night, but it would have been nice if the “good Perk” had shown up.

Nick Collison- 16 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists- B+

Collison played solid defense on Randolph throughout the game last night, but he just could not get a break from the officials. We rarely see Nick get very frustrated with the officials, but he was visibly upset with them last night. I really don’t think that he deserved all five of the fouls that he received during this game, and it shows me a lot about him that he kept his cool. Collison also made some key buckets late in the game when the Thunder were making their comeback in the fourth.

Scott Brooks- B

Brooks did a solid job with his rotations and his decisions of when to go big and when to go small. It isn’t his fault that none of his players could buy a bucket throughout the game. There may be a lot of people calling for Brooks’ job after this series, but that is absolutely ridiculous. Brooks did as good of a job as he could do without Westbrook, and he still is a very good coach in this league.

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.

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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.

April 17, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) pauses during a free throw against Golden State Warriors in the second half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA announced the All-Rookie Teams today. Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, who won the Rookie of the Year Award, was the only unanimous selection to the First Team.

Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Dion Waiters and Harrison Barnes joined Lillard on the First Team.

The Second Team is made up of Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kyle Singler and Tyler Zeller.

No Oklahoma City Thunder rookies had a chance at making the team. Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, III spent most of their time this season playing for the Tulsa 66ers.

Lamb and Jones are still capable of being two of the best players from this rookie class. Look at how much Reggie Jackson improved from year one to year two with the Thunder this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamb and Jones have similar jumps next season.

Here is the full breakdown of the voting:

2012-13 NBA ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM

2012-13 NBA ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (first place votes in parentheses):
Maurice Harkless, Orlando, 14 (1); Alexey Shved, Minnesota, 14 (1); Chris Copeland, New York, 9 (1); Brian Roberts, New Orleans, 5; Andrew Nicholson, Orlando, 4; Jae Crowder, Dallas, 1; Festus Ezeli, Golden State, 1; Draymond Green, Golden State, 1; John Jenkins, Atlanta, 1; Terrence Jones, Houston, 1; Pablo Prigioni, New York, 1; Terrence Ross, Toronto, 1; Jeff Taylor, Charlotte, 1.

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 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Duran (35) drives against Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince (21) at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder lost in overtime 103-97 last night to the Grizzlies, and they are now on the brink of elimination as they trail 3 games to 1 in the series.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 48 minutes, 27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists- B

KD had a great first half, and then he hit three consecutive shots to open the second and then he simply fell apart. He finished the game missing 12 of his last 14 shots, and he didn’t rise to the occasion when his team needed him the most, even though he hit the game tying shot to send it to overtime. Now in his defense, he was consistently getting double and triple teamed, and was getting fouled pretty much every time he touched the ball. However, a guy that talented has to be able to do more than he did down the stretch for OKC.

Serge Ibaka- 37 minutes, 17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks- B+

Ibaka finally showed up last night for the Thunder. He was great in the first half on the offensive end, hitting quite a few jumpers to help take some of the pressure off of Durant. He wasn’t quite as effective in the second half, but it was nice to see Ibaka finally show some life on offense.

Kevin Martin- 26 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist-B-

Martin played a good first half, and then just like Ibaka he disappeared in the second. Martin’s offense would have been greatly appreciated by KD and company in the fourth quarter and overtime, but he just couldn’t get it going. If Martin can somehow string together two good halves of basketball, then the Thunder would be able to advance far into these playoffs. However, we haven’t seen him do it yet, and I don’t think it will happen.

Reggie Jackson- 48 minutes, 15 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds-A-

Jackson is a less talented Russell Westbrook. That is exactly the type of player he is. Jackson is a great attacker, he is fearless in the pressure moments, and he sometimes makes a boneheaded play that screws you over. This all sounds like things that Westbrook does, and it is something that OKC needs. I am glad that Jackson brings this to the table every game for the Thunder, because he is the only guy that consistently brings it other than KD.

Derek Fisher- 26 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover- C+

Fisher made one big three in overtime and that was it. We have expected Fisher to produce for OKC in these playoffs, and tonight he didn’t show up. The Thunder need his perimeter shooting to help their offense function and a big reason why it floundered last night was because of Fisher. He also had an extremely costly turnover at the end of overtime that pretty much killed OKC’s chances.

Thabo Sefolosha-29 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal-B-

Thabo’s defense was pretty good on Mike Conley throughout the night as he held him to 7-21 shooting, but his offense continues to be absent in these playoffs. I know that he is not a very good offensive player to start with, but he has shown that he can hit outside shots, and he hasn’t done that in these playoffs.

Kendrick Perkins- 24 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds 1 block- B

Perk was decent on defense in this game, and he made one huge defensive stop for them at the end of the fourth quarter. But his inability to do anything on offense really prevents Scott Brooks from being able to play him a lot. Perk is great on defense, but he is so bad offensively that it prevents him from seeing a lot of time on the floor.

Nick Collison- 22 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds 3 blocks- B+

I really feel bad for Nick Collison. He plays his heart out, and makes big plays for the Thunder and he is rewarded with six fouls. Collison plays some of the scrappiest basketball I have ever seen, and he is very important to this basketball team. He played solid defense on Randolph and had some key offensive plays as well. He just gets called for so many fouls, he never gets appreciated the way he should.

Scott Brooks- B

Brooks managed the lineups very well throughout the game, and overall he managed a solid game. It really was not his fault the Thunder lost, and it is hard to give him a bad grade because of this.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives between Memphis Grizzlies forwards Tayshaun Prince (21) and Zach Randolph (50) at the FedexForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first half to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97 in an overtime thriller to take a 3-1 series lead. It was a must-win game for OKC, and they stumbled short of that goal.

For the Thunder, Kevin Durant lead with 27 points and seven boards, and Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson contributed with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Kevin Martin came off the bench and played well, adding 18 points in the effort.

Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley all had 20-plus point games, 23, 23, and 24 respectively. Conley was particularly ridiculous behind the arc in the first half, knocking down his first three attempts from deep.

OKC played first quarter extremely well, taking a 29-18 lead at the end of the first and closing on a 14-2 run. It was the first time in this series that there has been a double-digit lead after the first quarter.

In particularly exciting series of events, a Thunder block led to fast break, that resulted in Reggie Jackson’s pass getting tipped. He then recovered the ball and dished it to Durant who put it up from behind the arc and sank the tre ball.

OKC lead by as many as 17 in the first half, but the Grizzlies clawed back in it to bring the deficit to just eight points, 56-48, at the break.

Memphis scored the first four points in a row in the second half and brought it within four, but OKC responded with an 8-0 run to take over the lead 64-52.

But the Grizzlies would not succumb to hibernation so easily.

They surged back against the Thunder early in the third quarter to make it a two-point game, and the FedEx Forum absolutely came alive, while the Thunder were struggling to find answers for the sudden burst of life from their opponent.

Memphis tied it at 72 with a pair of free throws from Gasol, with under two minutes to play in the third quarter. Nick Collison put the Thunder back on top with a made pair of free throws, but Memphis was on the offensive still.

The game got very close and gritty at the end, and the Grizzlies and Thunder slugged back and forth, re-taking the lead from each other for the majority of the fourth quarter.

Kevin Durant, with 10 seconds left, drove straight to the basket and finger-rolled it in to tie the game at 94-all. Memphis had a chance to win it with six seconds left, but Perkins made a huge defensive play: he prevented Randolph from getting off a good last shot, which sent Game 4 into overtime.

Two years ago in the playoffs, OKC and Memphis went to three overtimes in Game 4, with the Thunder ultimately being the victors. This time, it would be Memphis that won in overtime.

Memphis scored the first four points in OT to take their largest lead of the night, 98-94. OKC responded, but did not have enough in the tank to overtake the Grizzlies for a final time. Throughout this series they have consistently struggled down the stretch, and as a result they find themselves in a 3-1 hole before going back home.

Oklahoma City needs to find a solution to Memphis’ endurance, or they will find themselves bounced from the playoffs much sooner than they anticipated.

Game 5 is slated to take place Wednesday, May 15, at Chesapeake Arena.

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 call during the first half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team today.

Ibaka received 17 votes to make the first team which was the third-highest amount behind only LeBron James and Tony Allen.

LeBron, Allen, Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah join Ibaka on the first team.

The second team is made up of Tim Duncan, Paul George, Marc Gasol, Avery Bradley and Mike Conley.

Thabo Sefolosha narrowly missed making the second team. Sefolosha received two first team votes.

Russell Westbrook received one first team vote and Kevin Durant received one second team vote.

Oddly enough, the defensive player of the year, Gasol, did not make the first team while two centers finished above him.

As far as forwards go, Ibaka was a shoo-in for the first team. You could have made a case for Duncan but Ibaka leading the league in blocks for the second straight year sealed the deal for him.

Sefolosha could have easily made the team over Conley.

The biggest snub of all may be Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks who had the most votes of anyone not to make either of the teams.

2012-13 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM

2012-13 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (First Team votes in parentheses): Andre Iguodala, Denver, 16 (2); Larry Sanders, Milwaukee, 16 (4); Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City, 15 (2); Luol Deng, Chicago, 11 (1); Dwight Howard, L.A. Lakers, 9 (3); Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (6 (1); Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 6 (2); Kenneth Faried, Denver, 4 (1); Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City, 4 (1); Shane Battier, Miami, 2; Nicolas Batum, Portland, 2 (1); Corey Brewer, Denver, 2; George Hill, Indiana, 2; Mike James, Dallas, 2 (1); Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio, 2, (1); Tony Parker, San Antonio, 2 (1); Dwyane Wade, Miami, 2; Metta World Peace, L.A. Lakers, 2 (1); Eric Bledsoe, L.A. Clippers, 1; Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 1; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia, 1; Andrei Kirilenko, Minnesota, 1; Iman Shumpert, New York, 1; David West, Indiana, 1.

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 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) sets the play against Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday evening when they powered past them in a tight game to win 87-81.

Through three games, this series proves to be one of the most consistently competitive–but oftentimes, ugly–of this semi-final round in the 2013 NBA playoffs.

For Memphis, Marc Gasol had a gem of a game, scoring 20 points and having nine rebounds. Mike Conley and Tony Allen each dished out 14 points in the winning effort as well.

Kevin Durant–who has been putting the team on his shoulders since Russell Westbrook went down in the first round–led the team with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Reggie Jackson helped out with 16 points of his own. Serge Ibaka also played reasonably well, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks on the night.

Durant was ice cold in the fourth quarter though–he only made one basket, and missed a pair of free throws that could have helped OKC tilt this one in their favor.

The Grizzlies and the Thunder kept it close from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer, though on a few occasions, Memphis did get their lead up to ten points. The Thunder surged back each time, and even tied it at 81 with a minute to go. It was Gasol–who had 16 of his 20 points in the second half alone–that delivered the dagger, when he sunk his free throws with 1:03 left to play to put the Grizzlies up for good. When OKC resorted to fouling to extend the game, the Grizzlies responded by nailing all six free throw attempts, and ultimately secured their win

It was an ugly game, but for Memphis it meant remaining perfect at home in the postseason.

The Thunder and the Grizzlies will clash again in Game 4 on Mon., May 13, in what is sure to be another struggle for the win.

May 3, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) hugs Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) after game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Toyota Center. The Thunder defeated the Rockets 103-94. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re an NBA blogger, then you read Bill Simmons’ NBA Trade Value Column.

He finished it up yesterday with LeBron James expectedly finishing first and Kevin Durant second.

Then it got interesting.

Simmons has obviously gotten a little too caught up in the NBA Playoffs because he ranked Stephen Curry third. I’ll give Simmons a pass here. It’s okay because watching Curry in these playoffs has just been so entertaining. Curry clearly does not have the third-highest trade value in the NBA.

Russell Westbrook came in number four and James Harden came in fifth. So if we eliminate Curry, then the Thunder could have had numbers two, three and four from the Simmons trade value column on their team this season. Considering that the top four players are all basically on max deals then it is safe to say that they are just about the four best players in the league or at least the four most valuable players you’d want to have going forward.

I know Thunder fans have thought about the Harden trade all season. Ultimately, everyone probably regrets it by now. The only reason I’m bringing it up again is because I was reminded yesterday while reading Simmons’ column that the Thunder basically could have had three of the best four players in the NBA on their roster for at least the next four years and probably longer.

The big question that still needs an answer is:

Is there still something as to why Sam Presti made this trade that makes sense?

I think there is. Simmons and most of the media really have ripped the Thunder for the Kevin Martin rental and the fact that Jeremy Lamb hasn’t played all season and that the Toronto pick is coming in a weak draft year.

Martin’s been bad but he is still probably the best possible replacement the Thunder could have gotten for Harden at the time (I know, they still shouldn’t have made the trade). Let’s not forget that Westbrook is hurt and if he wasn’t, given what we’re seeing from the rest of the league, wouldn’t the Thunder really look like the favorites in the Western Conference still? Haven’t you all noticed the Heat stumbling a little too and that Dwyane Wade is not himself? Maybe there would have been a chance of the Thunder beating Miami in the NBA Finals if Westbrook didn’t get hurt.

Also, remember how bad Reggie Jackson was last year? The Thunder had no choice but to sign Derek Fisher and get him out of the rotation. I don’t think anyone saw Jackson improving this much, this year. Jackson has been a poor man’s Westbrook in these playoffs and has really done an amazing job trying to replace him.

So we have the Thunder not playing two of their first round picks in Lamb and Perry Jones, III. I’m not worried about this. Those guys played well in the D-League and I think it is safe to fully expect them to improve and be ready to break into the rotation next year.

In two years, could Jackson, Lamb, Jones and whoever the Thunder pick in the first round this year (Gorgui Dieng, Cody Zeller, Alex Len) become as valuable as Harden would have been? In a way I think it’s possible.

You can’t rip the Thunder for planning for the next 10 years. I think we will one day look back and say that they successfully did that. They won’t burn out like the Suns or Sonics in the 90’s. None of those teams had Durant.

Worst-case scenario the Thunder will be the Dallas Mavericks from the 2000’s. They’ll always be competing to win the West. Maybe we won’t see the steady climb that we always expected but they’re not falling off the map, ever.

I don’t think this is better or safer than keeping Harden though. I wrote before the Harden trade happened that there was absolutely no reason for the Thunder not to keep him. I think that is still true.

What would have been the equivalent of a KD-Russ-Harden trio in the past?

Let’s try and come up with what would have been the equivalent of a trio as talented as these three in the past.

The goal is to find seasons where there are dominant players like LeBron is now on teams that just won the NBA title. I’m thinking Michael Jordan 1992 and Shaquille O’Neal 2001.

Then let’s try and find the three guys that you could similarly match up as the KD-Russ-Harden equivalents.

1992: What if a team had John Stockton, Clyde Drexler and Karl Malone?

2001: What if a team had Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson?

I like the 2001 comparison to what KD, Russ and Harden could have been like. It sounds crazy to look back and imagine a team having three guys like that. The Thunder could have easily been that.

Throw in the Ibaka factor too and it’d be like if Jermaine O’Neal was also on that team.

I know these aren’t perfect comparisons but I’m just trying to show what it would have been like back in the day if you could bunch that many talented players on the same team within the landscape of the NBA.

This is the reason why you could not have traded Harden. You had a chance to be something that had no precedent with those three guys and Ibaka. The supporting cast would have come. You could have given Kendrick Perkins the axe after this year and rolled with the trio, Ibaka, Collison, Sefolosha, Jackson and whatever rookies and cheap veterans you could find for the next six years while still staying under the luxury tax limit. It would have been possible.

So that’s enough regretting the Harden trade for one day. It was just impossible for my heart not to sink when seeing those ranks and remembering to myself that the Thunder could have had three of the best four players in the NBA on their team.

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.

Apr 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Louisville Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng (10) dunks against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half of the championship game in the 2013 NCAA mens Final Four at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

When you go through the NBA mock drafts across the internet, the Oklahoma City Thunder are usually taking a big man with the Toronto Raptors’ first round pick that they received from the Houston Rockets.

If the NBA Draft Lottery goes chalk, the Thunder will have the No. 12 pick in the draft along with the No. 29 and 31 picks.

In Chad Ford’s latest mock, he has the Thunder picking Louisville big man Gorgui Dieng.

Dieng saw his stock rise thanks to Louisville’s national championship run and a few really big games in the tournament.

Dieng proved himself as a very good passer for a big man. He’s also a great defender who can block a lot of shots.

Previous mock drafts had the Thunder taking Alex Len of Maryland or Cody Zeller of Indiana with this pick. But in this mock, Ford now has Len and Zeller getting picked before the Thunder’s pick.

I don’t see why the Thunder would settle for Dieng at this spot. With all of the picks at their disposal, the Thunder will be able to move up in this draft a few spots maybe near the top five to get a guy they like.

They could also trade back if they don’t like anyone. This draft of course has the reputation of being a very weak one.

The main reason the Thunder would be in the market for another big man is the looming inevitable amnestying of Kendrick Perkins that just feels like it must happen by next season.

The Thunder will need to replace Perkins in the starting lineup and increase their big man depth. It’s actually hard to imagine Dieng, Len or Zeller getting run to start the season over Hasheem Thabeet.

Whoever the Thunder pick, has a better chance than anything to be playing the entire 2013-14 season with the Tulsa 66ers.

The Thunder may not be considering replacing Perkins with another big center either. OKC could commit more to small lineups and feel like Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Thabeet is enough depth. Perry Jones, III could slide into the bigs rotation as a stretch four too.

The draft will be exciting for the Thunder this year. They have a ton of possibilities at their disposal with all of the picks they possess.

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 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts to a play against the Memphis Grizzlies 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

The Thunder lost game two 99-93 to the Grizzlies last night, and that evens the series up 1-1 as the series heads to Memphis.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 43 minutes, 36 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists- A+

KD played one of the best games I have ever seen him play. He was absolutely torching the Grizzlies throughout the game, whether it was his scoring in the second half or his great play-making in the first. KD was pretty much the only consistent threat on offense for OKC and he nearly won this game all by himself for the Thunder. I continue to say that LeBron is hands down the best player in the league, but KD is making himself a good case in these playoffs.

Serge Ibaka- 38 minutes, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks- C

Ibaka has easily been the biggest disappointment of the playoffs for the Thunder in my opinion. He has been a complete non-factor on offense and his defense hasn’t been as great as we have come to expect it to be. He gets a lot of open jump shots thanks to KD, and he hasn’t been able to knock them down. He is going to have to step up his game if the Thunder want to win this series.

Kevin Martin- 29 minutes, 6 points, 1 assist, 1 steal- D

Martin had come off two 25  point performances in his last two games and he totally stunk up the joint in this one. I was really surprised because I thought that Martin had finally found his rhythm in these playoffs. If Martin had been half as effective as he was in game one, then the Thunder would have won this game. OKC needs Martin to knock down perimeter shots and be aggressive in taking the ball to the basket to take some pressure off of KD. He did not do this last night and that was a big reason why they lost.

Thabo Sefolosha- 23 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists- B

Thabo had a decent game last night. He hit some early shots to get the Thunder started and played solid defense throughout the game. I still would like to see him hit more perimeter shots when he gets them. Because of KD’s ability to take it to the basket, Thabo gets a lot of open looks.

Derek Fisher- 26 minutes, 19 points, 1 assist, 1 steal- A

Fisher should be named MVP of this team when the playoffs end. Well, that is a bit extreme but Fisher really was playing like one during the first half of this game. He was carrying the offense by hitting a bunch of tough three point shots, and he even hit some nice jumpers  in the lane. Fisher was the only guy not named KD that had any type of success on the offensive end for OKC, and that will have to change if they want to advance in these playoffs.

Reggie Jackson- 29 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists- C+

Jackson had another disappointing game last night as he only scored 10 points for OKC, and that is not enough to take pressure off of KD. Jackson is a very talented player, and he has to be more aggressive in going to the hoop to draw more attention to himself, which will give Durant more opportunities.

Kendrick Perkins- 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block- B-

Perk was solid on defense, but he was awful on the offensive end. Now, we have come to expect really bad offense out of Perk but I thought last night may have been his worse offensive game as a pro. He did hit some big free throws late in the game, but other than that he did not do one positive thing for OKC on offense.

Nick Collison- 15 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 4 turnovers- B+

Collison’s line may look like he did nothing for the Thunder last night, but he really played some great defense on Zach Randolph. Randolph did finish with 15 points on 6-12 shooting, but when Collison was defending him he really struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Hasheem Thabeet- 13 points, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls-B

Thabeet did exactly what the Thunder needed him to do when he was put into the game. He was a big body that was used to try and disrupt the Grizzlies inside post game. He also is a decent screener on the offense end.

Scott Brooks- B

I think Brooks managed the lineups pretty well in this game. He used small lineups when he needed to, and he rotated his big guys fairly well. I do think that he shouldn’t have kept Durant on the bench for so long to start the fourth quarter.

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.

24 hours have past since the Game 1, 93-91 victory, and yet….I’m still extremely emotional.

Martin’s spurt and production in the second and third quarter. Fisher’s timely threes. Durant’s go-ahead jumper with 11 seconds to go. Jackson’s cold-blooded free throws to seal the deal.

It all goes back to same point of emphasis about this Thunder team. They’re resilient. They’re tough. They’re experienced. And yeah, they still got #35.

But, is this game that vital and that important?

Yes. It was crucial.

Why? I’ll tell you.

Game 1 was a MUST win. If Oklahoma City lost in Game 1, they were in deep trouble. Not only in the aspect of losing and having to go and get one in Memphis, but in the aspect of mentally. Basketball is a pure mental game. If Oklahoma City lost Game 1, not only would the guys in the locker room lose hope, but so would the whole city of Oklahoma. “We can’t win without Westbrook.” “We can’t get by Memphis with no second option.” “Our playoff run is over.”

But, that’s not the case.

Kevin Martin chipped in a clutch performance with 25 points. Durant put matters into his own hands with 35 points on 13-26 shooting, 15 rebounds, six assists, and only three turnovers. And the Thunder snatched Game 1 after being down by nine for parts of the game.

There has got to be some belief and hope in that locker room. And why not? Why not have that arrogant and confident attitude about this emotional playoff run?

It’s amazing how quickly your perspective on the chances of another finals run can change. After Game 1 in Houston, it was through the roof. After Game 2, still high. Then the loss of Westbrook, it simmered down. After Game 3, it was still there. After Games 4 and 5, all of a sudden it disappeared. Loss of hope, faith, and confidence. And there here we are again, talking about how the Thunder can do it.

Can the momentum and energy be carried over to win three more games is the big question right now. Lets hope.

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.