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.

LeBron James played a little bit better in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals than Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

The Miami Heat led the series both times 2-1. In 2011, LeBron played one of the worst games of his career in Game 4 and last night he played one of his best, topped off with a dramatic three.

“I was just trying to make a play,” James said. “If I was out on the floor, I wanted to try to make a play with the limited mobility I had at that time, and I was happy I was able to come through.”
Erik Spoelstra would have to take LeBron out for the final minutes saying that he was too much of a liability on defense.

LeBron started cramping after a drive to the basket and was forced to leave the floor with 5:15 to play in the game. The Thunder took advantage going up 94-92 with 4:20 left in the game.

When LeBron checked back in the Heat went on a 7-0 run and closed the game 12-4.

LeBron scored 26 points in the game to go with 12 assists and nine rebounds. His assists accounted for 29 points giving him a total of 55 created points which only five players have done in an NBA Finals game since 1997.

LeBron says he will be fine for Game 5 which will be Thursday night at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Heat went into Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead and chance to really put the Oklahoma City Thunder in a hole with a victory. They fell behind early, 33-16, battled back and showed poise in the final minutes to accomplish just that.

The Thunder’s chances at winning a title now look the bleakest since they went down 0-2 in the Western Conference Finals. They still haven’t played perfect or their best basketball but they’ve been in every game and had chances to win in each.

LeBron James nearly had a triple-double in Game 4 scoring 26 points to go with 12 assists and nine rebounds. He’ll be the Finals MVP if the Heat win and he’ll silence many of his critics.

Kevin Durant got off to a great start in these Finals. He scored 36 points in a Game 1 victory and averaged 16.5 fourth quarter points through the first two games.

Things changes in Miami for Durant. His weaknesses were exploited on defense and he got into uncharacteristic foul trouble.

It’s easy to live in the moment in life and sports. Most people do. But the NBA is all about its history and legacies.

It’s time to take a step back…

What are we really seeing?

We’re watching an NBA Finals loaded with stars, some in their primes and some still in their cribs.

The Heat are supposed to win the title right about now. LeBron, Wade and Bosh are each in the ninth season in the NBA. Doesn’t that sound about right for them winning?

The Thunder’s best years are far ahead of them. It was impressive enough for them to even make it to the NBA Finals this year at such a young age. Their talent has given us glimpses of what the future of the league is going to look like for years.

Durant and Westbrook are 23 and Harden and Ibaka are 22. They don’t have to win a title yet. No one really expected them too. The only thing that made us believe they could is that they were better than the Heat this season and they are more talented. But in this series, not enough things have gone their way and here they are down 3-1.

A time will come when everything seems to go the Thunder’s way. They’ll get all of the calls, make all of the important shots and watch their opponent make all of the big mistakes. That’s what happens in this league. Rarely can you cheat your time for winning a title.

In three years, we’ll look back and say…

Watching this Thunder team in this NBA Finals is frustrating. It’s so hard to watch them and not think about their potential and seeing them not hit it is downright annoying.

No matter what happens the rest of this series, a few years from now we’ll look back on these games and chuckle at what the Thunder were, so young and so talented, not totally understanding how to harness and use it in the best way.

Here’s what Thunder fans will say three years from now:

• There was a time where Durant struggled this much to get open. They couldn’t get him the ball sometimes? Why is he isolating at the 3-point line and not in the post? He’s so much better at defense now.
• How is Russell not getting more calls? What are these insane 3-pointers he takes 2-3 times per game? I can’t remember the last time I saw someone score on Russell. How come the Heat defense actually freezes in time when he drives to the rim?
• Look at Harden’s beard! It’s so short!
• I don’t miss the days when Serge didn’t have a post game. Why isn’t Serge playing 40-plus minutes and why does he ever sit the fourth? I can’t imagine anyone scoring in the paint against us anymore.

But it’s still not over

These aren’t excuses for the Thunder being down 3-1 and potentially losing this series. It’s just the big picture of things. Athletes can’t look at it this way and diehard fans can’t either but it is the reality of the situation.

The Thunder can still win this series. The odds are against them now more than ever. Since 1985, when the NBA Finals went to the 2-3-2 format, no team down 3-1 has ever come back to win the series let alone force a Game 7.

The Thunder are one win away from going back home to the best crowd in the NBA. They are looking at this like now like that too. They just need to win one, Game 5.

Watching OKC all year it’s hard to ever imagine them losing four in a row. They haven’t all season. Since they’ll never give up or stop playing hard, I wouldn’t bet against them in Game 5. It’s a game made for the resiliency of this team.

The Heat know this too and they surely don’t want to go back to Oklahoma City. We’re not going to see one of those “Heat didn’t show up games.” We’ll see another close game just like the first four. The last three have gone Miami’s way, the next three could just as easily go OKC’s way.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-98 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to take a 3-1 series lead.

LeBron James nearly had a triple-double with 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds but did miss much of the final minutes as he was sidelined with cramps.

Russell Westbrook was the best player on the floor tonight though. He scored 43 points on 20-for-32 shooting to go with five assists and seven rebounds.

Westbrook didn’t get enough help though even from Kevin Durant who continues to struggle on defense and rebounding. Durant had 28 points but just two rebounds and continues to have lapses on the defensive end boxing out or reaching when he shouldn’t.

James Harden still hasn’t found his rhythm and scored just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. Harden just can’t get loose in this series and his jump shot hasn’t been helping him either.

The Thunder jumped out to a 33-16 lead in this game but then the Heat went on a 30-16 run to come back.

Mario Chalmers was instrumental in Miami winning this one scoring 25 points in the game.

The Heat made 10 threes in the game while the Thunder went 3-for-16 from three. The Thunder also only got to the line.

The Thunder are now down 3-1 in the series and since the Finals went to a 2-3-2 format, no team down 3-1 has ever even reached a Game 7.

Game 5 is no do or die for the Thunder. If they win, they get to go back home for Game 6 and to the best crowd in the NBA.

Game 5 will be Thursday night at 9 p.m. EST on ABC in Miami.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James has responded to Serge Ibaka’s comments from yesterday when he said LeBron isn’t a “good defender” and couldn’t guard Kevin Durant.

“I don’t really care what he says, he’s stupid,” LeBron said. “Everyone says something to me every series, then (the media) tries to get a quote. It’s stupid.”

LeBron is right that this whole thing is stupid but it’s a little shocking him calling Ibaka stupid.

Just like when reading Ibaka’s comments they sounded worse than if you would imagine him saying it, the same is probably true with what LeBron said today.

Here is what Ibaka said yesterday:

“LeBron is not a good defender. He can play defense for two to three minutes but not 48 minutes. LeBron can’t play (Durant) one-on-one.”

To be fair, Ibaka saying LeBron is not a good defender is kind of stupid but LeBron saying Ibaka himself is stupid isn’t very fair. Whether LeBron meant it or not, he should not have allowed that to slip out in those exact words.

This is what LeBron was talking about though. We’re even taking his quotes about the media blowing up quotes and blowing it up.

Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be tonight at 9 p.m. EST on ABC in Miami. LeBron has been great all series while Ibaka has been up and down, most recently he did not play the fourth quarter in Game 3.

The Thunder lost Game 3 in Miami 91-85 and really didn’t play a good game at all. The Heat shot very poorly from outside the paint and the Thunder were in great position to steal one on the road.

The Thunder led by 10 points in the third quarter but foul trouble for Kevin Durant helped allow the Heat to come back and close this one out.

Looking ahead to Game 4, the Thunder are going to need to play a lot better starting with…

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant – 31.0 PPG, 1.7 APG, 5.7 RPG, .574 FG%, .409 3PT%, .737 FT%

Durant may have had his worst game of the playoffs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He scored 25 points and went 11-of-19 from the field but he picked up his fourth foul with 5:41 left in the third quarter and was a mess on defense all night.

The Thunder allowed Miami to get 14 offensive rebounds in the game and Durant was a big reason why. Too many times when a shot went up he showed no interest in boxing out or anything.

Durant is only averaging 5.7 rebounds per game in this series and that is something he really needs to improve upon. With the Thunder playing small so much, Durant needs to be super active on defense and rebounding.

Durant isn’t at his best when he is put in this position as an interior help defender but that’s what we have here in the NBA Finals. He needs to step up in that department or the Thunder are going to have a hard time coming back and winning this series.

Durant may be a little drained from defending LeBron James and having to work so hard to get open on offense. In Game 3, the Thunder tried to isolate Durant a little too much and it became very reminiscent of how the New York Knicks were using Carmelo Anthony against the Heat in the first round.

Durant would work so hard just to get an isolation opportunity against the best defender in basketball and it wore him down. And after working so hard to get the ball, you know you’re going to want to shoot every time and it resulted in stagnant offense for the Thunder.

Durant didn’t have any assists in his 39 minutes of action and that’s never a good sign for the Thunder. You really don’t expect the Thunder to win when Durant has this kind of game but the loss still hurts because they had a great chance to anyway.

Durant was unable to muster up any heroics in the fourth this time though. He scored just four points in the period and had two turnovers. He looked like he lost his rhythm after coming out of the game with his fourth foul.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James – 30.3 PPG, 4.0 APG, 10.3 RPG, .464 FG%, .222 3PT%, .862 FT%

LeBron had another quiet LeBron game in Game 3. He had 29 points and 14 rebounds and it seemed not too spectacular. That’s LeBron for you.

He came out very aggressive again like Game 2 scoring inside and working hard for offensive rebounds. This was something the Thunder could have prevented simply by matching his intensity but they just didn’t have it that night.

LeBron was probably most important defending Durant. He made him work so hard just to get the ball that it took Durant out of the rest of the game in a way.

It is still amazing how Durant can score one-on-one against LeBron so much. You just never expect anyone to do it that way on LeBron and it just goes to show how talented Durant is.

LeBron again had a few transition buckets where the Thunder didn’t pick him up quickly enough down the floor. LeBron does such a good job of taking what’s given to him and it resulted in a lot of easy buckets for him in Game 3 since the Thunder weren’t playing their best.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook – 24.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 7.0 RPG, .412 FG%, .214 3PT%, .778 FT%

Westbrook isn’t going to get the same blame for the Thunder losing Game 2 but he didn’t even play any better.

One of the things that will stick out from Game 3 is Scott Brooks taking Westbrook out at the end of the third and closing the quarter without Westbrook or Durant.

It’s understandable taking Durant out because he had four fouls but that should have meant Westbrook was staying in. The Heat closed out the third 15-3 with the two on the bench and that may very well have lost OKC the game.

Westbrook didn’t end up shooting as much as he did in the first two games and that was unfortunate because the Thunder really could have used him stepping up and having a 30-point game.

Westbrook continues to struggle finishing at the rim and making the best decisions when he is penetrating. He again missed his first three shots of the game which he has done in each game so far in the series.

The Thunder are always at their best when he is aggressive and taking 20-plus shots. He and Durant were both under 20 attempts in Game 3 and it’s hard to imagine them beating the Heat when that is the case.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Dwyane Wade – 22.7 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.7 RPG, .410 FG%, .000 3PT%, .818 FT%

Wade was very aggressively trying to get his shot in Game 3. He took 22 shots and 11 free throws and didn’t hit a high percentage from the field.

It doesn’t feel like he is a huge concern for the Thunder to contain. He doesn’t feel like the same Wade that could go for 40 on any given night like the past.

Westbrook actually did a pretty good job defending him too which is a good sign for the Thunder going forward in the series.

Wade was most effective as a passer in the pick-and-rolls in the game. He did an excellent job finding the roller to the basket a ton and that really hurt the Thunder.

The Thunder seemed to be playing for the pick-and-pop instead of the roll and the Heat took advantage. We’ll see if the Thunder adjust to this as the series goes on.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden – 11.7 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.3 RPG, .407 FG%, .333 3PT%, .714 FT%

We’ve seen three games of the NBA Finals and we’re still waiting for James Harden to show up. Harden is far from himself so far against the Heat and that is making things very difficult for the Thunder.

It feels like he hasn’t been able to find where he fits in yet in the series. If he figures it out and starts being himself again it will be great news for the Thunder.

It’s all about getting him going early in the shot clock before the defense is set. He hasn’t gotten a lot of transition opportunities either in the series and that could also help him get going.

Harden has had to guard LeBron a lot in the past two games as well which makes him work that much harder on defense which could also be contributing to his offensive struggles.

He has shown in these playoffs the ability to take over games and the Thunder could really use a game or two like that soon from him.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Chris Bosh – 12.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, .361 FG%, .250 3PT%, .818 FT%

Bosh has been great for the Heat in these past two games. The energy he has played with and relentless effort getting to loose balls and rebounds has been crucial in the Heat winning.

In Game 3, Bosh was used rolling to the rim a lot more in the pick-and-rolls than just popping and the Thunder had a hard time stopping it.

Bosh will continue to be an important X-factor for the Heat and while at home should produce decently.

The Bigs

One of the biggest issues of this series so far has been the substitution patterns for the Thunder. They are sticking with their main starting five featuring Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka and they continually are getting off to slow starts.

Perkins played well for him in Game 3 and it resulted in him getting 34 minutes while Ibaka played just 22 and sat out the entire fourth.

The Thunder need Ibaka to be their fourth best player to win a title and he’s not that while on the bench in a fourth quarter.

Nick Collison has also lessened his impact on the series since Game 1. He got into foul trouble in Game 3 and needs to avoid that a little more as the series goes on.

The Heat essentially aren’t playing any bigs other than Bosh and Udonis Haslem and it has been working for them. This means the Thunder have an advantage on the offensive glass that they aren’t really taking advantage of.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Spot-up shooters

Shane Battier finally stopped scoring 17 points per game but still had a decent game for Miami in Game 3.

The Thunder clearly made it a point of emphasis to take away the spot-up shooters in Game 3 and it probably contributed to them giving up so many shots inside the paint.

The Heat are making the Thunder scramble to adjust thanks to great outside shooting and it’s really helping them win this series right now.

Miami shot poorly overall from the outside in Game 3 and that’s part of why they didn’t blow the Thunder out.

OKC is getting some production from Derek Fisher as a spot-up shooter but that’s about it. You can count on Fisher to take and sometimes make the big shot but his minutes should be lessened.

Scott Brooks loves playing him big minutes especially when he hits a shot or two. Fisher should be taken out soon after making a few shots because you know once he’s done that, he’ll start missing. It’s not like he’s going to go off for 20 points while you ride the hot hand.

Prediction

This is a must-win for the Thunder while not so much for the Heat. In these playoffs, the Thunder have always come through in these situations while the Heat have not.

Only twice has the home team in the NBA Finals since 1985 won Games 3, 4 and 5. The Thunder are hardly a candidate for a team to be victim to that.

Game 4 is the one the Thunder will win. This series has seven games written all over it and OKC tying the series at 2-2 is the next step in making that happen.

The Thunder did not play very well in Game 3 and it could give the Heat some false confidence with how they played being enough to give them another win.

The Thunder should play better and if they do, the Heat might not know what hit them.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka hasn’t been very impressed with LeBron James in the NBA Finals.

The runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year this season doesn’t think LeBron can guard Kevin Durant.

“LeBron is not a good defender,” Ibaka said Monday. “He can play defense for two to three minutes but not 48 minutes. LeBron can’t play (Durant) one-on-one.”

No player in the NBA received more All-Defensive First Team votes than LeBron James. He has really come a long way as a defender committing on that side of the ball.

Durant is the best offensive player in the world though and Ibaka is kind of right about LeBron not being able to guard him.

Durant is averaging 31.0 points per game and shooting .574 percent from the field in the NBA Finals. Durant is shooting 58 percent when Shane Battier is guarding him and only 43 percent when LeBron is.

But in one-on-one situations, Durant has proved the ability to score on LeBron, sometime with what looks like very little effort at all.

While LeBron may not be able to completely shut down Durant, he is a “good” defender.

Reading Ibaka say something like this sounds worse than hearing him actually say it. If you are familiar with how he talks you can imagine him saying this in a harmless way, not in a “calling out” sort of way.

Ibaka and LeBron are two of the best athletes in the game today and gave us this amazing moment in Game 2 of the Finals.

Here’s to hoping for more of that in this series.

According to multiple sources, the Heat are hoping to activate Chris Bosh for Tuesday’s Game 5 if he doesn’t suffer a setback in workouts over the next two days. Bosh declined to discuss his status following the Heat’s 93-91 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, which tied the series at 2-2.

via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst

After losing their first two games without Bosh to Indiana, Miami went on to win their next five.

LeBron James took his game to another level playing a lot more of the power forward position during that time.

The Heat have looked vulnerable without Bosh in the two games in Boston with Rajon Rondo attacking the paint with ease and Kevin Garnett having big games as well.

The Heat will certainly need a healthy Bosh to win a title this year. We will see what Bosh looks like for Game 5. If he is back to looking 100 percent, people might start talking about the Heat as the team to beat again.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant added to his increasing list of clutch moments with his fourth quarter performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals vs. San Antonio Saturday night.

Durant scored 18 points in that quarter including a stretch of 16 in a row. He was unstoppable and the Thunder needed every one of those shots too.

Durant is now well on his way to becoming the best closer in the league.

“I’m not where I want to be, but I’m going to keep growing in those situations,” Durant said. “I think those tough times are going to help me get better.”

Before this series, Durant made three game-winning shots in the first two rounds of the playoffs, most notably his fadeaway in Game 1 against Dallas.

Durant has been known as one of the best offensive players in the league ever since he came into the NBA. He has led the league in scoring in each of the last three seasons.

But becoming a closer takes more than a well-rounded offensive arsenal. It’s about wanting the ball, demanding the ball and knowing that if you fail, the blame is on you.

You want a closer to have the right attitude and you want him to have the talent. We always knew Durant had the game but the mental side wasn’t always there.

The Thunder have done a great job this year putting him in position to take his closing role to another level.

The Thunder were criticized last season for not being able to get Durant the ball late in games and he often would be pushed way beyond the 3-point line before receiving a pass.

The Thunder have changed that this season and nowhere was it more noticeable than the fourth quarter of Game 4 against the Spurs.

Scott Brooks finds something that works and he sticks to it. It was a simple offensive play that got Durant the ball every time in a spot he was very comfortable in and spaced the floor to his left and right with Russell Westbrook and James Harden to help avoid doubles.

“His ability to make shots under pressure is great,” Brooks said. “But I like the fact this year he’s really stepped up on making plays and making the right play.”

The Thunder were able to tie up this series after losing the first two on the road. They have simply done what they were supposed to winning at home.

While Durant was spectacular closing out Game 4, the role players really played a huge role in why the Thunder won the past two games. It’s no secret that role players often shrink on the road and for the Thunder to withstand that, another big game from Durant will be necessary.

We found out what we probably already knew was true at the end of Game 4: the Spurs can’t match up with Kevin Durant. The Thunder will need to again take advantage of this in Game 5 to go up in this series and get in position to advance to the NBA Finals.

Lil Wayne tweeted before Game 3 how he was not allowed into the game. The reason was because he did not have a ticket.

“That’s not the point, though,” he told The Associated Press in an interview Friday night. “It’s the players stepping up but of course the players aren’t white. I don’t want to be sitting there on behalf of you and I’m sitting next to a (person) that’s like `I don’t want this (guy) sitting next to me.’ (Forget) you … I’m in Forbes.”

The Thunder organization said that Lil Wayne was requesting “front row tickets only” for Game 3.

Lil Wayne sent a text message to ESPN saying: “They denied me the tix. Didnt want me in their arena. They also said if I do come, I can only sit behind the bench, not on the floor & that I wouldn’t be able to get any special escort nor entrance. They said its the ‘Oklahoma way’.”

The team responded: “We are completely sold out, had nothing available at all. We would love to have him at our game, but he needs a ticket.”

Kevin Durant and James Harden reached out to Lil Wayne after Game 3 and offered him tickets for Game 4.

Lil Wayne said he always feels welcome in other arenas. He said that he likes to think he energizes the players since most are fans of his music.

“That’s like me going on stage and … seeing LeBron (James) in the crowd with his hand up,” Lil Wayne said. “I’m going to perform a little bit harder.”

It seems there was a lot of poor communication by everyone regarding Lil Wayne’s hopes of attending the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City.

Bosh injured his abdomen in Game 1 of the Heat’s series with the Pacers last round and hasn’t played since. The Heat won five games in a row without Bosh before losing Game 3 in Boston.

Bosh was expected to return in this series at some point. He traveled with the team for the first time for their last game and was seen participating in basketball drills.

The Celtics dominated in the paint in Game 3 scoring 58 points there with Kevin Garnett leading the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

LeBron James was really the only bright spot for the Heat in their Game 3 loss scoring 34 points.

The Heat will need a healthy Bosh to compete for a championship but aren’t desperate enough yet to rush him back to the court.

If Boston can even the series tonight and put a little more pressure on the Heat in this series, we could be seeing Bosh back soon. But the Heat do not plan to bring Bosh back before he is absolutely ready.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant scored 18 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs to help the Thunder even the series at 2-2 with a 109-103 win.

Durant had scored 18 points in the first three quarters for Oklahoma City and then completely took over in the fourth scoring 16-straight points for the Thunder in one stretch.

Durant had only scored 10 points in the fourth quarters of Games 1-3 combined heading into Game 4 and was just 1-for-5 from the field as well.

The Thunder found something that worked and they went to it the rest of the game. Scott Brooks will do this a lot in the fourth quarters of games.

Brooks did this with James Harden in the fourth quarter of Game 4 vs. the Mavericks in the first round. He did it with the Russell Westbrook and Durant pick-and-roll back in January against the Warriors too.

The Thunder ran the same exact play on 10-consecutive half court possessions in the fourth quarter beginning at the 7:25 mark with the Thunder ahead 86-80 and ending with 1:04 left and the Thunder leading 105-96.

It’s a simple play that the Thunder have run many times before and is very effective because it involves Durant, Westbrook and Harden.

Westbrook brings the ball up and waits for Harden to come off two screens on the baseline and pop out to the left wing. After Westbrook passes to Harden, he goes and sets a downscreen on Durant’s man on the right block. Durant then pops up to the top of the key and Westbrook flattens out to the right corner.

The play worked against the Spurs last night in every way possible. When Durant got the ball at the top of the key, he scored nearly every time in an isolation situation. When the Spurs switched the screen and had Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili on Durant, he took advantage and scored going to the rim.

The Thunder even got Harden two wide open 3-point looks from the set when Kendrick Perkins would come up to set a back pick on Harden’s man after Durant made the catch.

This set is nothing special for the Thunder but you don’t have to be special with your play-calling with the Thunder. It works because it spaces the floor nicely and puts Durant in an area where he is very comfortable going to work.

The Thunder hadn’t found a go-to play yet against the Spurs in fourth quarters. They had go-to plays against the Mavericks and Lakers and now look to have found something for San Antonio.

With the series headed back to San Antonio for Game 5 Monday night, the Thunder can expect a much tougher effort from the Spurs than they saw in Oklahoma City. Role players aren’t as good on the road so more of the burden will lie with Durant.

Durant is ready for this though especially after his 18-point fourth quarter in Game 4.

Westbrook only had 7 points on 2-of-10 shooting in Game 4 but the amount of Polo teddy bears definitely made up for that in some sense.

The series is now tied at 2-2 with it heading back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Monday.

We’ll look forward to what Westbrook brings us after Game 5.

Matthew Emmonsj-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant scored 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 in game 4 of the Western Conference Finals to even the series at 2-2.

Durant finished with 36 points, eight assists and six rebounds and at one point had scored 16 straight points for the Thunder in the fourth quarter.

Durant got some help in the game from the Thunder bigs especially Serge Ibaka who didn’t miss a shot making all 11 of his shots and scoring a career-high 26 points to go with three blocks.

Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins really made the difference early for Oklahoma City as Perkins scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

The Thunder shot 56.4 percent from the field in the game and had 27 assists as a team. The Spurs shot 50.0 percent and if not for Durant taking over could have easily stolen this game.

Russell Westbrook again didn’t need to be a scorer for the Thunder with just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.

James Harden came out of the gates slow but made a few big threes late and finished with 11 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Tony Parker, who dominated in the first two games of this series, scored just 12 points in Game 4 and averaged only 14.0 per game in Oklahoma City.

The adjustments the Thunder made in Game 3 and in the end of Game 2 have carried over into Game 4 and the Thunder now look to have control of this series.

The Spurs knew what was coming in Game 4 and could not counter well enough to get the win.

As we’ve seen in this series, playing on your home floor is a big deal. While the Thunder seem to have changed their style effectively to give them the advantage in this series, the Spurs have a chance to do the same as the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 Monday night.

Role players always play better at home and that’s why Durant closing out the game in such a dominant fashion is so important for the Thunder. He hadn’t really had it going in this series and no on the heels of a big game, might carry that over to the road and really give the Thunder a great shot to win Game 5.

Game 5 will tip at 9:00 p.m. EST on TNT Monday night.

Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have a chance tonight to even their series with the San Antonio Spurs at 2-2 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder lost the first two games of the series before winning Game 3 at home 102-82.

The Spurs and especially their offense looked unstoppable in the first two games but the Thunder adjusted in Game 3 and it really worked.

Thabo Sefolosha was the biggest change as he guarded Tony Parker for most of the game and put together his best game of the year with 19 points and six steals.

The Thunder continued with their small look that began being effective in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and they now look like they could have the upper hand in this series.

Kevin Durant has averaged 26.7 points per game so far in the series but still has yet to have a big game by his standards.

Russell Westbrook has been the quietest of the Thunder big three and scored just 10 points in the Game 3 win. He did play a very well-rounded game however also dishing out nine dimes.

Westbrook did not have to chase Parker around in Game 3 and tonight will probably not again and should start to find better rhythm offensively.

James Harden has also come on strong after a slow start to the series and is again the relentless attacker of the rim for the Thunder second unit. At home, Harden is always at his best and will have to be again for the Thunder to even this series.

The Thunder made adjustments and they worked in Game 3. The Spurs will try and do the same tonight. If they are going to win it will have to be with great ball movement and shot making because the Thunder know that their defensive strategy is working and they have the athletes to dictate the results of the matchup.

The game will tip a little earlier tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Tim Duncan scored 21 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks in another throwback Duncan game.

Duncan had a great series against the Clippers averaging 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting .594 percent from the field.

Chris Paul finally had a decent game for Los Angeles scoring 23 points to go with 11 assists but it wasn’t enough.

The Spurs were by far the superior team in this series and are frankly by far the best team in the NBA right now. The Spurs haven’t lost yet in the playoffs as they also swept the Utah Jazz in the first round and haven’t lost at all since April 11.

The Spurs will await the winner of Oklahoma City and the Lakers. The Thunder currently lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 tipping off tonight at 9:30 p.m. EST.

LeBron played 44 minutes in the game and had to play that well as the Heat were again without Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade was not himself until the second half.

Wade would come around with a huge second half and finish the game with 30 points, six assists and nine rebounds.

The Pacers didn’t have their usually advantage over the Heat yesterday as Miami outrebounded Indiana 47-38 and had more offensive rebounds as well (14-8).

The Heat shot 47.5 percent from the field while Indiana shot just 41.8 percent.

Roy Hibbert and David West combined for just 18 points and 15 rebounds and only played 60 total minutes as both were in foul trouble a lot.

The Heat will go back to Miami for Game 5 to try and take a 3-2 series lead Tuesday.

Kobe made his share of mistakes but played the best of any Lakers player in the last two games. He scored 38 points last night and has attempted 35 free throws in the last two games.

Kobe’s aggressiveness isn’t an issue but he thinks Pau Gasol’s is.

“Pau’s got to be more assertive,” Kobe said. “He’s the guy out there that we need. When he’s getting the ball he’s looking to pass. He’s got to be aggressive. He’s got to shoot the ball. He’s got to drive the ball to the basket and he will in the next game.”

Before Kevin Durant made the game-winning 3-pointers, the Lakers had the ball with the score tied at 98 and a chance to regain the lead.

Kobe and Gasol played the pick-and-roll and a double team forced Kobe to pass to Gasol who received the ball wide open from about 12-feet from the hoop.

Gasol bizarrely decided not to shoot and instead attempt a skip pass to Metta World Peace on the opposite wing which Durant intercepted.

“It was just a bad read,” Kobe said. “It was just a bad read on Pau’s part. It happens.”

In the final minutes of Game 4, the Thunder really turned up the intensity on defense. They hadn’t been doing a good job of stopping the Lakers all night but were able to completely turn that around on the final possessions.

Gasol seemed to become indecisive because of this and it resulted in the costly turnover. The Lakers will certainly need more from Gasol if they are going to come back from this 3-1 deficit and beat the Thunder in the series.

But it was Durant’s defense on Kobe Bryant in the final four minutes of the game that really swayed the momentum in the Thunder’s favor.

Kobe made a 17-foot fadeaway over James Harden from the right baseline to put the Lakers ahead 96-90 with 4:28 left in the game. Durant started covering Kobe after that shot.

“He said, ‘You get ‘em,’” Durant said of head coach Scott Brooks telling him to start covering Kobe. “I had to go guard him. I couldn’t tell Coach no. I didn’t want to back down from the challenge.”

Kobe missed his next five shots and only scored two more meaningful points the rest of the game.

Kobe had 34 points before Durant started guarding him and was for the second straight game killing the Thunder on offense in the post and getting to the free throw line.

Durant played Kobe some at the end of Game 3 and was effective then as well. Brooks probably saw this and knew it would be a good matchup for the Thunder at this point in the game.

“He wants to guard him,” Brooks said. “We like putting Thabo [Sefolosha], James [Harden] and Kevin on him. It was about three and [a] half minutes to go, and I made the decision. I thought that was the right thing to do at the time. Kobe was making shots like he always seems to do, but I thought Kevin did a good job of using his length and bothering him.”

Durant’s length is key to stopping Kobe. He is listed at 6-foot-9 but most people know he’s probably closer to 7-feet. With Kobe not having the quickness he used to, Durant doesn’t even lose anything guarding Kobe in that department either.

Kobe was having the most success getting physical with those defending him and fighting for position. He was getting a lot of foul calls on these plays in the last two games and it made defenders like Harden and Sefolosha have to be more tentative when contesting his shots.

Durant didn’t have to worry about playing physical. He could play off him and force him into tough, contested jumpers which he did.

“It was pretty much the same thing, except in the fourth quarter they crowd me and they shrink the floor,” Kobe said. “The driving lanes close off. [Serge] Ibaka’s more active coming off of rotations. But when you have the ball with the shot clock going down, it’s tough to get everybody in the right spots.”

Durant’s improved defense this season has been overlooked somewhat until last night. He has become more focused and engaged defensively and when he really locks in, he can be extremely effective on a number of elite players.

In the Thunder’s first meeting with the Miami Heat this season, Durant played and essentially shut down LeBron James in the same way that he did Kobe last night.

It is unlikely that Brooks would ever elect to have Durant cover Kobe for an entire game. But using him down the stretch on him to change things up and make Kobe alter his approach in crunch time is something we should expect again if another game comes down to the wire.

Kevin Durant showed the world again why he’s the most clutch player on the planet Saturday night.

With the ball in his hands and the game tied at 98, Durant walked into a 25-foot 3-pointer a la Rucker Park to give Oklahoma City the lead for good.

The Thunder would hold on to win the game 103-100 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 Monday night.

The Thunder were behind for almost the entire game before finishing the game on a 13-4 run in the final 4:15.

Durant’s three was the most clutch moment but it was his defense on Kobe Bryant in the final minutes that really was the reason why the Thunder came back.

With 4:28 left, Kobe made a 17-foot fadeaway over James Harden to put the Lakers up 96-90. Bryant would miss his next five jump shots mostly with Durant on him.

Bryant finished with a game-high 38 points on 12-for-28 shooting from the field and made 14-of-17 free throws.

Durant scored 31 points and had 13 rebounds in the game but Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 37 on the night and was 15-for-26 from the field in the game.

Westbrook really carried the Thunder offense in the second half while Durant had a hard time getting looks and getting to the line and Harden didn’t have his usually rhythm either.

The Thunder shot 49.4 percent from the field in the game and attempted just four less free throws than L.A. The Lakers did outrebound Oklahoma City by four including 18 offensive rebounds.

For the second time this series, the Thunder steal a game that the Lakers should have won. That’s what this team does this season. You have to beat them for 48 minutes.

The Thunder are now up 3-1 in the series and will host the Lakers Monday night for Game 5.

Russell Westbrook went down with an injury after slipping while running down the court just before the end of the first half of Game 4 vs. the Lakers.

A lot of players have been slipping in this game and it may have something to do with the fact that there is ice beneath the court because of the NHL Playoffs.

Westbrook looked to possibly hurt his groin or hip but this guy hasn’t missed a game since before high school, Thunder fans shouldn’t be too worried.

The Lakers lead 56-46 at the half. They are again getting a few more calls than the Thunder and doing a better job getting the 50-50 balls, something that the Thunder usually holds the edge in.

The style of the game again is favoring the Lakers but the Thunder have all year long played in games like this where it feels like they shouldn’t win and then they find a way to pull the game out. See Game 2.

Russell Westbrook is fine. It was his hip. He got manual treatment at the half and will return.

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) May 20, 2012

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally lost a game in these playoffs 99-96 last night to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3.

The Thunder were 6-0 before last night and while every loss hurts, losing at least once was inevitable for this Thunder team in the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant shot 18 free throws in Game 3 and made them all. Lakers fans will describe this as Kobe relentlessly attacking the rim while Thunder fans see it as Kobe getting way too many calls.

The game was called tight throughout with a lot of ticky tacky calls being made out on the perimeter. At the end of the game those calls were going more toward the Lakers’ favor which was unfortunate for the Thunder and also has to do with their style of play.

When a game is being called close on the plays where players are jockeying for position, it favors the team that plays more with their back to the basket.

The Thunder were all pick-and-roll down the stretch with James Harden a lot and Kevin Durant some too. They got their fair share of calls in the game but not when they needed them.

The Lakers would wind up shooting 41-for-42 free throws in the game and only made 11 field goals in the entire second half.

Kobe finished with 36 points to lead the team.

Andrew Bynum who has some success in the first two games scoring down low was only 2-of-13 last night but 11-of-12 at the line for his 15 points.

If the Lakers are going to win tonight they will need better efficiency from the field from Bynum and Pau Gasol.

The Thunder are going to need more from Russell Westbrook to turn this series back around and heavily in favor of Oklahoma City.

Westbrook holds the biggest matchup advantage against the Lakers and needs to get his midrange shot going early on tonight. He tried that in Game 3 but over aggressiveness found him an early seat on the bench.

Westbrook was really nowhere to be seen down the stretch too and while that sometimes feels good because it means more Harden and Durant, against the Lakers the Thunder are going to need more from him like in Game 1.

It is unlikely that the game tonight will be called as closely as Game 3. We’re not going to see 70 free throw attempts again.

The Lakers have their confidence back now though. It shouldn’t matter though because at the end of the day, talent always wins out and that’s good news for the Thunder.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Sunday that Kendrick Perkins had suffered a right hip muscle strain in the first quarter of Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks and is now listed as day-to-day.

Perkins likely would not have been able to play in any more of the Dallas series and may even miss some of the next round. That just adds to the importance of the Thunder’s 13-point fourth quarter comeback in Game 4.

Perkins had been the primary defender Oklahoma City used on Dirk Nowitzki in the series and Perkins’ value as a post defender may be in even higher demand if the Thunder play the Lakers in the second round, and it looks like they will.

Perkins’ return to play will be based on his progress and recovery in the coming days. Recovery time would normally take a week or longer for this type of injury but you’d have to assume that is he is close to being able to go then he will even if it’s a little too soon.

Day-to-day is not very telling of the injury as Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha missed over a month while being listed day-to-day.

The Thunder would have to play next as early as this coming Saturday (7 days after the injury) or as late as next Monday or Tuesday (9 or 10 days).

The Thunder will have home court no matter what but dealing with the Lakers’ frontline of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum won’t be easy without Perkins. The Lakers have the best 4-5 combo in the NBA and part of Oklahoma City’s success against Los Angeles has been their ability to contain the duo with Perkins and Serge Ibaka.

In the second half of Game 4 against Dallas, Brooks started Nazr Mohammed to stick with the usual rotation of bringing Nick Collison off the bench. If Perkins is not ready to play by Game 1 you would expect Brooks to do the same because you wouldn’t want to sacrifice the chemistry Collison and James Harden have with the second unit.

The Thunder should still be favored in a series with the Lakers even without Perkins but remember last year Oklahoma City traded Jeff Green for Perkins for this exact matchup with the Lakers.

The Thunder trailed 81-68 entering the fourth quarter and it looked like the series would be going back to Oklahoma City.

Then Harden took over the game. The Thunder offense went exclusively through him as it usually does when he’s out there with the bench unit and it also continues to when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook checked back in.

An interesting thing to note here too is that Scott Brooks took Durant out with a few minutes left in the third quarter and when he does that it usually means Durant will start the fourth quarter and play the rest of the game.

If Durant starts the fourth does Harden completely take over? Maybe not.

In the fourth quarter the Thunder would have 22 offensive possessions. Twenty of them came in the half court and 15 straight of them were Harden dribbling down, getting one pick and creating everything.

Let’s go through the entire fourth quarter for the Thunder.

The first three possessions, the Thunder run their Corner 2 set that featured Harden and Nick Collison in dribble handoff action.

Harden comes off a Collison screen and drives left to the paint and then finds Daequan Cook throwing a pass across his body for the three. When Harden makes passes, shooters make shots because the basketball Gods love his passes.

11:38 – Dallas up 81-71

Harden drives left again off of a Collison screen and the ball is poked away out of bounds by Delonte West from behind. Cook then finds Serge Ibaka wide open for a dunk on a slip from the baseline out of bounds play.

10:56 – Dallas up 81-73

Before the ball can go to Collison on the next possession, Derek Fisher reads an opening to drive on the pick-and-roll and then misses the pull-up jumper.

10:11 – Dallas up 83-73

Durant checks back in. Now the Thunder are just having Harden bring the ball up usually to the right wing and bring a screen to him above the 3-point line. Harden drives hard left and gets fouled from behind and gets the continuation layup to fall and makes the free throw.

9:29 – Dallas up 86-76

Harden this time when he gets into the paint goes to his right and misses the tough layup. Ibaka follows up the offensive rebounds and misses the putback.

9:00 – Dallas up 86-76

Harden gets the pick-and-roll but nothing is there right away. He backs off then goes straight into West on the isolation drive and finishes with a tough eurostep from 10-feet away. Dallas fans wanted the travel.

Here are his last two buckets.

8:33 – Dallas up 86-78

Westbrook checks back in. Harden gets his screen again and goes hard to his left finishing with the layup.

8:07 – Dallas up 86-80

Harden gets the screen but there isn’t a lot of space to drive and kicks back to Durant who comes up some to the right wing and Durant drills the three. Again, shooters knock down shots when Harden is the passer.

7:26 – Dallas up 86-83

Harden gets the pick and splits the defenders on his way to the huge monster dunk.

6:39 – Dallas up 86-85

Dallas now decides to go to their matchup zone so that Harden can’t as easily attack the paint. It works in a way. Harden has to kick out to Westbrook on the left wing after the pick. Westbrook drives and kicks back out to Harden who swings it to Durant on the right wing who nails the three.

6:05 – Tie game 88-88

Harden gets the pick again and quickly kicks out to Durant on the right wing. Dirk comes up to close out on Durant and Durant drives hard baseline past him and finishes with the flush.

5:33 – Dallas up 91-90

Westbrook strips Dirk on defense then finds a trailing Ibaka for the fast break dunk to give the Thunder their first lead of the quarter.

5:16 – Oklahoma City up 92-91

Dallas still in the matchup zone. Harden waives off the Ibaka screen and goes one-on-one on Jason Kidd. He drives to his right and misses the layup over Ian Mahinmi.

4:37 – Oklahoma City up 92-91

Harden again isolates with Kidd on him and drives left this time but loses his handle on the way to the rim. He regains it then kicks back out to Derek Fisher who drives in for the layup.

4:05 – Oklahoma City up 94-91

Dallas is back in man. Harden gets the screen and drives left. Jason Terry helps on the drive and Harden kicks out to Westbrook on the left wing who misses the 3-pointer.

3:34 – Oklahoma City up 94-91

Harden in the pick-and-roll and Mahinmi doesn’t hedge creating a situation where Harden has momentum driving right at Mahinmi. Harden gets to his right and is fouled shooting the layup and makes both.

3:00 – Oklahoma City up 96-91

Thunder try and go pick-and-roll again with Harden. Nothing is there and Harden kicks to Durant. The ball goes back to Harden at the end of the shot clock and he goes one-on-one with Shawn Marion on him and scores going to his left with the layup.

2:30 – Oklahoma City up 98-93

Dallas is looking to go back into their matchup zone here but the Thunder are overloaded on the left side of the floor. Dallas gets confused and Harden swings to Durant on the right wing before the pick-and-roll comes all the way. Dallas is scrambling and Durant finds Collison diving to the rim and he’s fouled shooting a layup and makes both free throws.

2:01 – Oklahoma City up 100-95

Dallas in the zone and Marion ends up on Harden who decides to just isolate on him. Marion is playing off him and Harden knows he can get the stepback three off. He misses it.

1:27 – Oklahoma City up 100-95

The Thunder go to Durant isolating at the top of the key. He has space and elects to go for the pull-up straightaway 3-pointer. He misses it.

0:48 – Oklahoma City up 100-95

The Thunder go back to Harden in the pick-and-roll while Dallas is back in man. Harden gets Kidd to switch on to him and then easily drives by him going to his right and the paint is wide open for him to finish with the layup.

So Harden scores 15 in the quarter and dishes out three assists (all for 3-pointers). The Thunder ran the same basic play on 15 straight half court possessions and it worked incredibly well.

I’ve said before that the Thunder are at their best doing exactly this. With Harden as the playmaker and Durant and Westbrook off the ball they are maximizing the three’s potential. We saw Harden of course do that in Game 4 and Durant too showed us how good he can be off the ball.

Westbrook’s greatest impact came on defense but he’s shown before how effective he can be off the ball when Harden has it.

It was so important for Oklahoma City to get Harden playing well in their first round series and that’s exactly what happened. The sweep of the defending champs proved that the Thunder are serious contenders and they will go as far as Harden takes them.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that starting center Kendrick Perkins suffered a right hip muscle strain in the Thunder’s Game 4 victory in Dallas Saturday night, as confirmed by an MRI.

Perkins was injured during the first quarter of Game 4 and did not return to the game. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

With the Thunder sweeping Dallas they will have as much time off as possible before their second round series begins.

The Thunder will await the winner of the Lakers-Nuggets series. The Lakers lead the series 2-1 and will play in Denver for Game 4 Sunday night.

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden took his game to another level Saturday night in Game 4 of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first round matchup with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.

The Thunder completed the sweep of the Mavericks winning 103-97 and outscoring Dallas 35-16 in the final quarter.

Harden scored 15 of his playoff career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and also had five assists, five rebounds and three steals in the game. Everything went through Harden in the fourth as he completely took over.

Oklahoma City trailed 81-68 entering the fourth quarter and Harden got hot quick. Down 86-73 with 9:29 left in the game Harden would score seven straight points and then find Kevin Durant open for a 3-pointer as the Thunder went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to three with 7:26 to play.

The Thunder continued their comeback in the next two minutes to take the lead behind a 3-pointer and three dunks.

Dirk Nowitzki made two free throws to cut the Thunder lead to 100-97 with 33 seconds left in the game only to see Harden respond again.

The offense continued to go through Harden until the very end. Harden isolated and scored on a layup with a second left on the shot clock and 10 seconds left in the game to put the finishing touches on the Thunder win.

The other Thunder players stepped up their games inspired by the elevated play of Harden.

Durant started making threes when he came back in the game in the fourth and finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Russell Westbrook struggled shooting on the night going 3-for-12 with 12 points but came up with a big steal from behind on Dirk that led to the fast break dunk for Serge Ibaka that gave the Thunder their first lead of the fourth with 5:16 left in the game.

Ibaka had the task of guarding Dirk for most of the night after Kendrick Perkins went down with a strained right hip in the first quarter and did not return.

Dirk scored 34 in the game but the Thunder defense rose to the occasion when they needed to, to get stops.

After Ibaka fouled out with just over two minutes left, Durant came up with three huge defensive rebounds and was noticeably more engaged on defense.

The Thunder once again look they are growing up in this series. It was another game that Dallas had in the bag and could have easily won but the Thunder never gave up.

They’ve played this way all season too and their ability to carry that into the playoffs and trust Harden to be the catalyst down the stretch has to make you think this team is a real contender this year.

Dallas is the first defending champ to be swept in the first round since Miami in 2007 lost 4-0 to Chicago.

The Mavericks were not the same this year and were clearly waiting for this summer to make some more moves.

Credit the Thunder for playing hard every game in this series and gutting out three really tough, close wins.

Oklahoma City will now await the winner of the Lakers-Nuggets series in the second round. The Lakers currently are up 2-1 but did lost Game 3 last night in Denver.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins suffered a right hip strain in the first quarter of Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks and will not return to the game.

The Thunder lead Dallas 26-24 after one quarter. Perkins had two assists and two rebounds in the quarter and has been the player assigned to cover Dirk Nowitzki the most this series.

Perkins has done a nice job on Dirk but Nick Collison traditionally does the best job on Dirk and certainly will play more minutes with Perkins out.

The Thunder have gone small a lot in this series playing Kevin Durant at the four and inserting Derek Fisher into the lineup. Expect to see that again tonight.

Oklahoma City is looking to sweep Dallas tonight and the Mavericks have come out tonight a lot better than they did in Game 3. The defending champs obviously won’t go down without a fight.

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have a chance tonight to sweep the defending NBA champions in the first round.

The series was tight through two games in Oklahoma City but the Thunder really came together in Game 3, blowing out Dallas on their home floor and taking the commanding 3-0 series lead.

Kevin Durant came alive in Game 3 after two tough shooting nights at home he made 11-of-15 shots in Game 3 and scored 31 points. He started off great scoring 15 first quarter points and making three 3-pointers.

If Durant can have another game like that it might be too much for this Mavericks team to overcome.

Russell Westbrook has continued to play at a very high level in this series as he just seems to not be challenged enough on offense. He is getting to the spots he wants to very easily for his pull-up jumper and hitting it at a high clip in the series (5-for-9 in Game 3).

Durant and Westbrook aren’t two players who are going to take it easy because their team is up 3-0. They haven’t taken a game off all season. So unless the Mavericks can improve drastically and you have to imagine their motivation will be lacking, look forward to this series not returning to Oklahoma City.

Dirk Nowitzki played two very tough games in the first two averaging 28 points in each but didn’t come up as his usual clutch self in the ends. The Game 3 loss felt like a crushing one for him and a changing of the guards in the West.

Last year’s Thunder team probably isn’t up 3-0 in this series. Winning those first two games then coming out the way they did in Game 3 is new to this year. The team is growing up and doing so in the playoffs, the most important time.

There were questions surrounding the Thunder heading into the playoffs and the Mavericks even looked like a team that could upset them or give them a very tough series. It’s clear now that the Thunder hold their destiny in their own hands. They have the talent to go all the way and if they can keep playing at this level they just might.

The game tonight will tip at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.