Feb 12, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) and head coach Scott Brooks react to a flagrant 1 foul call on Durant during the second half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Scott Brook’s contract was going to be up with the Oklahoma City Thunder back on June 30. Then he signed a four-year, $16 million deal to stay with the team.

But there was a chance this wouldn’t happen.

The Portland Trail Blazers were among the teams courting Brooks back then. Brooks had reportedly turned down three-year, $11 million offers with hopes that an agreement could be reached with the Thunder.

One of the things that would sway Brooks the most to stay in OKC was a text message he received from Kevin Durant.

When the clock ticked inside of what could best be described as a harrowing final hour of contract negotiations between Scott Brooks and the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer, the thing that ultimately kept the team’s coveted free agent coach from now pacing the sidelines of the Portland Trail Blazers was a text message.

It came from Kevin Durant.

“It was like the day before they got something done,” Durant said. “I think that day was the toughest.”

The message moved Brooks, who had been tied up in tense on-again, off-again talks that had put his future with the Thunder in jeopardy.

Via Darnell Mayberry/The Oklahoman

You can’t blame Durant for supporting his coach and sending that text but now the Thunder have Brooks for the next four years and now, more than ever, that’s starting to look like a bad thing.

Criticism first came Brooks’ way a few years ago when the Thunder were called out for running predictable plays on offense. Despite the talents of Durant and Russell Westbrook, late in games they were unable to get good looks at the basket.

This kind of went away last year as the Thunder made their run to the NBA Finals. The Thunder still didn’t look like the Spurs offensively but they had definitely made improvements and became a team that could close teams out with good offense.

This season the Thunder were supposed to take, once again, the next step. They had made it to the NBA Finals the year before and now they were supposed to become that hungry team that looked poise to win it all.

A recent slump has made you feel otherwise about this team. The blame feels like it has to be completely on Brooks.

The other big criticism of Brooks has been his substitution patterns. It used to be about him playing Kendrick Perkins far too many minutes, especially because it was instead of Nick Collison.

Most recently it is Brooks’ affinity to playing Derek Fisher that is puzzling.

Fisher was signed by the Thunder after the trade deadline just like last year. Except this year, the Thunder have no need for Fisher since Reggie Jackson has emerged as a more than capable backup point guard.

Still, Fisher is finding 12-18 minutes per game and the Thunder seem much worse off when this happens.

It’s a stubbornness that must exist in Brooks to rationalize playing Fisher and Perkins big minutes despite the overwhelming evidence that there are better options on the roster.

It’s a coach who doesn’t see the big picture. He likes those guys because they are veterans and leaders and are always striving their best to make the right play.

Brooks doesn’t realize that closing a game out with Collison or Serge Ibaka at center instead of Perkins is a no-brainer. He doesn’t realize that Ronnie Brewer should be playing instead of Fisher. Even Jeremy Lamb should have been given a shot instead of Fisher.

Brooks is just too hard on some of these young guys. The reason has to be because they aren’t great defensively yet. They don’t always make the right rotations at the right time and don’t appear to be as locked in as Perkins or Fisher is while they’re out there.

It’s something that is really holding back the Thunder this year. They’re not using all of their talents and that’s something you can’t afford to do in this league.

You can’t expect anyone with a personal relationship with Brooks to understand that he is not the man for the job. It’s nearly impossible to be able to have that perspective.

Brooks has served his purpose with the Thunder. He was there with them while they were young and helped them grow up. Now, it’s time to turn over the reins to someone else, someone who can coach a championship team.

Brooks is very far from proving he is a coach that can do that. Soon, it will be Thunder GM Sam Presti’s duty to pull the plug on Brooks.

Maybe it will be after this season, or maybe after the next but it really does feel inevitable at this point.

The Brooks era needs to end. Maybe it could have already had Durant not sent that text.

Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies 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 word “panic” and the regular season don’t go well together in Oklahoma City. In the NBA, teams can get the 8^th seed for the playoffs; get hot during the playoffs, and the next thing you know, they are receiving their ring. Especially for the Thunder, this team will only be judged on what they do in the postseason.

However, lets panic and worry a little bit, because hey, there’s something to panic about. It seems as if this Oklahoma City team has no identity after all. Back to back losses, at home against a hot Nuggets team, and in Memphis. Neither of those teams are contenders in the first place. So, why? What’s going on? Is it time to panic?

             1.       Derek Fisher taking up quality minutes

Scott Brooks always talking about having a veteran in locker room with pure experience and leadership. But, does that untimely mean he has to get big time minutes? Think about this for a second: If Oklahoma City’s “identity” is to run and get out in transition, why have Fisher in the minutes? He is clearly being overmatched night in and night out. Plus, I would definitely rather  have Brewer, Lamb, or Liggins on the floor.

        2.  Poor Shooting

The Thunder is 11 for 64 from beyond the arc in their last few games. Specifically, they shot an atrocious 5-21 against Dallas, 4 of 25 in a loss to Denver, and 2 for 18 in a loss to Memphis last night.

        3.  Inconsistency

One possession you can say to yourself, “This team is unstoppable, and unguardable ” and then the next possession Westbrook will drive and take a low percentage shot or it will just become isolation basketball. That can’t happen.

Lets see what others are saying:

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on Oklahoma City’s lost to Memphis and recent woes: “Like I said, they almost did enough to win this game. But it’s not enough, and that’s now losses to Denver and Memphis inside of a week. They need better late-game execution and better consistency in their sets. They have some things to work on.”

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman: “This could totally be a reactionary question. I’m willing to admit that. But what is the Thunder’s identity? Does this team have one? We know it has two all-league players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and wins a lot of games. But what exactly is this team’s hallmark beyond that? Defense? We’ve seen enough this season to know that’s closer to a dream than a reality. Offense? Then why such struggles when it matters most? Teamwork? That’s laughable. Inside? Outside? What is it? I can’t really tell you at the moment. But, hey, all these regular season wins sure look nice.”

Aren’t the Thunder lucky they play a poor Magic team on Friday? Phew.

Feb 27, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ronnie Brewer (8) enters the game in action against the New Orleans Hornets during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

It was supposed to be one of the sneaky-good moves at the trade deadline nearly a month ago. The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks while only letting go of a second-round pick.

It looked like the perfect acquisition for a Thunder team that was a little thin at the wing position. The Thunder had already seen DeAndre Liggins thrive in limited minutes this season and Brewer was just supposed to be a better version of Liggins.

Then the Thunder re-signed Derek Fisher and amazingly, that has meant basically zero playing time for Brewer.

“There’s not a lot of minutes right now,” Brooks said. “But we’re happy that we have him. It gives us an option if we need it. But right now he just has to stay ready.”

Via The Oklahoman

Brewer shouldn’t be seen as just an option for the Thunder. He is a quality player in this league that’s good enough to start on a number of teams.

It would be different if he couldn’t get minutes because the Thunder were so deep but the fact that Fisher is essentially playing over him makes no sense at all.

Brooks loves Fisher. It’s because Fisher is a great leader and pretty does all of the little things that make a coach feel good. Brooks was also a former backup point guard in this league and perhaps feels some sort of connection to Fisher.

This is a scary development for the Thunder though. The Fisher rental last year made sense. Reggie Jackson wasn’t cutting it as a rookie and Fisher brought some valuable things to the locker room.

But another rental this year and pushing Brewer to the end of the bench is inexcusable.

It’s funny too because there is this thing where you have to be a great, long, athletic athlete usually to find playing time with the Thunder. Brewer is that and Fisher is the opposite. It just doesn’t add up.

The Thunder don’t have the same margin for error that they did a year ago. James Harden is gone and the Thunder can’t afford to let up at anytime once the playoffs come around.

Playing Fisher, whether it’s over Brewer or not, only puts more pressure on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

It’s just very hard to feel good about the Thunder’s chances seeing Fisher get this much run.

Mar. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) looks to pass the ball against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

With a few questions lingering around the Thunder organization and fans, questioning why the Thunder weren’t playing well, those remarks and questions were all answered this week. A four game win streak that included wins in Los Angeles beating a talented and deep Clipper team, at home to play the “revived” Lakers, and in the one the toughest environments to play in beating the Knicks.

Being that it’s only the regular season, you can’t take too much out of Oklahoma City’s recent success. But, you can pick apart the little details that will make this team unstoppable come playoff time.

The Thunder’s bench has been absolutely brilliant as of late. Scott Brooks has had a minor change to rotation, as Hasheem Thabeet has not been playing as much as of late, with zero minutes against the Knicks. Also, Derek Fisher has virtually became Oklahoma City’s seventh man, backing up Westbrook. A big thanks to Oklahoma City bench success has been Reggie Jackson. He looks as if he’s a seventh year veteran on the floor. Directing, playing with a whole lots of confidence, and being the player Presti saw in him. Jackson hit timely three’s in the Knicks game to help the Thunder hold off the Knicks.

Another big key as of late has been the production of Serge Ibaka. Minus the stupid play on Griffin late in Los Angeles, Ibaka has been playing really well. He went for 12 and nine against the Knicks, and had 16 points against Blake Griffin and the Clippers.

Finally, most of this credit has to go to Russell Westbrook. We’ve heard the Kobe Bryant comparison that ESPN.com did, and it looks as if that jump started him on this streak. Westbrook seems “guardable” beating his guy to the rim every possession. He put up 37 points and 10 rebounds against the Lakers, 29 against the Clippers, and a solid 21 points against New York.

Now, here comes the second tough stretch for Oklahoma City. Today against Boston at home, in San Antonio (big one) on Monday, and a tough Jazz team at home on Wednesday. If Miami streak can come to end, the NBA needs to then take a look at how well the guys in the blue and yellow has been playing. Look out!

Nov 2, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Eric Maynor and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks talk during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With the trade dedline coming up Thursday at 3 PM EST, NBA fans have been on the ESPN trade machine all day trying to figure out ways to make their favorite team better and GM’s have been on the phone all day. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, there hasn’t been too much buzz, but we all know Sam Presti has something under his sleeve.

Here are some possible deals the Thunder could make before Thursday’s deadline:

According to Chris Broussard, ESPN.com, OKC is “aggressively” shopping PG Eric Maynor.

Well, its amazing how times change. Two years ago, we were sitting here talking about how Maynor is the best backup point guard in the league. Then, he goes down early last year with an ACL injury. After healing, comes back this year and disappoints and gets his spot taken by Reggie Jackson. And now, the Thunder are shopping him. Time to look at some possible ideas:

Maynor, Perkins, 1st round pick from OKC and 2nd round pick from Charlotte for Demare Carroll and Al Jefferson: Jefferson would give the Thunder more scoring and more quickness. However, losing Perkins would get rid of championship experience.

Maynor, Perry Jones III, and Daniel Orton to Utah for Derrick Favors and Kevin Murphy: With the Jazz needing a backup point guard and Maynor being in Utah before, this trade works. This would be a decent deal for Oklahoma City as the Thunder have been looking for an inside scoring presence for a while.

Rodger Sherman of SB Nation: “So who will move for Maynor? Berger mentioned the other team he’s played for in his NBA career, the Jazz, who are on the lookout for a backup point guard with Mo Williams still hurt and Jamaal Tinsley’s primary backup Earl Watson. Maynor would certainly be an improvement over Watson – and perhaps even Tinsley – but the Jazz might not have the pieces to land Maynor, for whom Broussard reports the asking price is high. Besides, Berger reports the Jazz’ front office is still torn up about whether to deal either Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap.”

So, send over the trade ideas. I do think the Thunder will deal Maynor before Thursday’s deadline because to be honest, as of now, he is no help to this team. Sititng on the bench supporting his team is great but doesn’t necessarily help the Thunder win a ring.

Fisher was signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder last season after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Houston Rockets where he was waived. Fisher chose the Thunder over the Miami Heat.

The Thunder were in need of a backup point to finish out last season after Eric Maynor had torn his ACL after just nine games and the rookie point experiment of Reggie Jackson was not thriving by any means.

Fisher came in and did his job and made a few big shots during the playoffs. That was expected.

Thunder head coach Scott Brooks did seem to like playing Fisher a little too much, often using him in OKC’s small lineups instead of a player like Thabo Sefolosha. Brooks would ride the hot hand after Fisher made a shot or two but usually it didn’t quite pay off for the Thunder.

Fisher is still considering the Thunder this offseason but it is very unlikely they are interested in signing him. Maynor is expected to be recovered from his injury next season and the Thunder have already signed Hasheem Thabeet in free agency and drafted Perry Jones III leaving just one more open roster spot.

The Thunder are not looking to add a fourth point guard unless they elect to re-sign Royal Ivey for very little money which is still a possibility.

Fisher, Ivey and Nazr Mohammed are the three Thunder players from last year’s team that may not be back in 2012-13. In fact, cross Fisher and Mohammed off that list for sure.

A lot of teams and players are making a lot of news in this so far exciting NBA free agency period but the Thunder are forced to stand pat.

The No. 1 priority for OKC is working on extensions for James Harden and Serge Ibaka and possibly Maynor as well. The task of keeping Harden and Ibaka long-term is not an easy one and it is believed that both will have to accept less money to remain with the team down the road.

The last thing the Thunder want to see is the free agency market determine their values. We have seen already this offseason what that can mean with Eric Gordon receiving a max-offer from Phoenix and the money being thrown at guys like Roy Hibbert and Nicolas Batum.

Both Harden and Ibaka can expect to see excessive cash offered their way if they are free agents next summer. OKC does not want to see that happen.

Brooks and the Thunder have been working on a deal since the season ended and it was really just a matter of time before the two sides reached an agreement.

“Continuing with Scott as our head coach is extremely significant for the future of our organization,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said in a press release. “As we have continually communicated, he has been integral to our success and we have a deep appreciation for his tireless dedication to our players’ development. His experiences and core values are invaluable to our players as they continue to grow and improve and we are thrilled to continue our partnership.”

Presti has been adamant all along that Brooks was his guy and would be a part of the Thunder organization moving forward.

“I would like to thank Clay Bennett and Sam Presti for the opportunity to continue with the Thunder,” Brooks said. “Oklahoma City is a special place and I’m eager to build upon the foundation and culture of this franchise for years to come.”

Signing Brooks was the first step this offseason. Next up is dealing with James Harden, Serge Ibaka and Eric Maynor who are all eligible for contract extensions themselves this summer.

All three have talked about sacrifice in regards to their futures with the Thunder and they all will likely have to sacrifice a little cash to remain with the organization.

The Thunder have also met with free agent Hasheem Thabeet and they may take a flyer on the former No. 2 overall draft pick as well to fill out their roster.

The Thunder have signed Brooks to a 4-year deal worth a little over $4 million per year.

The two sides were working on a deal ever since the NBA Finals ended a few weeks ago. At first, the Thunder wanted to sign Brooks for three years while Brooks wanted four.

The Thunder offered Brooks a 4-year, $16 million contract that Brooks turned down a few days ago.

It was only a matter of time before the two sides came to an agreement.

Thunder GM Sam Presti said all along that Brooks was very important to the team and the culture they have established in Oklahoma City.

Brooks made around $2 million per season the last two years. For perspective, Erik Spoelstra makes around $3 million per year, Tom Thibodeau makes around $2 million, Rick Carlisle makes $4.5 million and Gregg Popovich is closer to $6 million.

There were rumors a week or so ago that the Thunder and Brooks were not close on a deal and that OKC would pursue a candidate like Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy if they could not work it out with Brooks.

Presti dispelled those rumors as “rubbish” when asked about them.

Brooks has been great for the Thunder so far but he hasn’t been perfect. Brooks was outcoached in the NBA Finals and failed to make necessary, obvious adjustments to give his guys a better chance of beating the Heat.

Like the Thunder, Brooks will learn from that series and expect the Thunder to come back next season much stronger, led by Brooks.

Brooks’ contract is up at the end of June and the two sides are reportedly “not close” to a new deal, according to a source.

The crux of the problem is that Brooks, based on the team’s accomplishments, has been vastly underpaid the last two seasons, making $1.9 million and $2.1 million. The Thunder originally offered him a three-year extension worth between $11 million and $12 million before the season and, in light of this year’s success, increased the offer to roughly four years for $16 million.

Those figures are in line with the NBA’s new economic model, where championship-winning Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made $3 million this year, according to sources, and last year’s championship-winning coach, Rick Carlisle of the Mavericks, signed an extension that only netted him a $100,000 raise — from $4.5 million to $4.6 million — in the first year of his new deal.

via ESPN’s Ric Bucher

Brooks is a huge part of this Thunder team going forward. The Thunder organization wants to keep him.

The Portland Trailblazers plan to go after Brooks if he is available so the Thunder would like to get this deal done before that. Perhaps Brooks is waiting on the kind of offer he could receive from Portland.

It is still most likely that Brooks will be back with the Thunder. He wants a 4-year deal and if the Thunder have to bump it up slightly from $16 million they probably will.

It’s not as if there are coaches waiting in line this offseason to come coach the Thunder. The rumors of Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are not true and Thunder GM Sam Presti called them “rubbish.”

Brooks would really want to go for him to not be back next season. That’s not the case so expect this deal to get done in the next few days.

The two sides have yet to come to an agreement. The lack of a decision a week or so ago was said to be because the Thunder would not offer Brooks a 4-year deal but now they have.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have added a fourth year to a contract extension offer to coach Scott Brooks, but the two sides still have significant differences on salary, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Brooks’ contract expires on Saturday, and he could immediately become a candidate for the Portland Trail Blazers , sources said. Thunder GM Sam Presti and Brooks’ agent, Warren LeGarie, have had conversations this week, but there is still a gap between the sides.

via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

Presti dismissed any rumors about the Thunder targeting any coach besides Brooks when names like Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were rumored last week.

Presti spoke very highly of Brooks during the team exit interviews saying how Brooks was just as important to the culture they are trying to create in Oklahoma City as anyone.

Brooks and the Thunder will likely come to an agreement soon. The delay in getting a deal done is largely in part to the Thunder’s deep run in the playoffs this year.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been getting better every year. They’ve been doing so at an alarming rate, always seeming to take the next step sooner than one would expect.

The Thunder have lost to the eventual NBA champion in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, most recently in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat.

The Thunder represent potential and the future look of a dynasty more than any team in the league including the Heat.

How should we look at this season though? Was it a success? Or did the Thunder fail by not winning in the Finals?

It’s harder than you think to really say what this season was. People have been picking the Thunder to make it to the Finals ever since last season. Despite being so young they have adequate talent to compete for a championship.

You could even argue that the Thunder were the more talented team than Miami this year and especially in the playoffs. How can that not be considered a failure then to lose in the Finals to a team you have more talent than?

The key is to look at how they lost. The Thunder did look great in the first three rounds of the playoffs and did look better than Miami heading into the Finals but things change in the Finals. They certainly changed for the Heat who got Chris Bosh back and made all the right moves to beat the Thunder.

The Thunder finally looked young again against the Heat. They won Game 1 but they were affected by the big stage some.

James Harden was a no-show in the series after being, at times, the best player on the floor for the Thunder during their playoff run.

That’s the kind of thing that can happen in the Finals, the kind of thing that stops happening once you’ve been in the league a little longer and accumulated enough experience.

The Thunder started playing worse in the Finals and when it was time for them to adjust and shake things up more than ever, Scott Brooks chose not to. Brooks stuck with what got the Thunder there all year long which may be a good message in the long run despite being the wrong decision in the series.

The knock on the Thunder in the past was always that it might not work well enough, the dynamic between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. A point guard shouldn’t score that much and Durant needed more touches.

Durant and Westbrook proved this season that they are capable of winning a championship together and that it’s just a matter of time until they do so. The dynamic works and when it is, they are impossible to stop.

Durant had the toughest possible task in these Finals: matching up with LeBron James. He stood toe-to-toe with the MVP of the league and one of the greats of all-time who is right smack in the middle of his prime right now.

LeBron was playing at an all-time level in the playoffs putting up stupid numbers. He and Durant were considered the two best players in the league as the series started. People who know hoops know LeBron is clearly better all-around but that it doesn’t always matter. Some thought Durant had a chance to change the conversation and prove he was top dog.

As it played out, LeBron showed why he is the better player right now. But the important thing to note is that when these two play each other, LeBron isn’t always the best player every night. In Game 1, Durant was a better player than LeBron. It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to say that about someone.

In Game 4, when Westbrook scored 43 points and the Thunder still lost, he was the best player on the floor. LeBron may have played the perfect game at that time to counter Westbrook’s prowess but it was again, another example of the Thunder giving us a glimpse into the future with their potential.

History will say that the Heat beat the Thunder in five games and beat them four straight times. That’s true but it wasn’t your average 5-game series. The Thunder had an extremely good chance to win each of the first four and simply weren’t as fortunate as they needed to be, and could have been.

That’s why this season is a success for OKC. They took the next step even if it was losing in the NBA Finals and hurt so bad. We all know they will be back and they will be better for it.

A title this year would have been nice but this wasn’t a great OKC team yet. It was a very good one but they haven’t hit that championship level yet we’re waiting on.

Next year might be that year for the Thunder. Back to the regular 82-game schedule expect the Thunder to tear through the regular season with a hunger we haven’t seen in this league in a long time.

Dynasties always begin with a huge regular season and dominance in the playoffs. If the Thunder win 65 games next year, we’ll know what’s coming in the playoffs.

“As we’ve said before, Scotty is an integral part of our organization and critical to our success,” Presti said. “And we value him greatly. We’re looking forward to having those conversations, as he said, in the coming days. But he’s been integral to our success. We wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in without him and his commitment to the organization and to our players.”

Presit was asked about the rumors from earlier this week that the Thunder would pursue Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy if they couldn’t work it out with Brooks.

“To me, it’s rubbish,” Presti said.

Brooks will more than likely get an extension in the next few days. Sources said that Brooks wanted a deal with four years guaranteed and the Thunder would rather give him just two or three.

Presti and the Thunder organization are committed to what they have right now from the players to the coaching staff. They came close this year to winning the title and they feel no need to shake things up too much to improve their chances of getting back to the Finals.

The NBA Draft is this Thursday and the Thunder hold the 28th pick. It has been thought that they would rather move the pick then draft a player they’d have to pay for the next few seasons, especially when priority No. 1 is to do everything possible to keep James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

“We have the 28th pick, and we’re going to look to see what’s there that we might be able to add to our team, whether it’s now or in the future,” Presti said. “I wouldn’t say that we’re looking to move our draft pick. I’ve read that some places. If there’s a player on the board that we feel like fits our organization, fits our identity, we’ll draft him. If we feel like there’s a better way to use the draft pick, then we’ll look at that.”

The Thunder are unlikely to draft a player that late in the first round that is able to contribute significantly by next season.

There is some potential with a few players that will be available around those rounds, mostly players who stayed in college for three or four seasons.

The Thunder organization has been compared to San Antonio who became a dynasty largely due to their savvy draft choices late in the first round and in the second round. That is one of the next steps for this Thunder franchise to become a dynasty.

Presti isn’t calling the Thunder a dynasty yet, they surely need to win one title before they can be crowned that, but Harden used the word a few times during his exit interview.

“I didn’t realize James was such an aficionado of 80s television,” Presti said of Harden.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been a few days now since the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Game 5 of the NBA Finals and lost the series to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

The last few days have been about mourning, feeling sorry for this team, feeling excited about its future and feeling proud of what they accomplished.

Now we can look back at the series.

The Heat won in five games but it was a lot closer than that. Through the first four games the teams were separated by a total of five points in Miami’s favor. If five or six plays had gone OKC’s way instead of Miami’s, we could be talking about how they won the title this year instead of having to wait until next year.

LeBron James was the MVP of the Finals and deservedly so. He played at an all-time level in the playoffs and that carried straight over into the Finals. His 29-10-7 averages in the five games were one of the best ever.

LeBron adjusted to the series too with what his team needed from him, scoring more in the first few games then playing the role of distributor from the low post in the last two games. It was everything the Heat could have wanted from their MVP.

But the Thunder still could have won the series even with LeBron playing at that level. He was certainly the best player for Miami but take away a few of the X-factors in the series and the Thunder beat the Heat.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The lineups

The lineups situation is probably the biggest regret for Thunder fans. Miami comes out in the series not starting Chris Bosh and going with a small lineup consisting of Shane Battier and LeBron at the forward slots.

It was unknown at first if this would benefit Miami more than hurt them but we quickly found out what would happen. The Heat started off Game 1 hitting a ton of threes led by Battier who was wide open too many times.

The Thunder did not take advantage of their size advantage and that gave Miami a crucial edge.

In a series when someone does something that works, you adjust to it. The Thunder should have done this after at least Game 2. They got out to very slow starts in each of the first three games of the series and their starting lineup was clearly not working.

The Thunder had essentially started the same five guys for a year and a half and Scott Brooks did not want to change what got the Thunder to this point. But he probably should have.

Kendrick Perkins did just about nothing in this series and after the series ended, we found out he was playing with a partially torn groin as well.

Not only should Perkins have played significantly less in this series but there was even an excuse to make that decision. If we saw the last three games with Nick Collison on the floor instead of Perkins for OKC, they might win the series.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden

The Beard was not feared in this series because it was basically nonexistent. James Harden averaged 12.4 points in the series, shot .375 percent from the field and .318 from three.

This was nowhere close to the Harden that was sometimes the most important player in the Thunder’s run to the Finals.

Miami was definitely going to be the best defense OKC had played so far in the playoffs and the slow start to the series was understandable for the 22-year old Harden but never finding his groove was unacceptable.

Harden was forced to defend LeBron way too much in the final three games of this series and this may have aided in Harden’s inability to get going on offense.

This Thunder team needed him though not only to score more but become their best playmaker which he was all season. The Thunder averaged just over 15 assists per game in the Finals which was much worse than their season average which was last in the NBA.

The Thunder desperately needed someone who could create offense for others and with Russell Westbrook not exactly being that guy – especially against a Heat defense that does such a good job taking away your number one options – Harden needed to step up.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra was taking a ton of Heat before this series started and even dating back to last season. He just seemed to be potentially holding this Heat team back or not being dominant enough of a personality to reign in LeBron and Wade.

Spoelstra was significantly outcoached last year in the NBA Finals by Rick Carlisle but that sure wasn’t the case this year.

Beginning with his decision to go small and use LeBron as a point power forward, it felt like Spoelstra made all the right moves while Brooks was kind of stick in neutral.

The Heat roster was not as talented as Oklahoma City’s this year but they were put in the better positions to succeed in these Finals.

Normally, Spoelstra’s lack of a consistent rotation was criticized but whenever he shook things up in this series, the new sub would come in on fire from three whether it was Norris Cole or Mike Miller.

This is what coaching in the NBA is though. You go with your gut on some decisions and when they work (guys make shots) you look like a genius. When they don’t (guys miss shots) you’re an idiot.

Spoelstra had the edge in this series over Brooks and maybe it was just a perfect matchup for Miami. They had the experience, they had LeBron capable of playing the four and not sacrificing anything, and they were more fortunate.

We will remember in this series a few things about the coaches. We’ll remember the moves Spoelstra made all seemingly working and we’ll remember Brooks not pulling the trigger on a couple of things that he probably should have.

So the Heat won and LeBron was the Finals MVP. But they didn’t win just because of him. A million things happened in these five games and if just three or four of them went the Thunder’s way instead of Miami’s, they win the championship.

Alright, that’s enough thinking about what could have been because what will become with this Thunder team can only make you smile.

Kevin Durant and the Thunder players know that their time will eventually come as long as they continue to work hard. But the taste of losing in the Finals isn’t one they liked either.

Below are some quotes from the players and head coach Scott Brooks. All of the quotes are courtesy of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman and Daily Thunder editor Royce Young.

Kevin Durant

On losing in the Finals: “That was a great lesson for us. Sometimes you learn a lot from failures. That’s going to fuel us. Experience really is the best teacher and really does matter at that time. It was a great lesson for us.”

On Thunder-Heat becoming a rivalry: “I hope so. I would enjoy that. That would be fun to make that Heat-Thunder rivalry. I enjoy competing against LeBron James. I enjoy trying to kill him every time down.”

On if he and LeBron could have a Bird-Magic type rivalry: “Well I hope so. I would enjoy that.”

“We don’t have to make any major changes. We don’t have to get a whole new team in here. We just have to stick to what we’ve been doing. We wanted this one. We never accepted us being too young or us waiting our turn.”

On the Olympics: “I might pick up a ball & go hoop tomorrow…My hobby is playing basketball. The Olympics is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. I just can’t wait until it starts up.”

On Westbrook: “Russell was great this year at helping everybody out, being more vocal, controlling his emotions a little bit more and just leaving it all out there for the team. You see one of your main guys doing that you don’t have nothing to do but follow it.”

On the 4,000 fans greeting the team at the airport: “It was just amazing to see how many people supported us, especially after a loss. In most cities, that would never happen. That makes us want to get back there and try to win it for them even more.”

Scott Brooks

On Perkins: “I give him a lot of credit. Most players might have shut it down and called it a season, but he fought. We wouldn’t put our players in a position that would endanger their career, but he was able to play through a lot of pain.”

On his contract talks: “I’m sure in the next couple of days we will sit down and get together.”

On his late-game speech: “At that point, the game was over. Not that I conceded and said we can’t come back from a 25-point deficit. But there’s messages that you can send throughout the game, throughout the season. I thought that was a important message to send.”

On LeBron: “It wasn’t natural what he was doing on the court. You don’t see that often. He was at a special level that I’ve never seen before.”

James Harden

When asked if money or team success was more important: “This is something special here. A dynasty is being built here. We’re winning, we’re having fun and we’re brothers. The other stuff, you can’t buy it.”

On his contract: “I love it here. I’m just leaving it up to my agent and Sam (Presti). They’ll do a pretty good job of working it out. I’m focused on several other things right now. But when the time is (right), they’ll figure it out and it’ll be done.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder showed nothing but class as they exited the NBA Finals Thursday night, losing Game 5 in Miami 121-106.

It was an embarrassing defeat for a team that worked so hard all season and just didn’t have it when it mattered most.

Head coach Scott Brooks with time still on the clock gave his team one last speech that summed up what this team and franchise is all about.

You can argue that Brooks should have saved the speech until later, when the game was actually over and not shown the white flag to his players before time had run out even though OKC was not coming back.

But what he said cannot be questioned. It was perfect. He told his players to treat the Heat like champions when the game ended. A real class act.

There has been some news surrounding Brooks and the situation with his contract which is up at the end of June. He and the Thunder still have not reached an agreement on a possible extension.

After seeing this and really even without seeing this speech, it is so clear that Brooks is everything this franchise is about and needs to stay. He may have been outcoached in these Finals but he is so important to what the Thunder organization is trying to build.

Head coach Scott Brooks and the Thunder were close but just didn’t have quite enough to get over the hump and beat the Heat.

Now that the season is over, some of the focus will shift to Brooks and his current contract situation. Right now, his contract will be up at the end of June. Brooks and the Thunder have been working on a deal but they have yet to come to an agreement yet.

The Thunder’s deep run into the playoffs has delayed our knowing of the outcome of this situation. We know that Brooks earlier had said no to a contract extension.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that Brooks would like four years guaranteed while the Thunder would prefer just two or three.

Brooks has been as much a part of this team’s growth as anyone. The players love him and he has been instrumental in the team’s progress over the years.

The Thunder organization certainly would prefer not to part ways with Brooks but the NBA is a business and as shocking as it may seem now, it could be a possibility.

Adding to the situation is the fact that Brooks was outcoached in the NBA Finals. There has been criticism of Brooks and his coaching in the past, mostly concerning the stagnant offensive sets OKC runs but that kind of went away this year.

Brooks’ woes resurfaced some in the NBA Finals. Many will give him a pass which is fair too but it is hard not to think that what seemed like an obvious lineup change could have put the Thunder in position to win the title this year.

After coming so close this season, there aren’t a whole lot of people that are thinking about changing this Thunder core, including their head coach.

There have been a few names rumored as potential targets for the Thunder if they are unable to reach an agreement with Brooks. Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are among the names but they are nothing more than rumors at this point.

In the upcoming week or so, we will continue to learn more about what is going with Brooks’ contract. Odds are, he will be with the Thunder next year but it wouldn’t be totally surprising if he’s not.

Coming into the NBA Finals, the Thunder were favored to win a rightfully so. They had home court and were playing the better basketball in the playoffs.

But things change in the NBA Finals. They always do. Some players rise to the occasion and some wilt.

Things changed for both the Thunder and the Heat in this series. Here’s a look at some of those changes:

Isolation plays

The Thunder were the best isolation team in the NBA this season and they carried that over into the playoffs. OKC’s isolation-heavy offense was always one of the knocks against them but it didn’t matter until now.

The Heat are the best defense the Thunder have faced so far in the playoffs and it is most evident in the isolation numbers. The Thunder are being forced into more isolation plays in this series and they have become less efficient.

The same can be said for Miami’s offense although their drop in efficiency isn’t as drastic.

Kevin Durant and James Harden have significantly become less efficient in isolation plays in this series.

Durant has been isolating more often which really isn’t a good idea and it has played right into Miami’s hands. Harden’s isolations are usually not planned and come after switches but he has been unable to take advantage of that in this series.

Dwyane Wade is the only player to have improved in this department in the Finals. Wade has come through with some big shots in the past few games in the fourth quarter on iso plays.

The pick-and-roll

The Thunder relied on their pick-and-roll game more than anything else and anyone else before this series. Miami’s defense has limited these opportunities in the Finals.

The Thunder are getting much fewer scoring opportunities in the pick-and-roll in this series and reverting to more isolation. This has happened because Miami has focused on taking the ball out of the pick-and-roll ball handler’s hands and forcing the Thunder to their second and third options.

The Thunder are actually more efficient scoring in the pick-and-roll in this series. If we see OKC come out and get looks within the pick-and-roll, it will really improve their chances at extending this series.

Miami has been largely the same with their pick-and-roll game. Oklahoma City isn’t the best in the league at defending it and it has really cost them in this series.

We see that Durant and Westbrook have been great when they get looks in the pick-and-roll, mainly Durant. The Thunder need to go to their Durant-Westbrook pick-and-roll more in Game 5 instead of simply isolating Durant so much.

Harden has really struggled in this department. He isn’t creating as many assists in the pick-and-roll or scoring. This was a huge weapon for the Thunder all season and suddenly not having it in this series has made it extremely difficult for them to win.

Once again, we see Wade has improved in this series in the pick-and-roll game. Wade hasn’t been extremely effective in this series but taking a closer look it is clear that he is coming through in some important situations for Miami.

In the post

Both teams have posted up slightly more in this series. The Thunder still rarely do it and haven’t been too effective when they have.

The Heat were scoring in the post before this series but the Thunder have actually contained them pretty well in this series.

The Heat have scored a lot from offensive rebounds and cuts in the paint in this series which isn’t represented in this chart.

There has been a lot of attention surrounding LeBron James’ improved post game in the Finals and in this season in general but as you can see, he’s still not dominant there.

In Game 4, the Thunder went to double LeBron a lot while he was in the post and he made them pay by finding open shooters for threes. The Thunder really don’t need to do that as much however much they feel the need to.

One thing that changed as this series went on is Durant guarding LeBron less. Scott Brooks took Durant off LeBron at the start of Game 4 to avoid foul trouble and LeBron responded by taking the smaller defenders into the post.

Durant may need to guard LeBron more in Game 5 for the Thunder to extend this series. A lot of the fouls Durant picked up came in transition and on bad decisions to reach. In one-on-one situations in the post, Durant has been fine defending LeBron.

Amazingly, Wade has not scored on a post-up all series.

Spot-up shooting

You guessed it, the Heat have been better than OKC in this department. The Heat really improved in this series at hitting spot-up shots while the Thunder got worse.

This has certainly been one of the X-factors and if the Thunder are to come back, having an advantage here will be crucial.

Shane Battier is literally off the charts this series as a spot-up shooter and it’s no surprise to anyone. He scored 17 points in each of the first two games and helped change this series in Miami’s favor.

Durant has also been fantastic as a spot-up shooter and always is. But Harden’s drop off from “off the charts” to completely ineffective has also hurt the Thunder.

Harden who makes a living from being an efficient player, has been so inefficient in this series in every way. If there’s one thing that needs to change in Game 5, it’s him having a big game for the Thunder.

Conclusion

The Heat are up 3-1 in this series but every game has been very close. The consensus is that the Heat have shown more poise down the stretch and come up big when they have needed to.

The Heat have effectively taken the Thunder out of their comfort zones on offense and exploited their weaknesses on defense.

Give Erik Spoelstra a ton of credit this series. Using Battier in the starting lineup and attacking Durant as a helper on defense has really been big for the Heat.

The Thunder can still win this series though and at least take it back to OKC. If they can find offense earlier in the shot clock and on their first options, they will be in good shape.

But if Game 5 looks like the last few with a little too much isolation for OKC and them not getting the looks they want, we could be talking about LeBron winning his first title tomorrow.

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

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

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

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

The Bigs

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

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

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

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

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

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Spot-up shooters

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prediction

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

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

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

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

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

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat 91-85 Sunday night to fall behind 2-1 in the series.

The Thunder continue to leave a lot on the table in this series and have yet to play their best basketball.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting in 39 minutes but for the second straight game found himself in foul trouble.

Durant left the game with 5:41 to play in the fourth quarter and OKC leading 60-54. The Thunder would be outscored 15-7 the rest of the quarter.

“Not foul,” Durant said when asked about getting into foul trouble. “I mean, I don’t know. I’m just trying to play aggressive on both ends, and unfortunately I’m getting some fouls called on me, but I’ve got to play through it. Two games in a row, man, so I’ve just got to play smarter next game, and hopefully I don’t get no fouls called.”

Durant came back to start the fourth and would only score four points in the final 12 minutes. He clearly had lost any rhythm he found up to that point.

The referees aren’t totally to blame for the Thunder losing the last two games of this series but it’s hard not to notice them, and that is never a good thing.

In Game 2, Durant had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds when a blatant shooting foul by LeBron James was ignored. In Game 3, Durant did not deserve all four of the fouls called on him.

Durant doesn’t totally help his case though for picking up four fouls. He was actually pretty out of this game in the first half. He wasn’t giving enough effort on defense rotating or boxing out and picked up another stupid foul reaching at LeBron James in transition.

It’s not the whole series but the calls have definitely been an advantage for the Heat thus far.

Scott Brooks did not help his team in Game 3 when Durant got into foul trouble. He took Durant out after his fourth and then took Russell Westbrook out shortly later claiming that is when Westbrook normally gets his rest and he had a few bad possessions.

This was unacceptable. The Thunder were playing without Westbrook and Durant for over four minutes to end the third while the Heat had LeBron and Dwyane Wade on the floor during most of that time.

Westbrook had to be in during that stretch especially with James Harden struggling for most of the night (9 points, 2-for-10 from the field).

It’s the NBA Finals and Brooks is still stuck on trusting “what they’ve done all year” when there’s no time for little mistakes like this. It’s the same thing with him continuing to start Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins played better in Game 3 but it’s still an issue having him in the starting lineup. It eventually was probably a bad thing too that he played so well because it caused Brooks to play him over Serge Ibaka in the fourth quarter.

How is it possible that we are watching a team in the NBA Finals and thinking that two of the five players on the court shouldn’t be there? Shouldn’t this be clear enough already?

That’s what we have with the Thunder. Perkins and Derek Fisher are in the game midway through the fourth quarter while Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha are sitting on the bench. There is no excuse for this. There is no time for rest.

The Thunder have a good enough team to beat the Heat. They could very easily be up 3-0 in this series right now. Instead they’re down 2-1 and the chances of them winning suddenly seem very bleak.

One thing the Thunder have done in every playoff series so far this year is improve the further they have gone on. The Thunder will have to continue this trend to come back and beat the Heat and did show some signs of that in Game 3.

The home team for Games 3, 4 and 5 has won all three of those games just twice since 1985. The Heat would have to become the third team to do so to avoid going back to Oklahoma City.

The Heat were up 2-1 in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks last year before losing the next three games of the series.

All hope is far from lost for the Thunder.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a decision to make, or at least they should. Their starting lineup has not gotten off to good starts in the first two games of the NBA Finals.

The Thunder fell behind 20-10 in the first quarter of Game 1 and 18-2 in the first quarter of Game 2.

Should the Thunder change their starting lineup? Absolutely. Will they? Nope.

“My mind is not racing that I’m going to throw everything out that we’ve worked on all year that we’ve got to this point with,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “I just want to do things better, and I think that’s always been our battle cry. Every time we have a tough stretch of the season, just get back to what we do and let’s just do it better, and I think that’s what we’re going to do into (Sunday) night’s game.”

Kendrick Perkins is the problem with their starting lineup. He has basically done nothing for the Thunder so far in this series. It’s just not a good matchup for him.

Perkins does three things well on a basketball court: defend the post, set screens and be annoyingly physical. That’s it. He’s been unable make an impact doing those things so far against the Heat and instead has been exploited by the Miami starting five.

Many are calling for the Thunder to change their starting lineup to a smaller one to match the Heat. This would mean inserting James Harden for Perkins and sliding Kevin Durant down to the four.

Starting Harden would not be the answer either. It might help at the beginning of the game but bringing Harden off the bench is one of the Thunder’s greatest strengths.

Nick Collison would make a much better option starting for the Thunder. Collison has the best plus-minus of any Thunder player so far in this series while playing less than 20 minutes per game.

Collison is versatile enough too to match up with Shane Battier spotting up or defend Chris Bosh in the pick-and-roll. He and Serge Ibaka are also the Thunder’s two best offensive rebounders so they’d still be able to hopefully take advantage of that as well.

“When we don’t play well, we usually don’t point to lineups, play-calling, things like that,” Collison said. “Usually it’s because of our effort or our focus. We just watched film of the first quarter (in Game 2), and the mistakes we made had nothing to do with lineups or anything else. It was between our ears and how mentally focused we need to play better. Those are the things we worry about more.”

Starting Collison is an extremely necessary move for the Thunder. If they don’t, and they probably won’t, they will continue to struggle at the start of games which isn’t ok at all.

It almost feels like it would be better for the Thunder to get out to another horrible start in Game 3 just so that Brooks has no choice but to change the starters for the rest of the series.

Championship chances don’t come around every year, even for a team as young as the Thunder you never know when you’ll be back. The time is now to adjust and if the Thunder don’t, they will be wasting a prime chance at a title.

The Thunder took Game 1 then fell in too big a hole in Game 2 to complete the comeback. Slow starts have been a big issue for the Thunder so far in this series and Miami’s small starting lineups are a big reason why they’ve jumped out to early leads.

The Thunder have actually been pretty impressive in that they’ve even been able to come back against the Heat who are such a good team playing with the lead. Being at home aided in that ability and the Thunder will not have that luxury for the next three games.

The winner of Game 3 in 1-1 NBA Finals series go on to win the series 85 percent of the time. So this is an important game and both teams know it.

Let’s start with …

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant – 34.0 PPG, 2.5 APG, 5.5 RPG, .571 FG%, .444 3PT%, .800 FT%

Durant has played great so far for the Thunder, especially in the fourth quarters. He scored 17 then 16 points in each fourth quarter which is the most by any player in the first two games of the Finals since the merger.

Durant was great all-around in Game 1 defending LeBron well also but in Game 2 took a step back in that department. Too often he and the Thunder defense gave LeBron space in semi-transition looks basically enticing LeBron to drive.

Durant will likely continue to still guard LeBron a lot and will have to be more locked in than he was in Game 2 if he’s going to do a good job.

In the first half of Game 2, Durant got into foul trouble and only scored six points. The Thunder are going to need a lot more from him on the road if they’re going to win any more games. The Thunder starting lineup has been atrocious on offense and if they don’t change it, Durant is the only one who can cure it on his own.

Durant is getting his 34 points per game on 21 shots per game. A lot of people would like to see him shoot more.

The real key would be if Durant could get to the line a little more and put more pressure on the Heat defense. He is attempting just 7.5 free throws per game and only averaging 2.5 assists per game. If both of those numbers go up, the Thunder will start winning with more ease.

Jim Young/Pool Photo via US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James – 31.0 PPG, 4.5 APG, 8.5 RPG, .457 FG%, .200 3PT%, .905 FT%

LeBron has quietly gotten his so far in these Finals and maybe that is a good thing. The spotlight is coming off him some and more towards the Thunder for their struggles.

Meanwhile, LeBron is getting his 31-9-5 and the Heat successfully stole a game on the road already in this series. What more do you want? Maybe we don’t need to want more but the Heat might need more at some point and LeBron will have to be ready to step up.

It does feel like LeBron could explode a little more in this matchup. It would come by getting to the line a ton kind of like what he did in Game 2 going 12-for-12 from the stripe.

The Heat have gotten great production from their role players so far on the road in this series, something that usually is reserved for home games. If that production drops at all, eyes will shift to LeBron to pick up the slack.

The Heat are at their best right now with LeBron doing everything for them and he’s been able to stick to his all-around attack so far in the series. He hasn’t had to completely focus on a one-on-one matchup with Durant and that is a good thing.

The Heat would like to avoid that and let LeBron keep doing his thing where he does a little bit of everything. That will require players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to play like they did in Game 2 though.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook – 27.0 PPG, 9.0 APG, 8.0 RPG, .400 FG%, .200 FT%, .750 FT%

So the Thunder lose a game and guess who gets the heat? Of course it’s Westbrook.

While looking at his 27-9-8 line is extremely impressive, Westbrook does have some areas where he can improve and that’s part of being as talented as he is. We’re not comparing your numbers against NBA history. We’re looking at them within the series you are playing in.

Westbrook can and may need to have a gigantic series for the Thunder to win. We have pretty much seen that the Heat can’t matchup with his athleticism so now it’s just up to Westbrook to figure out the best way to hurt the Heat. Two days off from Game 2 should help him.

He is attempting four more shots per game than Durant so far and has even taken more free throws. It would be nice if the Thunder could find a balance where Durant gets more shots but that’s not what this team has been about all year.

Westbrook will continue in this matchup to get a lot of shot attempts and he just needs to start making a few more of them. After two games, he should have a better feel for what works and what doesn’t. The Heat will always be on their heels when covering him and in the long run, that has to be a good thing for the Thunder.

Best case scenario for the Thunder would actually be Westbrook going off while Durant remains an efficient scorer. Westbrook really has the potential for a 40-point game or two in this series and he’s the kind of guy with an attitude made for an “Eff-you” road game.

As long as he starts being more efficient than 40-20-75, the Thunder should be in good shape.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Dwyane Wade – 21.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.0 RPG, .436 FG%, .000 3PT%, .818 FT%

Wade was bad in Game 1 then much better in Game 2. His great start was integral for the Heat winning.

The good news for the Thunder is that they’ve contained him pretty well in the first two games. The bad news is that if he has one of those Wade games where he really goes off, the Thunder might not be able to overcome it.

Like a lot of players, when Wade is hitting his jump shot, he becomes really tough to defend. It feels like he can get his jumper any time too so it’s kind of up to him.

The Thunder really just need to play disciplined defense against him and not go for his shot fakes. This is a focus thing that is harder on the road and the whistles are more likely to go Wade’s way in South Beach.

LeBron asked for Wade’s help in Game 2 and got it. If he’s expecting it for the rest of the series and the Thunder can contain him, they can win a game or two in Miami.

Once again, LeBron-Durant is the key matchup for headlines but the winner of Wade-Westbrook has won each game so far this series.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden – 13.0 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.0 RPG, .529 FG%, .600 3PT%, .714 FT%

Harden has been pretty quiet so far in this series. His 5-point Game 1 where he got in foul trouble was avoided because of a great effort from Thabo Sefolosha.

Harden came in Game 2 and brought the Thunder back but disappeared some in the second half.

Harden is always the key for the Thunder becoming great and he is the one player of their Big Three with the biggest room for improvement from his current Finals numbers to his usual averages.

We knew the Heat would defend him better than anyone yet, but Harden improved in Game 2 and that is a good sign. The same thing happened for him in the San Antonio series, having a bad Game 1 then figuring them out and bouncing back.

Harden needs to do the same against the Heat. The role players will fade away even more than they have on the road and the Thunder Big Three will have to carry the load even more than usual.

When Harden gets it rolling, he’s like a snowball rolling down a hill. Not even the Heat will be able to stop him. The two games off to watch film are something that Harden can really benefit from.

He has been shooting the ball well and that is great, but it’s when he’s getting to the line that he makes the Thunder the best possible team they can be. He’s averaging just 3.5 free throw attempts per game in the series and he’s capable of going double-digits any night.

He has to attack earlier to hurt this Heat defense. When they are set up, it’s very hard to get into the lane against them. But if Harden can get going early in the shot clock and get into the paint easier, his game could really explode especially because the Heat don’t have any great shot blockers.

Jeff Robertson/Pool Photo via US PRESSWIRE

Chris Bosh – 13.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, .417 FG%, .250 3PT%, .714 FT%

Bosh came off the bench in Game 1 then started Game 2. Consider the Thunder lucky he didn’t start both.

The Heat are obviously better when he starts and he had a pretty big Game 2 with 16 points and 15 rebounds. The big rebound total was more from the Thunder missing a ton than him being dominant but nonetheless, he is by far the Heat’s best big man and played well.

The Thunder shouldn’t have to worry too much about Bosh going off or anything. They can defend him well enough but they just can’t allow him anything easy. If he stays on the perimeter shooting jump shots and isn’t getting to the line, the Thunder have to live with that.

Whoever gets the better of Harden-Bosh, might start to really become a big difference maker here in Miami. The Thunder desperately need Harden to play much better than Bosh to win games. If Bosh is putting up better numbers than Harden, the Thunder probably won’t be winning.

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The Bigs

The Heat have done a great job making “The Bigs” become less of a factor in this series. If they weren’t playing so many small lineups and starting Joel Anthony or Ronny Turiaf alongside Bosh, the Thunder would probably be up 2-0 in this series.

The lineup with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins for OKC is not working out. The floor spacing isn’t good enough and they aren’t capitalizing on their ability to get offensive rebounds.

Scott Brooks will likely not change his starting lineup unless it becomes extremely obvious that he must after Game 3, which means the Thunder will have to survive when their starters are out there. That doesn’t sound good does it?

This puts more pressure on Ibaka making his jump shot. That is really the only thing that is consistently open against the Heat when the starters are in. He needs to either be making that shot or attacking the glass on offense, he can’t be doing neither.

Nick Collison is one of the keys for Oklahoma City. The more minutes he gets, the better for them. He played 21 minutes in Game 1, scored eight points to go with 10 rebounds (5 offensive). In Game 2, he played just 15 minutes, didn’t score and had just three rebounds.

If Collison and Perkins switched their minutes, the Thunder won’t lose any more in this series. It’s that simple.

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Spot-up shooters

Shane Battier is averaging 17 points per game in this series and shooting .692 percent from the 3-point line. Those numbers have to go down somewhat but it’s not as if he hasn’t earned those points by spacing the floor great and getting wide open looks.

The problem is it was supposed to be in Miami when Battier had those games, not in Oklahoma City. Even if he’s not 17 PPG for the rest of this series, he could still be a big factor for the Heat if he keeps playing this way.

The more the Thunder have to think about Battier, the worse. Taking him out of the game starts on offense, making more shots and not giving up so many transition opportunities for the Heat where they can take advantage of switches on defense.

The Thunder could also use more from Thabo Sefolosha and Derek Fisher in terms of making some shots. They were 2-for-10 and 1-for-7 from three combined in Game 2. That’s no help.

Anything they give the Thunder is icing especially on the road and the Thunder may need them to win one or two of these next three.

Prediction

If there was ever a game to pick against the Thunder in this series, this one kind of seems like it. The Heat did their job winning one of the first two and now get to go back home where they should play a little better and the Thunder could be worse.

The Thunder have been one of the most resilient teams in the NBA this season and it’s not easy to beat them twice in a row. They are the more talented team too and if they correct a few of the things they did wrong, should be able to win no matter where the game is played.

The one thing that isn’t happening tonight is the Thunder aren’t blowing the Heat out. You could see the Heat maybe running away with this game or it will be a very close one. If the Thunder keep it close, they have the best fourth quarter player in the league and they won’t be disappointed having to live with what he does late.

The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. The Miami fans will show up at 9 p.m. EST.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Thunder and Heat split the first two games of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City and now the series goes to Miami for three straight games.

It’s disappointing from a Thunder perspective to lose one at home but the series is by no means over. They need to beware though because they will go 10 days between playing at home if the series goes to a Game 6. Momentum and the entire feel of a series can change in that amount of time especially with all of the games on the road.

The Thunder had the same problem in Games 1 and 2 getting off to slow starts against the Heat. The Heat are starting a small lineup with LeBron James at the four and it has helped them spread the floor to get open 3-point shooters and also render Kendrick Perkins useless.

Perkins was matched up with Chris Bosh to start Game 2 at center which isn’t a great matchup for him. Perkins’ value comes in defending the post, setting screens and annoying opponents with physical contact that can help get some offensive rebounds.

Perkins played 20 minutes in Game 2 and scored four points to go with eight rebounds, four of which were offensive. The Thunder were minus-16 in those 20 minutes.

It seems there is no place for Perkins in this series and the Thunder should seriously consider removing him from the starting lineup, although that will probably not happen.

If Perkins continues to start, the Thunder will likely continue to deal with slow starts from their offense and possible defense too. These are holes you never want to be in, especially on the road against the best front-running team in the league.

Russell Westbrook has been the Thunder player most noticeable in these slow starts as well. Westbrook has gone just 5-for-20 from the field in the first halves of Games 1 and 2 and in both games missed at least his first four shots.

Westbrook plays his best in space and Perkins minimizes that for the Thunder offense. That’s why we’ve seen Westbrook struggling to get clean looks and appear to be forcing a lot.

The other problem for the Thunder early on is the offensive sets they run. They aren’t exactly the same sets they run all game.

The most common one is when they set a cross screen to try and get Kevin Durant a post-up. With LeBron guarding him in Game 2, they never successfully got this look from this set and it led to Westbrook having to create with nothing in front of him a few times.

LeBron can obviously out-physical Durant some and the other Heat defenders can help a ton against this set especially when Perkins is in and the floor spacing is worse.

Getting your best player post touches early in the first quarter is a common thing for a lot of teams but given the Thunder’s matchup with the Heat, it isn’t a great idea.

If Perkins continues to start, the best bet for the Thunder will be getting either Westbrook or Durant on the move and in pick-and-rolls with Serge Ibaka.

The Thunder often run a version of the Spurs’ weak set that does just this for Westbrook. They haven’t been doing it enough early in the game with this lineup but it may be one of the only sets that could be effective to start out the game and might get Westbrook into some rhythm.

It is frustrating watching this series so far for the Thunder. It was great that they were able to win Game 1 and almost came back in Game 2 but it doesn’t have to be this way. Perkins simply needs to be benched and it doesn’t even have to be for James Harden.

If the Thunder used Nick Collison instead of Perkins, it would make a world of difference. Collison would have no trouble matching up with Shane Battier on defense and always makes the Thunder defense better with his great understanding of rotations.

It’s ok to make drastic starting lineup changes in the NBA Finals too. The Dallas Mavericks did it last year inserting J.J. Barea for DeShawn Stevenson in the middle of the series and it became a very crucial decision that helped them beat the Heat.

One of the only good things about losing a game in a series is that you have the luxury of being able to adjust for the next game and possible catch your opponent back on their heels.

The winner of Game 3 in NBA Finals tied 1-1 goes on to win the series 85 percent of the time. It may be now or never for the Thunder to adjust. Another slow start could cost them a championship.

Kevin Durant caught the inbound on the left baseline with LeBron James guarding him and tried to go for a quick score to catch LeBron off guard. LeBron fouled Durant but it wasn’t called. Heat win.

“On the last play, I figured they were going to go to him,” LeBron said. “He got a small step on me. I just wanted to try to keep a body on him, make him take a tough shot, and he’s made tough shots all year, all series, and just that one he missed. KD is an unbelievable talent. I think we all know that. We all see that. He can make every shot on the floor. Just try to keep a body on him, take contested shots. He got away from me a couple times, got a couple of 3s that I am not too happy about.”

It would have been nice to see the Thunder get a better look maybe with Durant at the top of the key but it was an opportunistic decision to go for that shot. Durant had an angle and didn’t get the call.

“You know, I think I shot a good shot,” Durant said. “That’s a shot I shoot all the time. I just missed. I was just worrying about the shot. I really couldn’t tell you. I’ve got to watch the film, I guess. I missed the shot man.”

No one will look at Durant and blame him for the Game 2 100-96 loss and nor should they. He scored 32 points (16 in the fourth) and was 12-for-22 from the field.

Russell Westbrook is the one taking all of the heat.

Westbrook scored 27 points on 10-of-26 shooting to go along with seven assists and eight rebounds. He shot a lot. He shot more than Durant. So it’s all his fault.

Westbrook has been criticized a ton over the past few seasons. Whenever the Thunder lose, people look at him as to why. He takes too many shots or needs to pass to Durant more. He never gets any credit when the Thunder win though. All of that is for Durant.

Westbrook is averaging 27-9-8 right now in the Finals but is shooting only 40 percent from the field and has attempted 50 shots in two games to Durant’s 42.

That doesn’t sound like a point guard and that’s because Westbrook really isn’t one. He is a playmaker. He is dynamic. He is the second best player on a team three wins away from an NBA title. He is Westbrook.

Scott Brooks and the Thunder don’t ask him to be a point guard either. They ask him to shoot and to play with his instinct and play harder than any player in the league for 48 minutes. That works for this team.

The problems with Durant not getting enough shots or Westbrook taking too many aren’t because of Westbrook. It’s the design of the offense and when it breaks down, it’s usually Westbrook who shoots.

The Heat came out more aggressive in Game 2 especially on defense and that’s why the Thunder fell behind 18-2. They need to match Miami’s intensity from the tip in Game 3 to avoid falling behind again.

When it comes to having to play with intensity, who would you rather have than Westbrook?

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1. Is OKC-MIA the best possible NBA Finals matchup this season?

Blake Potash (@FreeBigMacs): Is it the most exciting? Definitely. Best? Maybe not. Personally I would’ve loved to see a Chicago-OKC finals matchup, but with Rose out that wasn’t possible. The Heat and Thunder have two of the most unstoppable offenses in recent memory, and these games should be full of high-flying, fast-paced action.

Cody Brees (@CodyBrees): As far as entertainment, it is by far the best matchup. I am sure the NBA would have loved for a bigger market to be in the final, but the talent and pace of this series should make up for that.

Paul Brookshier (@LCredentials): Yes. This was the popular matchup pick heading into the season, and many got their wish. With the top two MVP vote getters going head to head and stars like D. Wade, Westbrook, and Harden, this has the potential to be a series for the ages. Great players, exciting story lines, what’s not to love?

2. Does Kevin Durant have to outplay LeBron James for OKC to win this series?

BP: No. It will be pretty hard to outplay the best player in the league, but if Durant manages to, the Thunder should win. The Thunder have plenty of other weapons that can carry the Thunder to victory if Durant isn’t playing lights out.

CB: Not at all. If Durant played LeBron to a stalemate the Thunder will win this series easily. Thunder have the far better role players, and as long as they step up should take a lot of pressure off Durant.

PB: No, I think the excellence of these two superstars will cancel each other out. KD will get his and the same goes for LeBron. It’ll come down to which supporting cast can play more consistently throughout the series.

3. How important is it that OKC has homecourt advantage?

BP: Fairly important. I expect the series to reach a 2-2 tie, so that means the Thunder would either have an elimination game or a closeout game at home. Oklahoma City is home to one of the best crowds in the NBA, which would help, especially in a close series/game.

CB: I would say it’s an advantage, but not a significant one. On one side it is very hard to play three straight games in Miami, but if they go back to OKC, it will be very tough to win a closeout game in OKC. It will be an advantage, but you still don’t want to come back to OKC down 2-3.

PB: When two teams are this evenly matched, and a game 6 and 7 being pretty much inevitable, I think it’s very important that the Thunder get to go back home to the always-wild Chesapeake Arena for those last two games. You’d have to imagine the noise level at the ‘Peake being in complete frenzy mode with the stakes reaching an all-time high for this franchise (in OKC at least). The Thunder still have not lost at home this postseason.

4. What is the Thunder’s greatest advantage against the Heat in this series?

BP: I’m tempted to say the bench, but against a much better defense and a younger core, Thabo Sefolosha and Nick Collison won’t be leading the team in scoring. Both teams have relatively no front court offense and awesome wing play. So the only thing I can come up with is the home court.

CB: There is much less pressure on the Thunder. No one expected this assent to greatness this quick. All the pressure is still on LeBron. Along with that the role players for OKC have a great opportunity to help this team. We saw it against the Spurs and I expect we will see the same in this series.

PB: Russell Westbrook vs. Mario Chalmers. This is a matchup that Westbrook needs to flat-out dominate for OKC to have a chance. Chalmers did a poor job containing Rajon Rondo last series, and Russ is twice the scoring threat that Rondo is. I expect to see stretches where Dwyane Wade is switched onto Westbrook, as he was able to do a pretty good job on Rondo whenever that switch was made last series. Asking D-Wade to guard Westbrook would surely affect Wade’s impact on the offensive end though (just ask Tony Parker). I know we’re not supposed to bring up the regular season when discussing the playoffs, but Russ was a combined 15-42 shooting in the two regular season matchups between these teams. He’ll need to play much better than that for OKC to have a chance.

5. What kind of production does OKC need to get from Westbrook and Harden to win?

BP: James Harden is the key to this series. The Heat are going to have trouble finding a way to guard both him and Westbrook in the fourth quarter, without leaving Durant free to score at will. The way these playoffs have been going, Harden will be the featured ball handler in the clutch and it looks like most of these games will be close. I don’t want to give specific numbers on what they need to do to win, because I have no clue what the pace of the games will be. Shooting 50/40/90 would be a good start.

CB: Westbrook needs to, and will torch Chalmers. This is important to not only get some easy buckets, but sooner or later they will have to put Wade on Westbrook. This will take away from his late game offense helping the Thunder on both sides of the ball. From Harden all you need him to be is consistent. He still lacks the consistency to be a all-star. He needs to have one or two big games in Miami to win this series.

PB: As the case with Westbrook, Harden will have to have a HUGE series and exploit the Heat’s weak 2nd unit. I hope to see the Thunder continue to put these two on the floor together for long stretches, which will force the Heat to guard Westbrook or Harden with Chalmers. As I stated earlier, Chalmers doesn’t possesses the defensive chops to guard either of them for an entire series. With a defensive team as talented as Miami, Russ will need to continue to keep the turnovers down and limit Miami’s fast break opportunities.

6. Is there any chance Chris Bosh has a good series?

BP: Absolutely, especially with this matchup. The Thunder are going to have trouble guarding Bosh if he keeps up his recent hot streak from outside. Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison should split time guarding Bosh. Collison has been one of the best defenders for OKC so far, which has been huge. I don’t expect a completely healthy Bosh, but he will definitely be the best post player on the floor.

CB: Yes. Bosh will give the Thunder the most problems. His pick and pop with LeBron or Wade is deadly. If the Thunder focus on not letting LeBron and Wade to get to the paint like I am expecting, that will leave room in the mid range for Bosh to make his living.

PB: While I’m not exactly predicting huge individual games from Bosh, I expect his presence to have a positive impact for Miami. With his ability to stretch the floor, it will force Ibaka to have to come out from under the basket, which will negate his shot-blocking abilities. I would like to see more Collison/Ibaka in the frontcourt than Perkins/Ibaka in this series, as Collison has the ability to step out and guard Bosh, or even go small with a Russ-Harden-Thabo-KD-Ibaka lineup. I fully expect to see some non-traditional lineups in this series from both teams.

7. What is your prediction?

BP: Thunder in 7. I have no clue what is going to happen in this series, except that we are going to have plenty of highlights. The starpower is insane, and it will be one of the most exciting finals I’ve watched.

CB: Thunder in 7. And you know the rule, if you pick someone to win in seven you are basically just guessing.

PB: Thunder in 6. While both team’s big 3 are fairly evenly matched, the supporting cast in OKC is far superior to that of the Heat. This along with how well the Thunder have been playing in the post season overall and the fact that they have home court advantage (think Miami is regretting tanking that final game against Washington?), I just don’t see how the Heat pull it off.

1. Do you think Miami will be able to win one of the first two games in OKC?

Of course Miami is able to steal one on the road. The thing about rest, is that it gives you time to recover, watch your opponent, and you have an edge to study more film and practice a little bit more. On the flip-side, OKC isn’t a veteran team like San Antonio or Boston, so rest isn’t an issue like rust could be. With that said, these are the top two teams in the NBA, and rust shouldn’t play much of a factor if any, especially in front of the best home crowd in the league (this season at least). The excitement will be in the air and both teams are nearly unbeatable at home. But on the grandest stage full of stars and title hopes, I do see the Heat splitting the first two games with a healthier Chris Bosh.

2. If LeBron outplays Durant in this series, could the Heat still lose?

Absolutely. LeBron James has been the one constant for Miami all season long, and throughout the playoffs. He is the MVP for good reason, but Dwyane Wade has alluded a majority of his due criticism. Wade may very well be banged up, but you’re expected to perform at a high level when you get minutes on the floor. Given that Miami has a mediocre supporting cast and bench, well that’s why they invested into the big three and they have to play at the all-star level they’re capable of.

OKC is a deeper team, more balanced, and they also have different options to close a game. Not only do they have the scoring champion in Kevin Durant, but Russell Westbrook finished 5th in scoring and they form the highest scoring duo in basketball. Beyond those two, James Harden is a two-way playmaker that can takeover a game, hence the Sixth Man of the Year award. Then you have guys like Serge Ibaka who led the league in blocks, a great defender in Thabo Sefolosha, and a physical Kendrick Perkins in the paint. That’s a lot to deal with, and the Western Conference found out the hard way.

3. What is Miami’s greatest advantage over OKC?

Miami’s greatest advantage in the NBA Finals, is that they were on this stage last year. It was their first year together and we’ve all seen the obstacles they’ve overcome. The Heat had to get on the right page with chemistry, Wade was on-and-off injured this season, Bosh missed 3 weeks while they were fighting for their playoff lives, Erik Spoelstra has to learn on the fly and improve as a coach. Nothing different than most teams and their challenges, but last time I checked the New York Knicks are as talented as anybody. Phil Jackson knew which buttons to push in L.A. with big time players and egos. Miami played around with their roles and found themselves. Like with most young players, they fluctuate through trials and tribulations, and that would be the one issue I worry about with the Thunder. More times than not, Russell Westbrook is going to put up shots. He doesn’t always take a back seat to Durant as Wade does with James. It helps when Durant is off, but often times I’ve seen Durant succumb to Westbrook and that even takes Harden out of the equation. I just think Miami’s big three is more seasoned, and they will take this personal battle to the highest level of urgency.

4. What does the Heat need to do to win this series?

James can and will do it all. Wade is assertive and can takeover at any time. Bosh provides interior length on the defensive end that they missed in his absence, and he’s a guy that can score 20 points. When you down the roster: Chalmers has his moments, Battier is the defensive specialist and shoots the open 3 (Bruce Bowen style), Haslem contributes on and off the stat sheet, Anthony will alter shots in the lane, Miller can do a little bit of everything, and most importantly, this team hounds you defensively and rebound collectively for 48 minutes.

You already know what James will bring to the court on both ends. It’s just a matter of time, but Wade will make his presence felt. It gets overlooked, but besides the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, Bosh is a good distributor. He’s been the x-factor for this team and pulled out the secret weapon against Boston, the 3-pointer. In a series where Westbrook-Harden-Durant will touch the ball every play, it’s vital for Miami to keep Bosh consistently involved.

5. What is your prediction for this series?

Either way, talks about a dynasty will conclude this series. I think Oklahoma City got to this point a year earlier than I personally expected. They’re a great franchise from the front office down, and the team has quickly played itself into elite status.

My objective opinion has the Heat winning the series, game 6 in Miami. The basketball fan in me and like most people out there, I’m rooting for this series to go the distance in an epic 7 games. The fallout of this NBA season will have a storybook ending. I see LeBron James getting his ring and officially earning the nickname “King James.” I don’t know about 5, 6, or 7 championships, but at the end of the day I see the more seasoned big three stepping up to the challenge and celebrating with the mastermind of it all, Pat Riley.

The Thunder and the Heat are the matchup the fans wanted. They are the two most talented teams each with one of the two most talented players in the league.

There are a ton of matchups to look at in this series and ton of important factors that will affect who wins.

Let’s start with…

Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant and LeBron James are the headline of this series. They are the two best players in the NBA and will be matched up for most of the series. It’s not all about which one is better though.

LeBron is better overall than Durant but Durant has the potential to outplay LeBron on any given night. And on those nights, the Thunder should win.

In the regular season, that’s exactly what happened. Durant outplayed LeBron in the first meeting and the Thunder won 103-87 at home then LeBron outplayed Durant the next time in Miami and the Heat won 98-93.

Durant’s first challenge will be scoring efficiently with LeBron guarding him. LeBron has essentially turned into the best defensive player in the NBA whose strength and power could bother Durant.

Durant needs to not be hesitant on his catch-and-shoot opportunities which should be plenty with the way Miami plays defense. Durant is the best in the league at those kinds of shots and taking them usually helps him find his rhythm.

Durant can get in trouble with LeBron on him when he tries to drive. LeBron will be physical with him and Durant isn’t going to get a ton of calls with LeBron on him. Durant commits most of his turnovers on drives and when he does against Miami, it will quickly turn into points at the other end.

Durant will need to continue with his improved passing especially in the pick-and-roll. Miami is going to hedge hard and double on the pick-and-roll ball handler and it will be crucial for Durant to make the smart pass when that happens and he doesn’t have an opportunity to look for his shot.

On defense, Durant has his work cut out for him…

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James

LeBron won his third MVP this season and has been playing the best basketball of his life of late. He averaged 33.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting .527 percent from the field in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston.

LeBron is going to need numbers close to that for Miami to beat the Thunder but it won’t be as easy for him. Durant is an underrated defender when it comes to matching up with LeBron. He can bother him with his length and doesn’t have to play as close on him.

The goal for the Thunder will be to make LeBron a jump shooter. They will play him straight up too which will make it harder for LeBron to have his big assist nights which usually come when he sees a lot of doubles.

If LeBron gets out on the break a ton and gets easy baskets that way, it will spell trouble for the Thunder. All easy baskets for LeBron need to be limited by Oklahoma City for them to win. Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison know this and will be fouling hard every chance they get when LeBron is open inside.

For Miami to beat the Thunder, LeBron has to put him a stat line close to 32-10-6. Anything less and the Thunder should have the advantage.

LeBron does everything for this Heat team and while that is impressive, it will be harder for him to do so in the Finals when he is matched up with Durant. So much of LeBron’s energy will be spent on stopping Durant or scoring on Durant that it could make his overall impact less.

Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook

The Thunder were able to beat the Spurs in six games with Westbrook not being the scorer he was all season long. Westbrook averaged 23.6 points per game in the regular season but just 18.2 in the Western Conference Finals. Westbrook did become more of a point guard against the Spurs averaging 7.3 assists per game.

With Mario Chalmers matched up with him, Westbrook will have to assume more of a scorer’s mentality against the Heat. He is at his best aggressively looking for his midrange pull-up jump shot and he should be able to get that shot a lot when Chalmers is on him.

If Westbrook can start hitting that shot, it will open up the rest of his game and likely force Dwyane Wade to start covering him. Wade did a nice job on Westbrook in the regular season but if he has to expend energy on defense, it will take away from his offensive production.

Turnovers are still probably the biggest concern with Westbrook though. While he has improved in this department, he is still capable of big turnover games when he becomes frustrated. Miami is the wrong team to do that against so staying under control and taking good, calculated shots will be extremely important for Westbrook.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

Dwyane Wade

While LeBron has been on a tear this season and in the playoffs, Wade has had a drop in his production. Wade averaged 21.4 points per game in the Boston series and shot just .444 percent from the field.

Oklahoma City has a much better cast of defenders to throw at Wade than Boston did. Things will become more difficult for him and if he has a bad series, Miami may have no chance.

There is a lot of talk surrounding the LeBron-Durant matchup but it’s really Wade vs. Westbrook that may be more important. If Westbrook has better numbers than Wade, can you really imagine the Heat winning the series?

Wade has improved his post game this season and that’s where he could really hurt the Thunder. If Westbrook or James Harden is forced to try and handle Wade in the post, it will be really tough on the entire Thunder defense.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden

The Beard has taken the next step toward stardom as the Thunder have been taking the next steps toward becoming a champion. Harden has increased his output in the playoffs too and has not shied away from the big moment when OKC has called on him.

Harden is always important for the Thunder and their second unit and that won’t change in this series. In the regular season, Shane Battier often guarded Harden and did a very good job on him, reading his moves and anticipating passes and getting deflections. If Battier draws the assignment of Harden, expect things to be difficult for him.

Harden should be able to figure it out though and the further this series goes on, the better he will get. That’s what we saw against the Spurs. Harden attempted zero free throws in Game 1 of that series then figured out their defense, adjusted and started getting back to the line.

One area where Harden can struggle is on defense. We saw him have his troubles against Kobe Bryant two series ago and in crunch time, he may have to guard Wade some. Wade can hurt Harden with his back to the basket in a similar way that Kobe did and that may be a tough thing for the Thunder to overcome at times.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

Chris Bosh

Bosh got injured in Game 1 of Miami’s series with Indiana and didn’t return until Game 5 against Boston. He played great in the final two games of that series and was a big reason as to why the Heat won.

If Bosh isn’t 100 percent, the Heat will have a near impossible time beating the Thunder in the Finals. Bosh needs to be hitting his spot-up jumpers which will pull Serge Ibaka away from protecting the paint and he also needs to be active on the boards.

Bosh is also going to be the Heat’s last line of defense a lot of times as Miami will play small a lot in this series. If Bosh is unable to make it hard on Durant, Westbrook and Harden to attack the rim, Miami will be in trouble.

The Bigs

The Thunder have a big advantage against Miami in how physical their big men are. Perkins and Ibaka will look to bang and crash the glass at will against a slim Miami frontline. If they can help the Thunder produce double-digit offensive rebound games, it will be a big advantage for the Thunder.

Ibaka and Perkins will also have a lot of opportunities to score like they did in Game 4 against the Spurs. Miami will want to take the ball out of the hands of the pick-and-roll ball handler which will open up lanes for Ibaka and Perkins. If they are active and look to score they could play a huge factor in the series.

Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

Spot-up shooters

The spot-up shooters from both teams could swing a game or two in this series. Miami relies on spot-up shooting much more than Oklahoma City and will definitely have to hit their open threes to win games.

The Thunder are very used to defending spot-up shooting after playing six games against the Spurs so they should be able to do a decent job against Miami in this department.

Derek Fisher is the X-factor in terms of a spot-up shooter for the Thunder. We know Scott Brooks will play him crunch time minutes and the opportunities will be there for him to hit big shots, which he’s done before.

Prediction

This series is going to be a close one. Both teams are very good with stars on the roster and neither should get blown out in any way.

Home court advantage will be huge for the Thunder. It is hard to imagine them losing a game at home but with the Finals and its 2-3-2 format, there will be a lot of pressure for the Thunder to win both of the first two games.

Miami could be drained from the Boston series but the Thunder have never been to the Finals before so we might see some overexcitement from them early on in Game 1. You don’t want to get behind the Heat because they are the best team in the NBA at playing with a lead, although the Thunder can come back on anyone behind their home crowd.

I think the Thunder win the first two at home then Miami comes back to tie the series 2-2. I think the Thunder pull out Game 5 on the road then Miami hands Oklahoma City their first home loss of the playoffs in Game 6.

That will set up the ever epic Game 7 in Oklahoma City.

My money’s on the Thunder.

Kevin Durant

When asked about how he remembers NBA Finals growing up: “I remember a team versus a team.”

“I learned that when I was a kid: Don’t let age be the reason you don’t succeed.”

When asked about the Heat and Thunder as an NBA Finals matchup: “That’s the sexier matchup I guess. But I don’t read newspapers, I don’t get on Twitter anymore.”

About working out with LeBron before the season: “Just two guys who wanted to get better, and that’s what we did.”

On LeBron: “He can score at will. He’s strong. He can shoot it. But it’s got to be a team effort.”

LeBron James

“I don’t really care. I don’t get involved in the best player in the game. It doesn’t matter to me. When I go on the basketball court each and every night, I want to be the best player on the court. I don’t care what people say. At some point, it has to happen. I won’t be the best player and KD is. Then KD won’t be the best player and someone else is.”

On the Heat not being favored: “It’s not weird, it’s not welcome. It’s a seven-game series. We’re the two best teams in the league right now. It doesn’t matter who’s favored, who’s not favored. You just go out and play.”

On his relationship with KD: “Our relationship has been growing since he was in high school. From Day 1, I always kind of laid my hand out to guide him, to mentor him if he needed it.”

Russell Westbrook

On the LeBron KD matchup: “I think it will be a great match-up. But after talking to Kevin, Kevin’s locked into what… he needs to do to help the team win.”

Dwyane Wade

On Westbrook: “There’s no one else like him in the NBA. I think he’s the most athletic guy in the NBA.” “I think it’s going to be a great match-up… I look forward to seeing what my teammate has going against one of the best players. I’m glad he has that challenge. It’s going to make him focus more… I think it’s going to bring out the best in both of them. I think it’s going to be great for the game.”

Scott Brooks

On the KD-LeBron matchup: “There’s always games within the games. It’s not going to come down to one guy guarding one guy. It’s a matchup that definitely will be enjoyable to see.”

Erik Spoelstra

On OKC vs. Dallas: “Totally different, just in terms of force and will and explosiveness. Dallas really did it with a veteran poise and experience. This [Thunder] team is very similar to us, in terms of how forceful they can play on both ends of the court.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder have advanced to the NBA Finals after beating the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder won Game 6 107-99 despite trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 34 points and 14 rebounds.

The Thunder will await the winner of Miami and Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston leads that series 3-2 with Game 6 tonight in Boston.

Brendan Maloney-US PRESSWIRE

It’s easy to look at Russell Westbrook’s box scores against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and say he has been struggling.

That is true to some extent. He is averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting .351 percent from the field.

But that’s not the whole story.

Westbrook and the Thunder as a team struggled against the Spurs at the start of this series. They lost the first two games while San Antonio was off looking like the best team in the league.

Westbrook averaged 22.0 points per game in those losses but was severely outplayed by Tony Parker on the other end especially in Game 2 when Parker scored 34 points.

The Thunder made adjustments when they went home. Scott Brooks slid Thabo Sefolosha over onto Parker on defense, allowing Westbrook to play more comfortably off the ball and roam the passing lanes.

This helped the Thunder team in general and was the most noticeable adjustment but Westbrook changed his offensive mindset as well.

Westbrook averaged 23.6 points per game this season for the Thunder, fifth best in the NBA. That’s a lot for a point guard as many will criticize but it was necessary for this Thunder team. Having him as a scorer who sometimes shoots more than Kevin Durant is what their formula was to win.

The best part about Westbrook’s improved offensive game became his deadly pull-up midrange jumper. When he was hitting that, he looked as good as any player in the league. When he wasn’t though, he morphed into a reckless rim attacker, out of control and ugly.

The jump shot was not falling for Westbrook to begin this series. So he did what Westbrook does. He started attacking and doing so in an uncalculated manner. It was not working for the Thunder.

The jump shot has never started falling but the Thunder have started winning. Westbrook started playing like more of a point guard.

His drives became directed at setting up teammates rather than looking to score. Westbrook has averaged 7.8 assists per game in this series after averaging just 5.6 per game in the regular season and just over four per game in the first two rounds.

Westbrook had maybe his best game in Game 5 scoring 23 points but also dishing out 12 assists.

A huge key to the Thunder winning Game 4 was the performances by the Thunder bigs. Serge Ibaka made all 11 of his shots and finished with 26 points. Thank Westbrook some for that.

All year we have talked about the growing up and maturation of this Thunder team. They do it at an incredible rate and we are seeing it again in this series.

Young teams don’t usually make adjustments like this in the middle of a series against a team with a 20-game winning streak and live to tell about it. The Thunder are within one win of an NBA Finals appearance.

They are proving that they are the most talented team in the NBA. Durant might be the most talented player in the league.

But its Westbrook too who is responsible for this run. His ability to change his game this series, sacrifice his role. He’s growing up right along with the rest of this team and it isn’t good news for the rest of the league.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the San Antonio Spurs 54-41 at the half of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

Kevin Durant leads the Thunder with 16 points.

James Harden has scored 11 points off the bench and Russell Westbrook has eight points.

Tony Parker leads the Spurs with 11 points.

The Thunder have held the Spurs to 40.0 percent shooting from the field and have forced 13 turnovers so far.

The Thunder look better in Game 3 and the rotation Scott Brooks is using has worked better.

Soobum-Im-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have fallen 0-2 in the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, most recently losing 120-111 Tuesday night.

Durant scored 31 points to go with five rebounds and five assists in the game but scored only four points in the fourth quarter.

“We lost,” Durant said. “There’s no moral victories for us. We’re upset about the loss.”

The Thunder trailed by as many as 22 points in the third quarter while the Spurs were simply putting on an offensive clinic.

The Thunder finally came alive in the fourth quarter especially on defense and would cut the deficit to as little as six points.

The Thunder showed in the fourth quarter of Game 2 how they can beat the Spurs and they showed in the first three quarters of Game 1. Those are good things but not good enough for this team.

“We’re not here to try to make it a close game or make it a good fight,” said Russell Westbrook who scored 27 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds in Game 2. “We’re here to win.”

The formula that worked for the Thunder in Game 2 was a small lineup consisting of Westbrook-Fisher-Harden-Durant-Ibaka. It’s what brought them back but you still felt like Scott Brooks could have made one more adjustment to play Thabo Sefolosha instead of Derek Fisher.

Fisher has a history of hitting big shots and truthfully has been big for the Thunder in the playoffs but he was 2-for-11 from the field in Game 2 and the Thunder could have used another athletic wing like Sefolosha on the floor at the end.

The Thunder also went small in Game 1 in the fourth quarter only without Serge Ibaka. The Spurs scored 16 of their 39 fourth quarter points in the paint in Game 1 and afterwards Brooks said he regretted not playing Ibaka down the stretch.

The Thunder have shown signs of how to beat the Spurs but they will need to put together a full game to pull off a win in this series. The Spurs are just that good.

Soobum-Im-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant is quickly becoming one of the best players in the NBA. He finished second in the MVP race for the second time in his career this season and also took home his third straight scoring title.

Durant led the Thunder into the playoffs this year and into the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Thunder now find themselves trailing in a series for the first time this postseason after losing 101-98 in Game 1 in San Antonio. Durant had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 43 minutes in the loss but it wasn’t enough.

You can point fingers at Russell Westbrook and James Harden for their poor shooting nights or Scott Brooks for not playing Serge Ibaka but maybe it’s Durant who needs to step up.

This Spurs team shouldn’t be able to contain him. It’s time for Durant to start taking over.

Durant is only averaging 26.7 points per game this postseason which is less than he averaged in the regular season. Durant is playing more minutes in the playoffs and his production really should be rising rather than dropping.

The Spurs should be afraid that Durant is going to drop 40 or 50 on them in every game if they don’t bring their best stuff. That’s how teams felt when they played Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant in a series and that’s the next step for Durant, to become like how they were.

There isn’t a feeling surrounding Durant that he will go off like that and average 35 points per game in a series. It’s kind of surprising too when you think about it that Durant doesn’t have more huge scoring nights.

Durant has averaged 27.4 points per game in his playoff career and only once in a series did he average more than 30 per game, against Denver in the first round last year. Isn’t it a little surprising that Durant doesn’t routinely average more than 30 points per game in a playoff series?

He’s due for a big series and what better time than now? The Spurs don’t necessarily have one guy who can shut him down so the opportunity is sitting there for Durant to start taking over this series.

Durant becoming the unquestionable alpha dog on this team is the Thunder’s next step toward becoming a champion. The Thunder are still a great team when Westbrook or Harden can be their best player but they won’t become a champion until every night Durant is that guy.

The Spurs outscored the Thunder 39-27 in the final period easily erasing the nine-point deficit after three. The Spurs did this by getting into the paint and scoring 16 points there as the Thunder played small ball.

“I think every decision you make, if it doesn’t work out, you say, ‘Why’d you do that?’ and I’m right (there) with you on that,” Scott Brooks said on Monday. “I wish I would have played Serge last night.”

The adjustment to play Ibaka instead of Kendrick Perkins or next to Perkins is not only obvious now but was also during the game when the Spurs were making their run.

But Brooks likes going small probably because he likes the idea of Kevin Durant playing the four. The only problem was that while both teams were playing small, the advantage of Durant at the four was nullified while Stephen Jackson remained matched up with him on defense.

“We’ve done it in the past and have had a lot of success, so you can’t really look back and beat yourself up too much … but I will,” Brooks said. “It was nothing against what Serge did. I thought we would be able to close out the game. Hindsight, looking back now, I wish obviously I wouldn’t have done that.”

This is good news for the Thunder that Brooks is on board with not trying to match the Spurs’ lineup and instead have them try and match up with them.

The Thunder played good enough to beat the Spurs for three quarters in Game 1 and it wasn’t enough. They will need a full game tonight to win as the Spurs also did not play their best overall game in Game 1.

Soobum-Im-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder led the San Antonio Spurs 71-62 after three quarters and looked well on their way toward stealing Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on the road.

Then the Spurs came back. Their offense came alive and the Thunder’s became stagnant, looking like the isolation-heavy late-game offense they’ve been criticized for in the past.

The Thunder losing the game mostly had to do with allowing 39 points in the fourth quarter. But they weren’t playing their best defensive lineup as Serge Ibaka sat the entire fourth and they still could have won the game or kept it closer had they executed down the stretch themselves.

The Thunder started the fourth small and finished it the same way with Kevin Durant playing the four. They begin the fourth with Fisher-Harden-Cook-Durant-Collison. So basically, no chance against the Spurs’ pick-and-roll as Durant and Harden really don’t enjoy rotating over.

The Thunder begin the quarter trying to get Harden going who was struggling up to this point. They run his pick-and-roll play from the right wing on the first two possessions. He makes a pull-up jumper on the first then on a very similar situation, tries to drive at Tiago Splitter and picks up a charge on the next play.

The Spurs are defending the pick-and-roll by allowing the ball handler to freely come off the pick and sagging into the paint to prevent them getting a good angle to attack the rim. The Thunder did not see this kind of defense against the pick-and-roll in the first round and weren’t sure what to do at times it seemed.

Harden found himself open for a lot of midrange jumpers, a shot he rarely takes. Harden only attempted 1.1 shots per game from between 10-to-23 feet in the regular season. This helped result in Harden pressing and forcing contested layups over prepared bigs.

On the next possession, the Thunder post-up Durant on the left side about 12-feet out. This is the only time they would do this in the quarter. Durant finds Collison cutting in the paint here but Collison misses a tough shot at the rim.

Stephen Jackson was guarding Durant the entire fourth quarter and is getting a lot of credit for the way he defended him. It was a lot like how he defended Dirk Nowitzki back in 2007 when the Warriors knocked of the Mavericks in the first round. He was getting up into him closely and allowing Durant to attempt to drive left.

Durant is much worse driving left when he is looking to attack the rim. He always prefers to drive right to get a layup. When Durant goes left, he is much more efficient going for a pull-up or stepback jump shot.

Russell Westbrook now checks in for Daequan Cook as the Spurs are now within five points.

Westbrook has also been relatively struggling at this point in the game. They run a play where Durant comes up from a downscreen to pick for Westbrook at the top of the key. This usually leaves room for Westbrook to look to attack on this play but Tony Parker defends it well and contests a Westbrook pull-up that he misses.

The Thunder try and get Westbrook going again on the next possession and let him isolate at the top of the key. He misses a wild runner going to his left. Westbrook is always better when able to play on offense under control and look for his pull-up. The Spurs enticed him to attack the rim a lot in Game 1 and he became out of control and inefficient.

The Thunder get a rare second half transition opportunity next but Harden doesn’t take advantage and charges on Gary Neal. Harden didn’t have a ton of room here and it was clear Neal was prepared for Harden to eurostep to his left. He anticipated it to draw the charge. Harden was out of rhythm all game and should have seen to eurostep to his right and would have finished the layup.

On the next possession, Westbrook misses another erratic layup attempt going to his left. The Thunder decide here to try and go back to Harden some in the pick-and-roll.

Harden runs a pick-and-pop with Durant and passes Durant which he almost always does on this play. Harden is pretty much never looking to drive when he runs the pick-and-pop with Durant. He may not like the angles he gets because Durant never really sets a solid screen and just pops.

Durant ends up having to isolate again with Jackson doing a good job of crowding him beyond the 3-point line. Durant tries to clear some space and catches Jackson with an elbow and the foul is called on Durant.

The Thunder do not go to Harden as the ball handler in pick-and-rolls the rest of the game now with 7:41 left and the score tied at 73.

The Thunder try Westbrook getting a pick from Durant at the top of the key twice more over the next three possessions. Westbrook is in driving mode now and the Thunder do end up scoring twice off his passes.

The Thunder then have two possessions where the play turns into a Durant isolation when that wasn’t totally the design of the play. This is when the standing around and lack of ball movement really begins.

Durant isn’t even inefficient when this happens and he got fouled a lot in the quarter which isn’t all bad but it seemed to affect the Thunder offense in that they were now just standing around watching. Westbrook and Harden knew they didn’t have it and were completely deferring to Durant.

The Thunder were forced into nothing but half court offense down the stretch and with Harden not playing well, it became a huge issue. They weren’t getting stops so they weren’t getting fast break opportunities and since they were playing so small, they weren’t getting any offensive rebounds either.

This is when people say the Thunder hurt because they don’t have someone to post-up. It’s not that they don’t have someone, it’s that they don’t go to him in the post. Durant had an advantage over Jackson inside and they only posted him up once. Jackson was doing a nice job on Durant but fouled him four times in the quarter.

The Thunder should have posted up Durant even though he’s not totally comfortable down there yet and that isn’t their identity yet. It was an adjustment that would have countered the way Jackson was defending Durant and could have gotten Durant a few more trips to the line and kept the game within striking distance.

The Thunder did not adjust though in the fourth quarter whether it was posting Durant up or bringing back Ibaka. The adjustments will have to wait for Game 2 and if they don’t come then, this series could end up being a short one for OKC.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder took their game up a level when the playoffs started. Great teams do this.

What changed for the Thunder? Most notably, turnovers.

The Thunder turned the ball over more than any team in the NBA this season averaging 16.3 per game. In the playoffs, they are turning it over the least at 10.7 per game.

Kevin Durant and the rest of the team knows this and Durant wants his coach to stop talking about it.

“One thing Scotty needs to do is just shut up,” Durant said. “We’ll probably be a better team.”

It’s not surprising that people are talking about this. The Thunder were one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA despite their turnovers in the regular season and are that much more potent now in the playoffs.

It sounds simple but one of the things that seems to have really changed for the Thunder is their focus. That happens with the playoffs. Teams know the games matter more and the Thunder look more precise in every way now.

Russell Westbrook and Durant were both among the six players who turned the ball over more than anyone else in the league this season. They combined turned it over 7.4 times per game.

Westbrook is turning it over just 1.6 times per game now in the playoffs while Durant is still at 3.2.

Westbrook has played great this postseason and one of the keys coming into the playoffs was how he would be shooting his midrange pull-up jump shot. He was inconsistent with it at times in the regular season and when he is hitting it, it helps calm down the rest of his game and make him more under control.

The Thunder will play the most efficient offense in the NBA in the Western Conference Finals. Turning the ball over will not be acceptable if they plan to win the series.

The way things have been going, as long as their coach doesn’t jinx it, they should be fine.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Kendrick Perkins has been a crucial part of the Oklahoma City Thunder all season. His value doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet but it’s definitely there.

Perkins injured his right hip in the first quarter of Game 4 vs. Dallas on May 5 and did not return in the game. The injury would normally keep a player out 10-14 days.

The Thunder will play the Lakers in Game 1 of the conference semifinals tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. EST, Monday, May 14. That’s nine days since the injury making it seem unlikely that Perkins will be at 100 percent tomorrow night.

He could still play though if he’s not at 100 percent as it is playoff basketball. He was last seen Friday afternoon at the Thunder practice walking without crutches and with no noticeable limp. This type of injury would not necessarily make you walk different but when you are in the game running, getting into a defensive stance and banging is when it would be noticeable.

The Thunder made a tough decision last season to trade Jeff Green to Boston to acquire Perkins. They did it for this specific matchup with the Lakers. They lost to Los Angeles the year before in the first round and it was clear that they needed to get bigger to compete with the then two-time defending champs.

In Game 7 against Denver, the Lakers flexed their sizable advantage as Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 39 points, 35 rebounds (20 offensive) and 10 blocks. Denver doesn’t have the size that Oklahoma City would have even without Perkins but Gasol and Bynum are going to be quite a load to handle either way.

Perkins averaged 26.8 minutes per game this season but against the Lakers three times he averaged 36.0 minutes. He played well against L.A. averaging 6.3 points, 9.0 rebounds (3.3 offensive) and shot .571 percent from the floor.

Bynum averaged 16.3 points, 11.0 rebounds (3.7 offensive) and shot .444 percent from the field against the Thunder this season. Gasol averaged 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and shot .465 percent from the field.

The Lakers’ big men produced against the Thunder this season and needed to partly because of Kobe Bryant’s struggles. Kobe averaged 24.3 points against OKC and shot .307 percent from the field.

The Thunder won two of the three meetings this season against the Lakers and nearly swept them falling in double overtime in the final meeting. The shooting percentages of the Lakers big three were all considerably lower than their averages against the Thunder.

Without Perkins, the Thunder would likely start Nazr Mohammed and continue with their rotation bringing Nick Collison off the bench. Expect the Thunder to go small as much as possible too. Gasol usually starts the fourth quarter without Bynum on the floor so expect Scott Brooks to try and take advantage of that lineup by starting Kevin Durant in that quarter as well.

The Thunder will have a much tougher time matching up with the Lakers if they are without Perkins or he is playing much less than 100 percent. They should still be favored to win the series and win it without question.

The Lakers have much bigger issues in terms of matching up with Oklahoma City’s big three and that advantage for the Thunder should be enough for them to win the series.

Dirk received an incidental elbow from Serge Ibaka after making a jump shot and then gave Ibaka a bump running back down the court. A few plays later, Dirk was shoved around some by Kendrick Perkins underneath the rim and then lost his cool throwing an elbow at Perkins after the play.

The Thunder have gotten under Dirk’s skin and they got the Mavericks and head coach Rick Carlisle complaining about the officiating.

But have the Thunder been too physical with Dirk? Have they been dirty?

Absolutely not.

Carlisle doesn’t seem to think so but I see nothing wrong with how Oklahoma City has played Dirk. You have to get physical with him and it’s not like they’re getting away with much. Dirk has gone 20-for-21 from the free throw line in two games so far against the Thunder. The officials really tightened things up last night especially in the second half as the teams combined for 71 free throw attempts in Game 2.

“That was a physical, intense, hard-fought playoff basketball game,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said after the game. “I’m proud of our guys the way they battled at first there at the start and we finished up playing tough, hard, defensive-minded basketball.”

If you’re Dirk, the defending champion and Finals MVP, you can’t expect to not be played so physically. That’s how he’s been defended his whole career and that’s how people have had success defending him.

It’s not like Kendrick Perkins is a rookie or something either. He’s been around and people know what he does. He uses his elbows a little more than most, sets moving screens and gives you that extra nudge when it’s not entirely necessary. It doesn’t feel good but it’s not dirty. It’s just how he earns a paycheck and it is also extremely important for this Thunder team.

The series is going to go back to Dallas now and expect Dirk to get a few more calls than he did in Games 1 and 2. That will be a tough thing for Oklahoma City to overcome for sure. Remember last year in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Dirk went 24-for-24 from the free throw line.

Things will change some when the series shifts to Dallas, hopefully it’s not too drastic though.

Kevin Durant made a fading 15-footer over two defenders with a second left on the clock to give the Oklahoma City Thunder the 99-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their first round series.

Durant was just 10-for-27 in the game and scored 25 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

The Thunder trailed 94-87 with 2:31 left in the game following a Dirk Nowitzki jumper. Nowitzki would score 11 of Dallas’ final 13 points in the game but once Kendrick Perkins switched on to him after this jumper, he would only score two more points. Nowitzki finished the game with 25 points.

Durant was struggling mightily from the field but found other ways to affect the game. He made a great pass inside to Serge Ibaka for an and-one finish with 1:47 left in the game that cut the score to 94-92.

On the next possession with Perkins bodying up hard on Nowitzki, Harden helped and stripped the ball from Nowitzki for a steal. Harden then found Durant filling the lane for the dunk to tie the game at 94 with 1:27 left.

The Thunder played great defense the following possession but the ball bounced the Mavericks’ way at the end of the shot clock and Ian Mahinmi got fouled and made two free throws to put the Mavericks back on top by two.

Scott Brooks called timeout with 1:02 left and the Thunder went to one of their best sets that they’ve run all year. Durant got into the paint and found Ibaka again for an and-one finish.

Nowitzki would finally get the best of Perkins on an up-and-under on the next possession but there was enough time left after Nowitzki’s free throws for Durant’s final heroics.

Durant was the MVP of the final minutes but it was a huge team effort for the Thunder to come back in this one.

They didn’t have enough defensive intensity in the first half and Russell Westbrook carried the offense and finished the game with 28 points and five assists.

Most importantly on Westbrook’s part was his defense on Jason Terry down the stretch. Terry had scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the game but did not score in the fourth quarter with Westbrook on him.

Ibaka was also great scoring 22 points in the game to go with six rebounds and five blocks and of course the clutch free throws and finishes down the stretch.

Things didn’t look good for the Thunder early in the fourth quarter. They were playing small with Durant at the four and they couldn’t protect the paint that way.

Harden helped lead the comeback too making seemingly every smart play including a few steals. He would finish with 19 points on just seven shots.

The Thunder showed in this game how they could let the Mavericks beat them and how they could beat the Mavericks. Perkins matched up with Nowitzki seems much better than Ibaka covering him and Westbrook did a fantastic job on Terry.

Dallas shot five more free throws than Oklahoma City in the game with Durant only shooting five and Westbrook just one.

Game 2 will be played Monday night at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been quite a season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coming off a Western Conference Finals berth, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were looking to take the next step as they gained another year of experience.

The lockout halted all basketball action for a while until the new CBA was settled. Finally, ten teams including the Thunder, opened up the season on Christmas Day relieving the six-month wait for basketball fans across the country.

The excitement in Oklahoma City was greater than it has ever been. For the first time since moving from Seattle, this franchise was a favorite to represent the West in the NBA Finals. They got off to an incredible start, winning 16 of their first 19 games and solidifying themselves as championship contenders.

The Thunder hit an early speed bump when backup point guard Eric Maynor went down for the season with a torn ACL. An already shaky bench situation was thrown for a loop. Reggie Jackson had to suffice as Westbrook picked up more minutes.

The season went on and the Thunder won more games. Then Thabo Sefolosha went down for around six weeks, forcing Daequan Cook to start while James Harden continued to come off the bench.

Both Durant and Westbrook gained All-Star nominations, with Harden just missing out. The Thunder went into the break at 27-7 and were on their way for the #1 seed in the conference.

A 7-5 start once the season resumed brought the team back down to Earth. Wins against the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls in an eight-day period were the peak of the season. Kevin Durant looked like the MVP and the Thunder were settled in the top spot in the West.

Unfortunately, they lost their next three games leading to a 7-7 finish in which they ended up as the #2 seed in the conference. Still, 47 wins in a shortened season isn’t half bad and the Thunder have a great shot at making the NBA Finals.

Their road to the Finals begins on Saturday against either the Denver Nuggets or defending champion Dallas Mavericks, whom they beat 2-1 and 3-1 in the season series, respectively.

Now let’s give these guys some grades.

Kevin Durant- A+     28.0pts/8.0reb/3.5ast/1.4stl/1.2blk   26.2 PER

Having established himself as one of the elite players in the league with many individual awards, Kevin Durant is ready to take his achievements to a team level. He quickly turned the Thunder into a legit Finals contender with an MVP-type season.

Unless Kobe Bryant scores 38 or more points tonight, KD will win his third straight scoring title, and will most likely be selected to the All-NBA team again.

He set career highs in rebounds, assists, and FG%. What really made this season different for Durant was his improvement defensively. His isolation defense is ranked 20th in the league, at 0.57 points per possession compared to 0.74 last season.

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

The main reason that Durant most likely will not win the MVP is because of LeBron’s defensive advantage. Even so, the gap is closing, with his athleticism and length Kevin can be a top notch defender which will lead to a few MVPs and hopefully some NBA titles.

Quite possibly the high point of the season for the Thunder star was scoring a career best 51 points against Denver in February. He had four 40+-point games to go along 18 double doubles. Missing that elusive triple double, Durant came within three assists three times.

Now, all of these stats and awards will mean nothing if the Thunder get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Basketball is a team game, and Durant will need to be a leader to take his team all the way.

Russell Westbrook- A     23.6pts/4.6reb/5.5ast/1.7stl   22.9 PER

Another great season for Russell Westbrook. Coming off a playoff run where he gained a lot of criticism for his shooting tendencies, Westbrook put that all behind him and played wonderfully.

He was rewarded with a second straight All-Star appearance while he continues to improve his play.

Shooting the ball at a higher rate, he raised his FG% 15 points. Although this led to a pretty significant drop in his AST%, his turnover rate dropped from 15.9 to 14.2.

As Westbrook continues to cutback on the turnovers, his play will get much better and more efficient. The Thunder run one of the most isolation dependent offenses in the league, which will lead to a lower Assist/Turnover ratio. Just over thirteen percent of the plays run are isolations, usually by Durant, Westbrook, or Harden.

For a point guard on one of the top teams in the league, you would think it’s surprising that Westbrook only had four games with double-digit assists, and none with more than 11. Honestly, I don’t see that as a problem for the Thunder. They are going to score at any rate, and he is really more of a shoot first point guard.

What to look for from Westbrook going into the playoffs is how spread out the scoring is. The Thunder will be under a huge spotlight due to their star power, and people will pay attention to how many shots he takes in relation to Durant. As long as they are both in the upper teens-20s, and are making shots, it shouldn’t be a problem.

James Harden- A     16.8pts/4.1reb/3.7ast/1.0stl   21.1 PER

Five days ago the Thunder were in great shape going into the playoffs. Nobody was injured and the players were getting ready to make a playoff run. Then Harden took an elbow to the head from Ron Artest (he was suspended 7 games), missing the final two games of the season while recovering from a concussion.

Now, Harden is cleared to play in the first round, but concussions are always a touchy subject. It’s hard to tell how effected a person is by a hit to the head, whether they can play to their full ability or not. We’ll see how he reacts to the injury when he plays this weekend.

Besides this unfortunate incident, James Harden has had an incredible season. After a great showing in last year’s playoffs, he was met with expectations of becoming that third All-Star caliber player for the Thunder.

He did just that.

Harden is a shoe-in for 6th Man of the Year, along with being a candidate for Most Improved Player. He could start for pretty much any team that isn’t the Heat, Lakers or Spurs, but coming off the bench is what the Thunder need from him. When Durant and Westbrook are out of the game, he gives the team multiple ways to score.

For a while now I have been saying that James Harden is the best passer on the Thunder. He is able to run a quality offense with what little offensive talent the Thunder bench holds, and is given the point in many clutch situations.

Once Eric Maynor went down, Harden was on his own in the backcourt. He either assisted or scored a majority of the points while the bench unit was in the game. Nick Collison was the only other person on the bench to play significant minutes and be productive.

Averaging 16.8 points while shooting 49.1%, Harden just missed out on an All-Star berth. Surely he will make plenty in the future if he keeps on improving at this pace.

In just his third season in the league, Harden has become one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. His points per possession of 1.12 ranks seventh in the league, his .660 TS% is the best for a backcourt player in the league’s history. True Shooting percentage incorporates FG%, 3P% and FT%, which means he gets to the charity stripe often, and can hit shots from anywhere on the court with consistency.

A prime example of his efficiency is the stat line Harden put up against the Phoenix Suns eight days ago. In one of the most exciting games this season, James Harden scored a career high 40 points on just 17 shots. He hit five of eight 3-point attempts, and all 11 free throw tries.

This type of play is the reason why he will be the X-Factor for the Thunder going into the playoffs. If Durant or Westbrook struggle, they can count on Harden to score and take over the game if necessary.

Serge Ibaka- B+     9.1pts/7.5reb/0.4ast/0.5stl/3.7blk   19.0 PER

IBLOCKA!

You may have heard this a bit this year. Serge Ibaka has become the blocking king of the league. Averaging close to four blocks per game, he became the first person to block 241 shots since Marcus Camby in 07-08, and that’s even with the shortened season.

The breakout game for the 22(???) year old big man came on a day where the Thunder had two 40+-point scorers. Ibaka collected his first triple double by blocking 11 shots to go along with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

When someone is that dominant in the paint, they usually get looks for Defensive Player of the Year. Certainly people will give Serge votes, but it’s not time for that, yet. He really needs to improve all of the other parts of his defensive game, including pick and rolls, guarding smaller players, and not biting on pump fakes.

What I was really impressed with was Serge’s production on the offensive end. He may have dropped around a point per game from last year, but that really isn’t what matters with all of the scorers on the team.

The way he advanced his game was by adding more ways to score. His post moves are improving at a nice rate, and he has found a mid-ranged jumper. He hit shots from 16-21 feet at 45.5%, up from 41.8% last season. With more practice, his shot selection will improve, increasing his FG% and scoring average.

Against some of the smaller teams, we have seen Ibaka’s minutes go down under 20 due to his struggles guarding players outside the paint. With more time, he will be fit to play 30+ minutes every game.

We will see what Scott Brooks does once the playoffs start. Will he trust Ibaka to play a majority of the game with the season on the line?

Kendrick Perkins- C     5.1pts/6.6reb/1.2ast/0.4stl/1.1blk   8.7 PER

I don’t have a problem with Kendrick Perkins starting and only scoring five points, IF the only shots he gets are off offensive rebounds and the occasional wide open dunk. The worst thing the Thunder can do, is give the ball to Perk in the post, because he has ZERO post moves. It’s painful watching it.

Now on the defensive end, Perkins is really good. He is a solid pick and roll defender, and very good in isolation. That is how the Thunder will get the most out of the former Celtic. Keep him out of the offense and let him do his thing on defense.

This season, Perkins only scored double digit points eight times this year, with all but two of them coming after March 22nd. He also led the league with 13 technical fouls.

Kendrick Perkins doesn’t fill up the stat sheet, but he is still an above average NBA player, and is an able start for a championship contender.

Thabo Sefolosha- B     4.8pts/3.0reb/1.1ast/0.9stl/0.4blk   9.8 PER

Thabo played about just under 2/3 of this shortened season. His foot hindered him; he missed six weeks at the end of January into early March. The Thunder’s defense was affected by his absence, as Sefolosha is one of the premier wing defenders in the league.

Against smaller, faster teams, like the Nuggets, Sefolosha plays a more important part. When he is in along side Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, the Thunder’s defensive rating is better than normal at 1.01 ppp.

Thabo can hit 3-pointers at a nice rate. He shot 43.7% from beyond the arc, shooting 1.7 per game. His FT% is also in the upper 80s, so he isn’t a problem late in close games.

Defense wins championships, so Thabo will be an integral part in the Thunder’s run to the Finals.

Nick Collison- B+     4.5pts/4.3reb/1.3ast/0.5stl/0.4blk   12.1 PER

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

I have really enjoyed watching Nick Collison come off the bench. He has good chemistry with James Harden, and is a stickler on defense.

When the bench comes in, the main offense run by the unit is either Harden isolation, or the two-man game with Harden and Collison. He may not score much, but he is very effective in running a system and helping players get open shots. Evidenced by his 121 offensive rating (basketball-reference).

I like to think Collison is a similar player as Joakim Noah. He may not have the same talent, but they play the same type of game. Both players have high motors, will do the dirty work necessary to be a factor in the game. Every team needs that guy who hustles 100% of the time, and Nick is that guy for the Thunder.

Daequan Cook- C-     5.5pts/2.1reb/0.3ast/0.4stl/0.2blk   9.2 PER

The thing with PER is, it only takes into account quantifiable stats. So the only defense it uses is blocks and steals, that’s why Perkins and Sefolosha have a lower PER, their defensive skills are more than just statistics.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Daequan Cook. He is nowhere near a quality defensive player, and really isn’t even that good on offense.

Cook is supposed to be a 3-point specialist, that is why, of his 5.2 shots per games, 4 of them are 3-pointers. The best 3-point shooters are in the mid-40% range, above average shooters are in the upper-30s. Generally, if you are only on the team to make 3′s, you should be in one of those two categories.

Daequan Cook shot just 34.6% from range this year. That is not good. It’s not even like he just had a down year, he is a career 36.5% 3-point shooter.

When Thabo went down, and Cook had to step in and start, that’s when it got bad. There was a stretch of six games in the middle of February, where Cook made 4 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc. That is not good.

His minutes will be way down for the playoffs. I would be surprised if he got more than 10 minutes in any game that isn’t a blowout.

Eric Maynor-        pts/ reb/ ast/ stl/ blk   PER

In case you couldn’t tell, talking about Eric Maynor makes me sad. He was one of the best backup point guards in the league, and was really fun to watch. He would’ve helped this Thunder team out a bunch, by taking some of the load off James Harden with the bench unit, and also spelling Russell Westbrook at times.

Most of all, if Eric Maynor had not torn his ACL after nine games, the Thunder WOULD NOT HAVE DEREK FISHER. More on that coming later.

We can only sit and wait until next year to see Maynor play again. It should be a joyful time, and very Fisher-less.

Nazr Mohammad, Royal Ivey, Reggie Jackson, Cole Aldrich- C

This bench unit was not very productive this year, outside of Harden and Collison. Reggie Jackson was getting some minutes until Fisher showed up. He showed some skill, but apparently not enough, as he hasn’t played much since the Thunder brought in the 5-ringed veteran.

Nazr Mohammad appeared in most games, yet had minimum impact. He scored just 2.7 points and grabbed 2.7 rebounds.

These guys won’t get more than five minutes in any playoff game, barring injury, and shouldn’t have an impact on how the Thunder’s season turns out.

Derek Fisher- D     4.9pts/1.5reb/1.4ast/0.6stl/0.1blk   5.9 PER  (20 games for OKC)

Halfway through writing my feelings on Derek Fisher, I decided to quit and save it for another time. It was getting too long, and it needs to be justified.

So I’ll just give some quick little notes on Derek Fisher’s season with the Thunder.

The positive impact Fisher brings to the team is purely his veteran leadership. He has been to the NBA Finals multiple times, and if the Thunder happen to end up there this season, that’s where he will help.

On the court, Fisher has not played well at all. He shot 34.3% from the floor on 5.4 shots. Any respectable player, playing over 15 minutes a game, should be shooting much better. That isn’t even that good for a 3-point%.

His defense isn’t much better. Fisher gets beat by quicker guards all of the time, and doesn’t have much to give on the defensive side of the ball.

I’m not a fan of giving Derek Fisher minutes, but if Coach Brooks isn’t going to play Reggie Jackson, then somebody has to do fill that backup PG spot, and it might as well be him.

It was a horrible scene and simply inexplicable. World Peace became Ron Artest again for that moment. He seemed to completely forget where he was and what he was doing. That can happen to crazy people which he most certainly is.

World Peace was immediately ejected and will face a suspension for sure. If it is something like 10 games then his return could be during a potential second round matchup between the Thunder and Lakers.

Harden is going to be evaluated by the NBA before he is cleared to return. The blow was extremely forceful and concussion-like symptoms seem likely.

Here are the Thunder players’ reactions to the play.

Russell Westbrook: “I didn’t really see what happened. I just saw James got hit in the head. I just saw the ending of it. That’s all I saw. I haven’t seen a replay, but I’m pretty sure I’ll see it. That’s going to be on TV.”

Kevin Durant: “I couldn’t really get a good look at it. I’m just happy my teammate’s all right. It was a bad play. Hopefully Ron didn’t do it intentionally or have any malicious intentions on that. But it is what it is. We got to move past that. (Harden) felt good. Obviously, we had to make sure he was all right going down the line. Our trainers and stuff do a great job and we believe in them 100 percent. I’m looking forward to James being back out there.”

Kendrick Perkins: “Actions were taken. The consequences were there. It was a Flagrant 2 and he got thrown out of the game. It happens. Sometimes it’s an intense game. Metta World Peace, he’s a good dude so I know he wouldn’t try to hurt nobody. It happens and we just hope to have James back for the next game.”

Thabo Sefolosha: “During the review I saw it. Stupid play. Stupid play. We don’t need that.”

Scott Brooks: “It was a bad play. There’s no way around it. It’s a dangerous play. It’s not a play that should be involved in basketball. And it’s unfortunate it happened. I know Ron, but unfortunately it did happen. You can’t do that. That’s unacceptable.”

Kobe Bryant: “I can’t speculate (how many games),” Bryant said. “I’m sure he’ll have some type of a suspension. And James, I hope he’s OK. I haven’t heard anything about how he’s doing, but he’s one of my favorite players in the league, one of my young boys, so I hope he’s doing all right.”

Here’s what Metta World Peace said via Twitter: “I just watched the replay again….. Oooo.. My celebration of the dunk really was too much… Didn’t even see James ….. Omg… Looks bad.”

Not sure how World Peace thinks we’re going to believe this was an innocent act.

Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

The Thunder are playing their best basketball of the season right now. In their last game they beat the Miami Heat 103-87 and tonight they go on to the road to beat Portland 109-95.

Oklahoma City looked like the best team in the West tonight while Portland looked like a bunch of guys who haven’t been getting much run lately. The Thunder did anything they wanted and got good looks every possession it seemed.

In the first half, Oklahoma City shot 65.9 percent from the floor and led 65-48. Kevin Durant and James Harden did not miss a shot in the first two quarters and had a combined 26 points. Harden also had five assists.

It was the Russell Westbrook show in the next half and especially the third quarter when he put on quite a display scoring 10 points in a three minute span making five straight field goals.

Last game we saw Westbrook struggle some in his matchup with Dwyane Wade but tonight whatever defense Portland put on Westbrook was irrelevant. He finished with 32 points to go along with eight assists, seven of which came in the first half.

Durant finished with 25 points and Harden had 21. Harden has scored 40 points in his last two games and gone 12-of-14 from the field.

Oklahoma City’s offense has been on another level lately. They scored 149 points against Minnesota last week, shot 66.7 percent in the first half versus the Miami Heat and tonight shoot 57 percent for the game in Portland. Their assists are up and turnovers are down.

Serge Ibaka anchored yet another solid defensive attack tonight for the Thunder, blocking six shots and pulling down 12 rebounds.

Scott Brooks spoke of how much better the Thunder look defensively when they simply get into their defensive stances. The return of Thabo Sefolosha and signing of Derek Fisher may be helping this because the change in their defensive intensity these past few games has been noticeable better.

Oklahoma City (38-12) will be off tomorrow night before traveling to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (30-19) in Staples Thursday night. The game will air on TNT at 10:30 p.m. EST.

The Thunder cut that deficit to three with just over 30 seconds left then made a great defensive stop to force a turnover and give themselves a chance to tie the game and send it into another overtime.

With 16.1 seconds left and trailing 129-126, James Harden inbounded from half court for the Thunder. The play had Kevin Durant set up at the right (near) elbow, Russell Westbrook on the far wing, Derek Fisher in the far corner and Nick Collison on the near block.

From this set up the Thunder could have done a number of things. Earlier in regulation, Durant already hit a three in the final seconds after isolating at the top of the key and taking Anthony Tolliver off the dribble. Minnesota was probably expecting that again.

Durant comes to the ball and receives the inbound from Harden. Instead of isolating his man, Durant hands back to Harden who takes his dribble to the top of the key as Durant fades to the right wing.

Collison comes up to set a back screen on Durant’s man who is playing him very close and isn’t in good position to see Collison coming until it is too late. Kevin Love, who is guarding Collison, has a lot of space between him. With Harden at the top of the key there is still a chance that the Thunder may be going for a quick two, so Love can’t sell out on helping Durant.

This is a mistake as Harden delivers a perfect feed to Durant in the corner and Love is late getting too him.

Standing at 7-foot tall, Durant only needs a moment to get a clean look at the rim and stroke the three that would tie the game and send it into another overtime.

I like this play by the Thunder mainly because of the fact that they actually ran a play instead of just relying on isolation scoring. With Harden coming to the top of the key and time still remaining for the possible quick two, the set was designed nicely for Minnesota to not really know what was coming.

Harden is very good at the type of pass he hit Durant with which is the same pass he signaturely pulls off on the OKC skip pass play between him and Daequan Cook. Westbrook may not have been the right guy to make that pass and was a better decoy threat on the opposite wing playing off the ball.

Brooks did a good job in the overtimes using Harden’s playmaking ability to help win this game. Harden and his passing is going to be a crucial ingredient for any type of playoff run the Thunder can potentially pull off later this year.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 149-140 in double overtime in what might have been the best game in the NBA this season.

The Thunder won despite a career-high and franchise record 51 points from Kevin Love to go along with 14 rebounds and the game-tying three-point shot with 1.0 second left in regulation to send the game into its first overtime.

Oklahoma City got a career-high of 45 points out of Russell Westbrook and 40 points from Kevin Durant who also pulled down 17 rebounds in 52 minutes of action.

Durant dueled from deep with Love at the end of regulation and the first overtime. Before Love’s game-tying trey with a second left in regulation, Durant drilled a stepback bomb from straight away 25-feet to put the Thunder ahead 116-113.

The Thunder trailed by five with 46 seconds left of the first overtime following a breakaway dunk by Anthony Tolliver. Westbrook scored on a runner with 36 seconds left to cut the deficit to 129-126. Then Durant provided perfect pick-and-roll help defense on Love in the paint forcing a traveling violation.

With 10 seconds left, James Harden found Durant in the right corner for the game-tying three to send this game into another overtime.

It was all Thunder in the second overtime, outscoring Minnesota 20-11 with Westbrook leading the way. Russell refused to fatigue scoring nine points in the final overtime and everything coming from strong drives to the rim.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Down the stretch, Scott Brooks elected to go with Derek Fisher and Nick Collison alongside Durant-Westbrook-Harden. Fisher couldn’t buy a basket and was 2-for-11 from the floor and 1-for-5 on threes in the game. Collison plays hard but every now and then you can’t help but notice his undersized frame costing the Thunder on the 50-50 rebounds they easily consume via Serge Ibaka.

In the final overtime, the Thunder offense ran through Harden and executed with the same poetic feel that Harden brings to the floor every night. Harden put together a great all-around game tonight scoring 25 points to go with six rebounds and six assists.

It should be mentioned that in Ricky Rubio’s absence the Minnesota Timberwolves called upon 47 minutes of J.J. Barea tonight and he came through with his first career triple-double notching 25 points, 14 assists and 10 boards.

The Thunder have yielded many great box scores this regular season. It is yet to be decided if this is a good thing or not. One thing is certain and that is that the Thunder are the most exciting team in basketball this year.

Oklahoma City (36-12) is off tomorrow and then will square off in possibly their toughest test yet hosting the Miami Heat (35-11) Sunday night.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The big news these last few days for the Oklahoma City Thunder was the signing of veteran point guard Derek Fisher. Fisher played in his first game with the Thunder last night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Thunder were in need of a solid backup point since the Eric Maynor injury and Reggie Jackson hasn’t exactly been exceeding at the job. Fisher brings with him a lot of experience, five championship rings and leadership.

How will the signing play out? The staff at Thunderous Intentions is here to break it down.

We know one area the Thunder weren’t strong at this season was a backup point guard. How much does Derek Fisher help this?

Andrew Kennedy: I think he helps a lot. The Thunder were getting basically nothing from Reggie Jackson’s minutes and it seemed like kind of a weakness for OKC. While I don’t expect much scoring or assists or even great defense from Fisher, I do think it is a significant upgrade.

Cody Brees: Since James Harden will be the primary ball handler with the second unit, the backup point guard for the Thunder is mostly a spot up shooter. Fisher is having a down year only shooting 33 percent from behind the arc this year. But that is an improvement over Reggie Jackson’s 22 percent.

Blake Potash: The impact Fisher may or may not have will not be on the court. I think Reggie Jackson has been better than Fisher this year, especially on the defensive end. Things shouldn’t change much for the Thunder at the point guard position.

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How big of an impact do you think Fisher will make in terms of intangibles, experience and in the locker room?

AK: This is going to be the biggest impact that Fisher will bring to the Thunder. I think having him in the locker room has to help players like Russell Westbrook and I think his experience and leadership will have a positive effect on the entire team.

CB: I believe this will be the biggest impact Fisher makes, if he truly buys into the Thunder team. The Thunder’s best players are still very young, with no real teacher at the guard position. You noticed the impact Kendrick Perkins made on the defensive end on and off the court with his championship experience. Hopefully Fisher can provide some of the same.

BP: I would like to think Fisher is going to help a bit with this young locker room. He has been a part of a championship atmosphere, and knows the mentality of an NBA Finals contender. Generally I’m not the biggest fan of bringing in veteran leadership, it only helps in certain situations, but after last nights’ game, it looks like it may work out.

How many minutes should Fisher play?

AK: This is the area where I am a little concerned with the Fisher addition. I can totally see Scott Brooks loving him a little too much and playing him 18-20 minutes when he should be playing 15 or less. And once the playoffs come around, Westbrook should be playing 40-plus minutes which means unless Fisher is going to be playing alongside Fisher, we shouldn’t see more than 10 minutes a night from him.

CB: Regular season I wouldn’t mind him playing around 15 minutes once he learns the system. I think in addition to the backup point minutes, I would love (really, really love) for him to take some minutes away from Cook when the Thunder play small. Once the playoffs roll around we will see how well he is doing, then decide how much we want him playing.

BP: 10-15 minutes. With Daequan Cook now out for a few weeks, Fisher should take all of his minutes, and some from Royal Ivey and Reggie Jackson. Jackson’s play warrants as many minutes as Fisher, but it looks like Coach Brooks will give the veteran a majority of the minutes behind Westbrook.

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Will we see Fisher playing crunch time and will that be a good thing?

AK: I think in some games we will see him playing crunch time obviously when the Thunder decide to go small, which they do a lot in the fourth quarter. Before it was Daequan Cook who played alongside Durant-Westbrook-Harden-Ibaka. We’ve yet to really see Westbrook out there with another point and it will be interesting to see if it’s a good match. I personally like Westbrook playing off the ball some and if that is the case with Fisher in, it may be a lineup that works well for the Thunder.

CB: Only if the Thunder go small, and there is an un-athletic guard on the court. The Thunder go small a lot at the end of games, so I wouldn’t be surprised there, but against teams like the Lakers and Clippers with multiple athletic guards I wouldn’t expect to see him much.

BP: Hopefully not. Fisher should be nowhere near the ball with the game on the line, leave that to the Durant, Westbrook, and Harden.

Are the Thunder significantly better with Fisher?

AK: I guess the jury is still out here. They probably aren’t significantly better but are improved overall. I really like the move overall and think it will benefit the Thunder in multiple ways as the season progresses.

CB: I would say no. I am not even sure if they are better with Fisher at this point. Fisher is having a terrible year. He is 54th among point guards in PER. That being said, Jackson is only .5 better. On paper the improvement is minimal. In the locker room will be the most significant improvement.

BP: I would say they are marginally better, at best. The Thunder are a pretty solid team at the moment, and didn’t need to make any moves to remain the favorite in the West. If Fisher can keep the player’s heads in the right direction going into the playoffs, this will have been a successful transaction.

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat are the front-runners for signing veteran point guard Derek Fisher.

Fisher was traded from the Lakers after 13 seasons with the team to the Houston Rockets at the deadline last Thursday along with a first-round pick for Jordan Hill.

The Rockets have since waived Fisher making him available to anyone other than the Lakers once he clears waivers on Wednesday.

The Thunder have a sure need for a backup point guard since losing Eric Maynor earlier this season with an injury. Rookie Reggie Jackson has been playing in his place and has been unable to produce very much.

Fisher seems like an obvious upgrade at this spot for the Thunder. Fisher also has the same agent as Kevin Durant now.

The Thunder’s best four players are either 23 or 22. Fisher could definitely bring some leadership and experience to the team with the best record in the Western Conference.

The only concern for Thunder fans would be exactly how much Fisher would play. He averaged over 25 minutes per game with the Lakers this season but would likely be getting 15 or under with the Thunder.

Scott Brooks seems to have an affinity for players like Fisher and may even be prone to play him more. That might not be a great thing for the Thunder. It’s not like they’d want Fisher in their crunch time lineup.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook routinely plays over 40 minutes per game especially with Jackson as his backup. Westbrook really has no problem doing this and when the playoffs come around will probably be asked to play over 40 minutes per game.

It is unlikely that Fisher would do anything to interfere with a title run for the Thunder and may even extremely benefit it tootling Westbrook to some degree.

Imagine a lineup with Westbrook playing off the ball next to Fisher-Harden-Durant-Ibaka. That’s a decent closing lineup if the Thunder can afford to go small. I think I’d rather see Fisher on the floor instead of Daequan Cook in some cases.

I’m just not totally in love with the Thunder closing games by going small and if they add Fisher, I feel they will always do this. I love what Kendrick Perkins or Nick Collison can bring on defense and I don’t know if it is worth it to exchange them for smaller players who stretch the floor on offense.

I’m still more excited about Thabo Sefolosha becoming the fifth crunch time player because of his defense and ability to let the Thunder switch on perimeter players on defense.

We will find out Wednesday if Fisher chooses Oklahoma City. Miami is obviously another place he will consider and would probably be a better fit for him.

Last night the Thunder suffered a pretty tough loss to the Houston Rockets, being outscored 13-1 to close the game and losing by one. This also happened after the Thunder went through a stretch on offense where they looked completely unstoppable.

James Harden led the way essentially running point for the first nine minutes of the quarter. The Thunder scored nine straight possessions with him running the show. With around three minutes left the Thunder went away from Harden. Scott Brooks said it was because the Rockets changed up their defense.

The Rockets did do this sending two players at Harden before Kendrick Perkins could come up to set a screen. It forced Harden into two tough plays having to take on two defenders and try and split them with the dribble.

So Brooks went back to the Thunder’s bread and butter, the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook pick-and-pop action. It did not go well down the stretch with Westbrook committing a few costly turnovers and Durant missing the final shot.

Most will argue that the Thunder should have stuck with Harden but I feel he didn’t have anything left in the tank, in terms of fatigue and his repertoire.

Harden is great and I love him to death and even have called him the best player in the NBA to my friends when I get really excited watching him but there is not a lot of variance in his game. He is a great three-point shooter and penetrated off the pick-and-roll. When he drives he can hurt you with the finish drawing fouls and the pass. He doesn’t have much of a midrange game though and working within a stagnant fourth quarter Thunder offense, his moves ran out.

I like the Brooks saw this and tried to go to Durant-Westbrook but it may have even been too late. I think this is one of the hardest jobs of NBA coaches deciding when to go away from the bench if they are playing hot and return to your star starters.

I think it is almost always best to go back to your starters. One of the reasons the Thunder win games is because they are so great at closing games out whether it be with Durant or Westbrook. Harden is there too sometimes but more often for the stretch when Durant and Westbrook are out and he can carry the Thunder offense.

I am all for Harden running some point down the stretch but he ran the same thing for about ten straight trips down the floor. Any defense will adjust some to that and it was just unfortunate that the Thunder could not hang on to their lead after the Rockets did adjust.

I don’t blame Brooks for getting caught up in Harden’s hot hand as point and maybe sticking with it a little too long and I don’t blame Brooks for trying to go back to Durant and Westbrook. It really was just a weird loss and something the Thunder shouldn’t be too worried about.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

I wrote a few days ago about the Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka connection. When they team up it results in a very high field goal percentage for Ibaka.

The knock on Westbrook this season has been his assist numbers which are down quite a bit. Put that together with Ibaka not having the breakout year in terms of scoring that many expected and there’s a definite point of emphasis for the Thunder this year.

Oklahoma City has been criticized for not having enough scoring options on their team. Last night they beat the Phoenix Suns 115-104 with only five players scoring. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden each scored over 30 points, Ibaka had 18 and Kendrick Perkins six.

The key last night was also Westbrook having 10 assists. A couple of times when we are used to seeing Westbrook pull-up for a jump shot or forcefully attack the rim, he held up and passed off. He did so particularly well with Ibaka.

Ibaka had nine field goals made in the game and four were assisted from Westbrook. One was for a layup and the other three mid range jumpers, the shot Scott Brooks raves about Ibaka’s ability to make.

That was definitely a very good sign for the Thunder last night in their win. Ibaka’s confidence has to be growing this season leading the NBA in blocks and starting for the team with the best record in the league.

He’s not shy about taking his mid range jumper and he gets open for it quite a bit, it will just be up to Westbrook to continue finding him for it.