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.

Apr 25, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James passes off the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James is not your unanimous MVP everybody. Some idiot gave Carmelo Anthony a vote.

LeBron ended up with 120 of a possible 121 first-place votes to win his fourth MVP. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Michael Jordan have won at least four MVP’s in their career.

Kevin Durant finished second in the MVP voting while Anthony came in third-place.

Durant received 93 second-place votes, 21 third-place votes, two fourth-place votes and three fifth-place votes. Anthony finished with 16 second-place votes, 51 third-place votes, 27 fourth-place votes and 17 fifth-place.

Chris Paul finished fourth in the MVP voting and Kobe Bryant finished fifth. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan came in sixth and seventh place followed by James Harden in eighth place.

Russell Westbrook came in ninth place receiving just one fourth-place vote and six for fifth-place.

Obviously, LeBron winning the award was an easy choice. It’s very surprising that it wasn’t unanimous and if anyone should have received any first-place votes, it’s Durant and not Anthony.

Durant had one of the best seasons in NBA history as well. He nearly led the league in scoring for the fourth straight season while also shooting 50-40-90 and becoming just the seventh player in NBA history to do so.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Games 4-7 are all TBD

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

Be sure to check back here for the entire schedule.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who is the favorite in this series?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Thunder finally closed out the Rockets last night with a 103-94 victory. It took them three games, but they finally closed them out. This was a total team effort, and that is what finally enabled them to break through and get a victory.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 43 minutes, 27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists- A+

KD got a lot of help in this win, but he was still amazing for OKC. He wasn’t looking for his shot until the Thunder really needed it in the fourth quarter, and he helped them pull away. KD let the game come to him, and there is nobody in the NBA (maybe LeBron) that does that better than KD. Durant was also great at passing the ball when he needed to, and he set up his teammates very well in this win.

Serge Ibaka- 26 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks- C

Ibaka had another bad game and I really don’t like what I have seen from him over the last few games. He is pretty much invisible on offense, and he hasn’t been that intimidating force that he normally is on the defensive end. Ibaka will have to play a lot better in the upcoming series against the Grizzlies if the Thunder want any shot at advancing to the conference finals.

Kevin Martin- 40 minutes, 25 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds- A-

K-Mart had a simply amazing first half of offensive basketball last night, and then he tailed off in the second. However, he was so great in the first half that I don’t mind his disappearance in the second half. He had 21 points at the break for OKC, and this was huge because it took a ton of the pressure off of KD and allowed him to be fresh for the second half. Hats off to Martin, he received a ton of criticism after his awful game 5 performance, but he responded last night.

Reggie Jackson- 45 minutes, 17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds- A

Jackson played another great game last night, and he is starting to emerge as the second scoring option behind KD. Jackson is very good at attacking the basket (much like Westbrook) and his athleticism is off the charts. He is continuing to learn to control his game as he gets more and more playing time in these playoffs, and the results are just awesome.

Derek Fisher- 27 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals- A+

The numbers don’t do justice to how much Fisher impacted this game for the Thunder. Fish made countless big plays in the fourth quarter that helped put the Rockets away, and that is the definition of a clutch player. He was very good on defense in defending James Harden, and he knocked down some big three point shots when the defense collapsed on a KD drive to the basket. I have been a big critic of Fisher, but every since Westbrook went down Fisher has been great for OKC.

Thabo Sefolosha- 24 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals- C-

Much like Ibaka, Thabo had an overall bad game last night. He was a no show on offense and his defense wasn’t really up to par either. He was eventually replaced by Fisher late in the game when Thabo picked up his fourth foul, and he never got back into the game.

Nick Collison- 22 minutes, 10 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block- A

I don’t think it was a coincidence that the Thunder didn’t start playing well until Collison started playing well. Collison is a huge part of this team and he showed that in last nights win. He is a very good defender, and an exceptional passer for a guy his size. He also came up with some big points under the basket late in the game.

Kendrick Perkins- 4 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds, 2 turnovers- C

Perk better be ready for Memphis, he has had enough rest.

Scott Brooks- B+

I really liked the way Brooks handled Collison and Fisher’s minutes last night. He saw that Collison was playing well, and he kept him in. He also saw that the Thunder were struggling on offense, and he made a great substitution by bringing in Derek Fisher, who right now is a better offensive option than Thabo is. Brooks had a nice rebound game as coach from game 5′s disaster.

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

Everyone take a deep breath. This series is over.

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

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

The Thunder got a huge help from their bench tonight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apr 28, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) drives for the basket during the second quarter of game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

I hope you’re sitting down.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat has reportedly won the 2013 NBA MVP award and will be awarded the trophy before Game 1 of the Miami Heat’s second round series.

This will be LeBron’s fourth MVP award which puts him in rare company. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5) and Wilt Chamberlain (4) have won at least four MVP’s. LeBron also won the award in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 7.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game this season while shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from behind the three-point line.

LeBron had the best PER in the league for the sixth straight season at 31.6.

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is expected to finish second in the voting. Many believed the MVP race this year to be a two-man race between Durant and LeBron.

Durant was the early favorite this season but then LeBron and the Heat went on historic tears. LeBron had that stretch where he was shooting 70 percent from the field for like two weeks and then the Heat reeled off 27 wins in a row.

Meanwhile all Durant did was nearly lead the league in scoring while becoming just the seventh player in NBA history to have shooting percentages of 50-40-90. It was one of the best years in NBA history only that it coincided with an even better one.

Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and James Harden will probably round out the top five vote-getters for the MVP in some order.

LeBron is the deserving winner without a doubt.

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

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

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

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

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

Take a look at this:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May 1, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets center Omer Asik (3) attempts a free throw after being fouled repeatedly by the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half in game five of the first 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

I needed a few hours to let my go of my anger and frustration before writing a piece on what is going on in Oklahoma City.

My emotions post-game were just as bad as most Thunder fans: Worried, frustrated, dismayed, and uptight. Are the Rockets going to comeback from a 3-0 hole and make history? Is Kevin Martin that bad? Is Perk any help? Can the Thunder get one stop after scoring? Should the Thunder fire Scott Brooks?

You know the deal.

But, then reality sets in. The Thunder are up 3-2 in the series. The Rockets still have to win at home, and then go back to Oklahoma City and win another one. No team in NBA history has ever came back from a 3-0 deficit.

But, what makes Thunder fans so worried and in panic mode is…

Oklahoma City’s lack of scoring without Westbrook

Just so we get this straight: Kevin Durant is only human. After all, he is having an outstanding series. Last night, Durant put up 36 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. It’s the other guys who have to step up. Durant gets double teamed nearly every time he gets a touch. And when Kevin Martin goes  1-10, Sefolosha goes 3-8, Jackson goes 7-15, and Fisher goes 2-6, you’re not going to win. It’s just that simple.

Scott Brooks’ coaching decisions

I was going on a rant on twitter when the Thunder went into their “Hack-a-Asik” stage about how dumb it was.  Yes, I get it that Asik was a 56% free-throw shooter in the regular season. But last night, before the Thunder started the “Hack-a-Asik”, he was 5-7. Not only that, but the Thunder kept scoring and the crowd was getting into the game.  Oklahoma City cut the lead to six with four minutes to go, and at that point, as a coach, you just have to have confidence in your teams defense. But instead Asik was fouled two more times, and the lead was back to nine. The fouls on Asik changed the momentum. And it for sure changed the outcome of the game.

Getting stops defensively

It seemed as if after every Thunder basket, the Rockets came back and responded. Half of that goes to James Harden for being absolutely unguardable last night but the other half goes to Oklahoma City’s lack of focus on the defensive end. It’s a simple method in which if you can’t get stops, you don’t deserve to win.

Needless to say, the Thunder just need one more win and then they can forgot about Patrick Beverley and Francisco Garcia and move on.

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

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

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

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

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

— Royce White (@Highway_30) May 1, 2013

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

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

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

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

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