As I watched Kendrick Perkins open last night’s contest with a bucket and a driving assist which set up a Serge Ibaka jumper, I kind of figured the Thunder would do something like make their first nine shots. It was precisely the start they needed to build some early momentum in what was essentially a must-win game. Equally as important, though, they were able to hold Dallas down a bit at the very beginning of the game. In comparison to OKC, the Mavs kind of sputtered early on, missing three layups during that stretch of nine-straight OKC buckets. I can’t really credit the Thunder for forcing the misses–Chandler and Marion kind of just blew three bunnies–but I can credit them for forcing three turnovers in the first four minutes, resulting in sh!t like this…
As you can see, that made it a 10-point game… it was the first time all series long that OKC had led by double figures. With his Mavs struggling to score and the opposition pulling away a little bit, Rick Carlisle inserted some offense into the game in the form of Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic. Terry didn’t do anything, but Peja burned the Thunder for an uncontested layup (sh!t was inexcusable… he very slowly plodded into the paint and casually plopped the ball into the basket) and a 10-foot floater. So, OKC had played one of their best quarters of the series–they put 31 points on the board–but I felt like they were fortunate to hold a nine-point lead. The offense had shown up, but the defense was still just not up to par. They played with energy and deflected some balls, but honestly, Dallas very easily could’ve scored 31 of their own had they not missed some pretty damn makable shots.
Somewhere between now and halftime, I learned that Jeff Van Gundy’s middle name is William. I just felt the need to include that in the post. I also noted that “Kendrick Perkins travels every time he touches the ball.” This must’ve been right after his consecutive layups that fell between the 1:09 and :22 marks of the second quarter. He shuffled his feet on one of them, and earlier in the game he had done the same thing. Kendrick Perkins can’t do anything without doing some sort of non-basketball motion first–he has to travel before he attempts to score, he has to wind up before he dunks, he has to move before while he sets a screen… it’s so painful to watch… I can’t understand how anyone likes the guy.
So, here are the OKC Thunder, at home, shooting over 50 percent, with six points and an assist out of Kendrick Perkins… leading by five. Safe to say Dallas is the better team? I think so. Don’t forget about all the missed layups and turnovers from the first quarter, either (Thunder had seven steals at halftime). The Mavs probably should’ve been ahead. OKC is capable of scoring with the Mavs, but they can’t stop them at all. The most unstoppable Mav of them all was about to put on another jump-shooting exhibition, too.
The Thunder actually appeared to have this game under control with five minutes to go. They led by 15, and Dallas couldn’t seem to find any offense. The JJ Berea/Dirk Nowitzki pick and roll wasn’t really producing the points it usually produces, and jumpers weren’t falling for anyone in a blue jersey. I’d chalked it up as a 2-2 series. The Thunder would go through a serious slump, though… they scored one bucket in the final five minutes of the fourth, and it was Dirk Nowitzki time…
…and those two weren’t even the toughest of the 11 points he scored in the final 3:15 of regulation. I have a question: how the f@ck is the jumper he hit in Nick Collison’s grill at the 1:25 mark not on Youtube? How is that possible? If you saw the shot, you know what I’m talking about. It’s in the game highlights at 1:53, but my god, how does that not have it’s own upload? My readers know damn well that I love a good ‘ol slam dunk, but christ, how does an uncontested Russell Westbrook fastbreak jam get Youtubed and that shot doesn’t? I almost feel ashamed of my blog’s image right now… I feel just a little bit responsible for this. We need to take more time to appreciate a shot like that, because we may never see one exactly like it again. That is like the “Lister Blister” of jumpshots… the unltimate pwnage. What more could Nick Collison have done? Nothing. There is nothing you can do about that, just like there was nothing poor Alton Lister could’ve done (well, except run, I guess). There is nothing anyone could’ve done about anything Dirk did down the stretch in this game. Hell, Collison was playing great defense (and holding him/pushing him) the entire time… but great offense beats great defense… simple as that.
As for the OT, OKC was visibly shook after blowing a 15-point lead in five minutes, and they only managed two more baskets. Inspired by Dirk’s godliness, Jason & Jason stepped up and scored D-Town’s final nine points. Jason Kidd stuck the go-ahead three-pointer with 40 seconds to play…
^That video was uploaded by “NBAHDIZZLE.” Greatest username in the history of the internet? I think so.
So, with this 112-105 victory, the Mavs move up 3-1 going back home… R.I.P. ’10/11 Oklahoma City Thunder. I figure it happens in five after this crushing defeat. Dirk Nowitzki had 40 points on 12-20 in this one… he did miss a freethrow (14-15, Dirk? C’mon son. That’s weak), but other than that his play was pretty much flawless. OKC shot themselves in the foot with 26 turnovers that resulted in 26 points. They had a huge edge on the offensive glass (20-5, mostly thanks to Nick Collison, who has been very impressive throughout this series), but the turnovers pretty much neutralized that. In case you were wondering, Russell Westbrook accounted for six of them. He also missed 15 of 22 shots. Kevin Durant went for 29/15, but after starting out red-hot he couldn’t really hit a damn thing (finished 9-22; 5 of those makes came prior to 7:54 in the first).
Not a single photo of DeShawn Stevenson from this game… not a single one. There is this hilarious one of Nate Robinson, though…
I’ve never understood how a dude who never plays can get so excited. Maybe it’s easier to enjoy sitting out every game when you’re on an NBA salary.
