What A Difference A Week Makes

Last week I was ready to write off the Oklahoma City Thunder's title chances.  Could the team get to the finals? Yes, absolutely.  But in their first game last Saturday against defending champion Dallas Mavericks they looked like a team that was still a little overawed by the big stage that is the playoffs.  Sure they won the game, but it seemed as though the previous two years of playoff experience was out the window and they were already panicking.  It looked like Dallas had set the blueprint for how to beat them: make them fall in love with shooting jump shots.  The NBA playoffs are all about attacking the basket, this is not a new revelation.  When you have players attacking the basket one of two things happen: the player attacking gets a high percentage shot (dunk, lay-up, foul shots), or the defense collapses/rotates and it frees someone else up for an open look.

 Last Saturday OKC's devastating combo of three-time scoring champ Kevin Durant and all-star point guard Russel Westbrook had a lot of trouble with Dallas's zone and fell back into shooting midrange jumpers.  Many were contested and many bricked.  It's why the final score didn't even break 100.  But the Thunder still won.  Thanks to a midrange jumper from Durant.  That play sums up the entire game.  And despite the Thunder win, the performance did not seem like one of a team that was one of the favorites to win the title.

Fast forward one week.  The Thunder are the first team to book their place in the second round with a sweep of the defending champs.  The close out game sent a message.  They were on the road in a game where everything seemed to break for the Mavericks.  Defensive anchor Kendrick Perkins left in the first half with a hip strain, never to return.  No one could top Dirk.  The Mavs were shooting 63% from 3pt range late in the 3rd quarter.  Durant was struggling, Westbrook non-existant, Ibaka (the soul of their defense) was in foul trouble.  Derek Fisher was putting in a lot of minutes.

And yet the Thunder, down 13 with less than 10 minutes left and no momentum at all came back and won thanks to an amazing performance by Sixth-Man of the Year candidate James Harden who scored 7 in a row, and 15 of his team high 29 points in the final frame.  He was attacking the rim and either finishing or passing off to teammates for easy points.  And the defense stepped up.  This play gave the Thunder the lead they would never relinquish and was indicative of the extra intensity the team brought in crunch time.

This win shows that the Thunder can be a champion; as the old saying goes if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.  The somehow created a win in a hostile environment, playing the defending champs who were desperate to avoid an embarrassing first round sweep, with all the breaks going against them, their two best offensive players struggling, and their two best defensive players less than 100%.  They showed they have the talent, the willpower, and the team that cannot be stopped.