OKLAHOMA CITYâ€"It was the biggest basketball game this town has ever seen.
Fortunately for the Thunder, they had the best closer left in the NBA playoffs to finish things out.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant scored 16 straight points in the fourth quarter of his team's 109-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo)
If it’s crunch time, I want the ball in Kevin Durant’s hands. You can have LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. You can have Rajon Rondo or Paul Pierce. You can have anyone on the Spurs, and I might even let you rummage through the heap of eliminated teams for Kobe Bryant.
The most cold-blooded closer in the game? Yeah, it’s probably still Kobe. But it’s been a while since he’s come through in a truly big situation, hasn’t it? Maybe Bryant no longer is as deadly with the daggers as his reputation holds.
Durant, on the other hand, just came throughâ€"16 straight points for his team down the stretch of Game 4â€"in the signature win of the OKC era. The Thunder are within two victories of the Finals for the first time. Heck, the franchise hasn’t gone this deep into the postseason since Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and Seattle lost in the Finals 16 years ago.
Seattle’s relevant here. Why? Because that’s where Durant spent the first season of his career. Things were beyond bleak then. The franchise was a hideous mess and the team was even worse. Could Durant possibly have had even the slightest sense of what was in store for him four years ago ?
He’s six wins from a championship. And he’s the guy who can bring any one of them home.
“He’s been doing a great job all season of closing games for us,†said his point guard, Russell Westbrook.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks called timeout after Tim Duncan scored to bring the Spurs within 86-82 with 6:54 to play. Durant had 18 pointsâ€"and only 12 shot attemptsâ€"to that point.
“I wasn’t freezing him out, trust me,†Brooks said.
No, Durant was simply playing team ball. Have I mentioned yet that he had a career playoff high eight assists? Sorry, the 16-point explosion that started on the first possession out of that timeout was just too spectacular to see through.
The poetic fadeaways on three straight trips. The dead-nails jump shots. The alley-oop finish. Durant’s entire arsenal was on display.
“We were feeling good ourselves, but we just couldn’t make a stop,†said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili. “We just couldn’t contain him.â€
And that’s why the Thunder may be the team with the best chance to win it all. Even at their best, the Spurs are at an athletic deficit in this series. They’ve lost all momentum to the Thunder, who go into Game 5 without the pressure of being the No. 1 seed. And if Monday’s outcome is in doubt down the stretch?
The Spurs will know they’re essentially at Durant’s mercy.
Ask James if he wants to be known as the game’s premier closer and he’s sure to give you the run-around. This is what Durant said: “Yeah, I would like that.†That clear enough for you?
“He wasn’t second in MVP votes for nothing,†said Spurs guard Gary Neal.
And MVP James doesn’t struggle with late-game situations for nothing.
As Durant said Saturday, “Sometimes it’s nerve-wracking in those situations.â€
They aren’t for the weak-hearted or weak-minded, that’s for sure.
“I try not to be nervous,†Durant said. “I just want to be calm and composed, poised in those situations, and make the right basketball play.â€
Closing doesn’t necessarily equal scoring, you see. James is a terrific late-game passerâ€"no, that’s not sarcasticâ€"and in Game 4 Durant was as well. Perhaps his best pass was the one that helped end his scoring binge. Ahead by six with a little over a minute to play, Durant felt the defense collapsing around him just above the foul line and kicked it out to a wide-open James Harden.
Game over.
“It was terrific that Kevin did a great job of closing the game,†Brooks said, “but he’s not about scoring. He’s about winning.
“He’s a team player, and he’s only going to get better.â€
The Spurs know he’s already plenty good enough.
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