Just a few miles south of Oklahoma City, where the Thunder play, lies the town of Moore, Oklahoma, which suffered the brunt of the storm.

In support of the victims, the Thunder’s star, Kevin Durant donated $1 million, the Red Cross tweeted this afternoon.

@kdtrey5 steps forward and gives $1mil matching gift to the ARC for disaster relief, text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation.

— Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 21, 2013

This is an awesome gesture from Durant, and what’s even cooler is that he never announced the donation. If it weren’t for the Red Cross, no one would ever have known that Durant donated the money. It wasn’t a PR ploy or attempt at good publicity. This was just Durant trying to do whatever he could to help out people in need.

Kevin Durant: Not Nice.

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) attempts a shot against Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (9) and Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) during the second half in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Without their point guard Russell Westbrook, the series against the tough Grizzlies was always going to be difficult for the Thunder.

After winning Game 1 thanks to some late game heroics from Kevin Durant, the Thunder lost four straight to fall out of the playoffs. In the end, the well-rounded Grizzlies were too much for the short-handed Thunder. Mike Conley played a fantastic series, leading the way from point guard, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph were too much down low, and Tony Allen was able to frustrate the Thunder defensively.

It was a disappointing end to what had been a phenomenal regular season in Oklahoma City. But despite the loss, Durant was trying to think positively following the loss. After the game, he had this to say,

“I gave all I have for my team. I left it all out there on the floor. I missed 16 shots, but I kept fighting, kept being aggressive, and that’s all I could ask for. It is what it is. It’s tough to swallow right now, but I’m sure we’re going to look back on this down the line and really appreciate this tough time. It’s something we’ve got to embrace and get better from. It’s tough to lose your last game in the playoffs so you’ve just got to move on.”

He added,

“Every one of these games came down to the last few minutes. It’s unfortunate we didn’t come out on the winning side except for once. Like I said, down the line we are going to look back on this and really appreciate it. Sometimes you’ve got to right out some storms to get to sunshine.”

“I have peace because this is when we really had to come together. You really seen us grow as a group. The only way I’d be frustrated is if we came in here with attitude because Russ is out or we missed shots or we lost the game, and nobody did that. We kept our spirits up. We were always positive and that was the best part about it. No matter how you lose, you couldn’t ask for nothing else man.”

“These guys, I love playing with them. Some days you come in and you get upset with each other, that’s just life. But at the end of the day I love all those guys, we all love each other and it was a joy fighting with each other, this playoff run, this whole season. So it wasn’t frustrating. Of course it was a little tougher than usual, but we made the best out of it.”

Durant has become the league’s second best player, and at just 24, is still improving, as scary as that sounds. Westbrook, also 24, will be healthy for next season and ready to lead the offense in his ferocious, full-speed ahead style. And the big man Serge Ibaka; a very good interior defender with room to grow both offensively and defensively is only 23 years old.

As good as the Thunder have been the last few years, they are still incredibly young and have room to grow. They’ve been to two Conference Finals and an NBA Finals and come up short both times, but Westbrook’s injury was the first real adversity the team had faced.

The team will be back again next year to fight for the Western Conference crown, and with a healthy roster, they should once again be favorites to come away with it.

(Thanks to @HPBasketball for the video)

He scored 10 points in the final 6 minutes, including the go ahead basket with 11 seconds remaining.

(Thanks to @HPBasketball for the video)

Durant writhed in pain on the ground, and it looked as if he had suffered a serious injury. After a few minutes however, Durant was able to shake it off and remain in the game.

Durant (who picked up another technical) and the Thunder have been frustrated all night, as the Heat have outplayed them from the tip. As of this posting (5 minutes left in the second quarter), the Heat are leading 44-29.

(H/T to @HPBasketball for the video)

October 12, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles up court during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant
Resume: 28.0 points (1st in league), 8.0 rebounds (career best), 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.2 blocks (career best), 38.6 minutes (3rd in league), 133 threes made (3rd in league), 431 free throws made (1st in league), 501 free throw attempts (3rd in league), 50% FG (career best), 39% 3PT (career best), and 86% FT… Team record in games played: 47-19… Playoffs: 28.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists (career best), 1.5 steals (career best), 1.2 blocks, 41.9 minutes, 52% FG (career best), 37% 3PT (career best), 86% FT, 13-7 record… All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, 2nd in MVP Voting, 1st Team All-NBA

It’s really, really difficult to try to pick nits with Kevin Durant. Ever since he was a freshman at the University of Texas I’ve been enamored with the guy who had the silky smooth jump shot, a ridiculous wingspan (straight out of the Jay Bilas dictionary), and the very visible desire to be the best basketball player in the world. Had I only been writing back in 2007 I would’ve looked very smart as I gushed about how great Durant was going to be in the NBA, and subsequently ripped apart Portland for taking Greg Oden ahead of him. In my opinion, Durant was the biggest “sure thing” in the NBA Draft since LeBron James. In the five seasons since Durant was drafted, he has only reinforced any and all of the beliefs I had about him when he was in the process of winning every NCAA Player of the Year Award.

After another stellar regular season and a third straight scoring title (only George Gervin and Michael have led the league in scoring three straight seasons since the NBA-ABA merger), Durant and the Thunder entered the playoffs with title expectations for the first time. To say that Durant and the Thunder came up short in the postseason probably isn’t the perfect way to put it. Oklahoma City didn’t win the title, but along the way to the NBA Finals they proved that they have the best home crowd in the league, a great young nucleus (which has since changed since Oklahoma City panic traded James Harden)… actually, before I finish that thought, let me go on a quick tangent.

I’ve been thinking about this trade for the last 24 hours and I have gone back and forth quite a few times. Ultimately, I’ve decided that Oklahoma City did indeed panic trade Harden, but what they managed to get for him—Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two 1^st round picks, one second round pick— was an absolute steal. Think of it in these terms: Oklahoma City got more for James Harden than Orlando got for Dwight Howard. Ultimately, I have to trust in Sam Presti and the rest of the Oklahoma City brain trust. Even if losing Harden puts a dent into the Thunder’s chances of returning to the Finals this year, they might have somehow managed to improve long term, which is incredibly hard to believe considering five months ago as the Thunder came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, I was ready to give Oklahoma City the next eight NBA Titles.

Alright, tangent over. Where was I? Oh yeah, that’s right; the best home crowd, a great young nucleus, and a 24 year old super star who established himself as the 2^nd best basketball player in the entire world as he was ripping through the playoffs more impressively than anyone except his Eastern Conference counterpart. What was lost in the shuffle after the 2012 Playoffs and LeBron winning his first NBA Title was how un-effing-believable Kevin Durant was. Right from jump street Durant was making it a habit to nail game winners at the buzzer, hit dagger after dagger in big moments, and lead furious late game rallies that got everyone thinking maybe we weren’t just watching a great player at work; maybe this was something of a Jordanesque transformation where Kevin Durant would run the NBA for the next decade or so.

Durant may have fallen short of that imaginary Jordanesque level that so many desire to get to and so few reach, but he did establish himself as the present and future of the NBA. In reality, and in defense of Durant, he didn’t even fall short of that level we love to try to measure every current player by. He was simply out done by someone who may have shattered that “Jordanesque” label and created something totally different in measuring basketball success in the process. But that is a different story for a different day.

April 4, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) dribbles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in the fourth period at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The sport’s best players, playing on the sport’s biggest stage, playing for the sport’s most sacred trophy.  This is the way the NBA Finals are meant to be, two great teams led by two transcendent superstars trying to cement their place as the sport’s Washington on basketball’s Mount Rushmore.

We could see this matchup between the Thunder and Heat and Kevin Durant and LeBron James coming for years, since 2007 when the former’s meteoric rise made him the first freshman to be named college basketball’s consensus player of the year.  So over the last half decade as the Lakers and Celtics had hold of the Finals, Durant and the Thunder grew from upstart to title contender, and James’ public reputation was tarnished with his move to Miami we’ve been patiently waiting for today.  And it’s finally, finally here, with both superstars at the absolute apex of their powers.

This series is far more layered than Durant vs. James, obviously, as each is flanked by two legitimate All-Stars, surrounded by a breadth of inconsistent role players, and guided by coaches among the NBA’s most unfairly maligned.  But history will remember it the superficial way, as the first  battle between two players that will forever be remembered among basketball’s legends by the time their careers are over.  And while that will bother those who view the sport as the ultimate team game it is, even they can’t be upset the way the narrative has developed throughout the playoffs to pit these two against one another at the end when it all matters most.  This, it bears repeating, is how the finals are meant to be.

Now that the stage is set with proper dramatics, how do Durant and James matchup? Let’s dive in.

Mar, 25, 2012; Oklahoma City OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in action against Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

There may not be a tougher cover or more gifted scorer in the world than Durant, but you know that by now.  Incredible length combined with quickness, speed, underrated handle and unmatched shot-making ability are his hallmarks, unmistakable from any other player in the NBA, active or long since retired.  If there’s any player that has the physical gifts and mental aptitude to keep Durant in relative check, though, it’s James.  He’s not just the league’s most positionally versatile defender, he’s also its best against elite wing scorers.  James does fantastic work defensively both on and off the ball, rarely getting beat off the dribble and routinely forcing his man away from the scorer’s preferred spots on the floor.  Against Durant the latter will come in especially handy, as James can easily bully Durant into catching the ball in the places he’s least comfortable.  KD’s overall strength is better than it’s ever been, yes, but still is a far cry from that of James.  So if James is able to move Durant off the pinch-post and top of the key and make him catch the ball farther away from the basket, he’s already scored a relative victory but hardly won the battle.  Against most scorers that may be enough, but not Durant; he’s simply too good.  Even far away from the basket, Durant is still an incredibly tough cover because of his vastly improved penetrating skill and unparalleled range and release point.  Even James – 6’8” or a half inch taller with long arms, quick feet, and broad shoulders – must toe the line between playing close enough to challenge Durant’s jumper and far enough back to make sure he doesn’t get beat to the rim, all while keeping his head on a swivel awaiting ball screens from a myriad of options on either side of him.  A tough cover, indeed, but if any player in the sport is up for the challenge it’s James.

Durant won’t guard James as much as LeBron does he on the other end, but he’ll see the lion’s share of minutes on the MVP nonetheless.  James, for all his warts, was arguably the most effective offensive player in basketball this season, refining his post-game, tightening his jumper, and improving his shot-selection to points he’s never approached before.  And all that’s before mentioning what sets him apart from most other elite scorers, his ability to run his team’s offense and get teammates open looks.  Of particular interest when Durant draws James is how often Miami will try to exploit LeBron’s size and strength advantage in the post, where he’s among the league’s most efficient scorers.  Will Durant be able to push James from spots the way it will go on the other side? Probably not, which means Oklahoma City will aggressively double team when James puts down one or two dribbles, opening seams for a cutter like Dwyane Wade or skip passes for open shooters.  Erik Spoelstra will likely try to establish James down low early to see how the Thunder defense reacts, but that too will be exactly what Scott Brooks tries to prevent.  So that begs the questions, if James doesn’t get many post touches, what kind of shots will he be taking? This is where the Thunder’s team defense and James’ supreme court vision are especially huge.  Serge Ibaka is the game’s best shot-blocker, Kendrick Perkins is a bull near the rim, and the Thunder’s perimeter players are quick and long enough to bother James if he gets past Durant’s initial defense off the dribble.  OKC will no doubt disallow James the path of least resistance, instead collapsing and forcing him to pass to the weakside or near corner.  That’s not a bad thing for Miami if Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, and Chris Bosh are hitting shots; if not, they might be in big trouble.

April 4, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (left) and Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in the fourth period at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

Neither Durant nor James will be constantly guarded by the other, and when they aren’t the Thunder in particular should feast.  Battier will no doubt see several possessions a game assigned to Durant, and the veteran just doesn’t have the requisite length, speed, or quickness to give Durant much trouble.  Should Miami go this route expect them to more aggressively double the ball, giving Durant the opportunity to show off his improved passing skill.  Miami, on the other hand, won’t see the same advantage when OKC uses someone to cover James other than Durant.  The task in that scenario falls to Thabo Sefolosha, the Thunder’s best perimeter defender and one some would say is as good a matchup for James as Durant.  While that’s not necessarily true, he still has the physical gifts and aggressive mentality to make life hard for LeBron.

This series will come down to more than Durant and James.  We know that.  But what’s obvious, too, is that the league’s coming tone and direction will be set by who gets the best of the other in terms of success both team and individual.  The Finals should be bigger and mean more.  These do, and it’s because of Durant and James, just the way we wanted and just the way it should be.

Apr 19, 2010; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with forward Anderson Varejao (17) during the fourth period against Chicago Bulls in game two in the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers beat the Bulls 112-102. Mandatory Credit: Jason Miller-US PRESSWIRE

I’m sure you’ve connected the dots as to how exactly Cleveland got to the NBA Finals, but I’ll say it anyway; LeBron James was sensational throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs, averaging 25.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists. That really wasn’t a surprise. LeBron was already widely considered one of the best players in the league. He had won an All-Star Game MVP, made two 2nd Team All-NBA and one 1st Team All-NBA. Additionally, LeBron was coming off two straight top five MVP vote finishes. Still, it took the “48 Special” performance to truly launch LeBron to the next level. LeBron scored 29 of Cleveland’s last 30 points and momentum quickly started building for the “LeBron could be the best ever” argument. It was irrelevant that Cleveland got swept by San Antonio in the Finals. After all, San Antonio was a well-built team and Cleveland was essentially LeBron and the 14 misfits. Despite that fact, it certainly appeared that the future of the NBA was LeBron James.

Meanwhile, the Portland Trailblazers had unexpectedly won the NBA Draft Lottery and were mulling over the decision of whether to draft Ohio State University center Greg Oden or University of Texas forward Kevin Durant. Even though nearly all experts agreed that Oden should go number one, 15 year old pre-goatee Sonny Giuliano believed that Durant was the player that Portland should select. Just watching Durant at Texas you could see that he was going to be a special player. Durant took the college basketball world by storm, averaging 26 points and 11 rebounds per game, and taking home numerous National Player of the Year awards in the process. Aside from showing that he was an incredibly gifted scorer, the best I personally had ever seen at the college level, you could also see from Durant a hunger to be the best player in the world, a quality that was seemingly absent from Greg Oden, and the majority of players who ever step on a basketball court. Durant was a sure thing. Durant was the future of the NBA. I saw that, and I didn’t see the same from Oden… If only Portland had taken a chance and hired me as their General Manager in 2007. It must’ve been because I didn’t have a goatee.

Now we’re back in 2012. It’s LeBron James’ ninth year in the NBA. Since the summer of 2007, LeBron has won three MVP Awards, putting him in rare company along with Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as 3 time winners. He’s rounded into the most complete NBA player today, and possibly ever. It’s almost as if a mad scientist took Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, morphed them into one player and out came LeBron James. On the offensive end of the floor he vascillates between being the best point guard in the league and the most unstoppable physical force you could imagine. Defensively, he’s more versatile than anyone who has ever played in the NBA. Despite the endless amount of awards, rare statistical gems and overall skill level, LeBron still has not won an NBA Title. You know how that story goes. He fell short three straight years in Cleveland, took his talents to South Beach, and fell short yet again last year. I’m a LeBron fan. It’s a tough pill to swallow that he hasn’t won an NBA Title yet.

It’s Kevin Durant’s fifth year in the NBA. Since the summer of 2007, Durant has become the exact NBA player I expected him to become, except for the fact I expected all of this to be going down in Seattle, not Oklahoma City. Regardless, Durant is a scoring machine (3 scoring titles and in my opinion, the best scorer alive) with a proven killer instinct and has immediately risen to the top of the NBA. Over his first two years of postseason play, Durant took some bumps, losing to the eventual NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. This year, Durant and the Thunder avenged those loses to the Mavericks and Lakers in the first two rounds of the playoffs before running into the San Antonio Spurs, who were in the midst of an incredible run that started in the regular season and carried over into the playoffs. After the Thunder fell down 2-0, they were written off as “still too young” and “not yet ready” to play for an NBA Title. Durant and the Thunder are indeed young, but they are most certainly ready. Durant lead the Thunder to four straight wins against a Spurs team that had won 20 straight games up to that point. Just as we did when LeBron and the Cavaliers won four straight against Detroit in 2007, we’ve anointed Durant and the Thunder as the future of the NBA. It’s much more plausible this time around. After all, Durant is flanked by two-time 2nd Team All NBA point guard Russell Westbrook, 2012 Sixth Man of the Year James Harden and a supporting cast that would metaphorically corner LeBron‘s 06-07 supporting cast, takes their lunch money and then stuffs them into a locker.

After 1,000 words I’ve finally arrived at my point. There is obviously quite a bit of talent on the floor in this series aside from LeBron and Durant. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh round out the Miami Big Three while Russell Westbrook and James Harden flank Kevin Durant, but ultimately this series comes down to the two best basketball players on the planet. It’s the modern day Bird vs. Magic matchup, and we need to treat it as such. Maybe in 2007 we envisioned this potential future matchup as Cleveland vs. Seattle, but regardless of changes in scenary this matchup is five years in the making. As a LeBron James fan, yes, I certainly do hope the Heat win the NBA Title. But as an NBA fan I want seven close, competitive, down to the wire games, and I’ll be satisfied with any result if that’s the case. Rather than criticizing LeBron by picking at his clutch credentials, or hoping that Durant is too young and not yet ready for the biggest stage, I ask you to appreciate that we are on the cusp of a new era of the NBA, and these are the two individuals introducing us to it. If you are a true NBA fan or even someone who doesn’t have a metaphorical horse in this race, I challenge you to sit back and simply enjoy basketball at its highest level, and not concern yourself with who wins and who loses. If you can’t do that, that’s too bad for you. You better brace yourself for a lot more Miami and Oklahoma City on the biggest NBA platform. This is the future of the NBA, and it certainly appears as if the future is now.

After the conclusion of last year’s Mavs-Thunder series – where the Mavericks dispensed the Thunder with relative ease in five games – Russell Westbrook pulled a LeBron and stormed off the court without exchanging handshakes with the Mavericks players and coaches.  Afterwards, he was heavily criticized not just for his lack of sportsmanship at the moment, but also his play.  His shot selection and apparent reluctance to let Kevin Durant be the go-to scorer was much maligned – even up to this day.   Subsequently, many were persistently questioning the ability of Westbrook to coexist with Durant.

In this year’s playoffs, it appears that questioning has halted – at least for the moment.  While Kevin Durant has struggled with his jump shot over the first two games – albeit lifting the Thunder in the waning seconds of Game 1 – it was his co-pilot Westbrook who led the charge this time around with 29 points and leading the Thunder to a Game 2 victory.  In these last two games, he’s been the steady scorer that OKC expects Durant to be.  With Dallas having only Jason Kidd – who has 17 years worth of mileage on his legs – and Roddy Beaubois –who has yet to provide the same spark as a backup point guard as JJ Barea used to – to guard him, Westbrook is the single worst matchup for the Mavericks.  A huge reason why Kevin Durant is struggling to find a rhythm is because Rick Carlisle has Shawn Marion to make Durant’s life difficult.  But they have no such answer for Westbrook, and they should take full advantage of that.

Still, the game was very much within reach for Dallas.  Had Dirk Nowitzki not missed a WIDE open three-pointer (which I’m quite shocked that he missed) and a 12-foot fadeaway in the closing minutes, the series could very well be tied.

Should Dallas be worried?

Yes.  For the second straight game, Dallas threatened to steal home court advantage from the Thunder.  But also for the second straight game, they failed to execute down the stretch.  One has to believe that Dirk will not keep missing clutch shots – particularly in Dallas over the next two games.  But they should also be worried about their lack of production from their bench.  Roddy Beaubois and Brandan Wright did not see much time on the floor (5 minutes each), chiefly due to their overall nervous play so far.  Vince Carter has logged 30+ minutes in each of the first two games, but only scored 5 points on 2-9 shooting and only attempted 2 free throws.  He did have some nice moments in these first two games, but for a guy of Carter’s caliber (and with plenty of playoff experience), he needs to play better.

What to expect in Game 3

If you’re Dallas, you have to take some positives from losing two road games by only a combined four points against a heavily favored team.  Quite reasonably, this series could easily be 2-0 in favor of Dallas.  Still, their inability to execute in crunch time in two straight close games is troubling.

If you’re OKC, you’re hoping that KD finds his shot again.  If not, you have to ride Westbrook and let him be “The Man” again, despite seemingly everyone’s preconceived notion that he shouldn’t be more than a second fiddle.

I may be just desperately clinging on to my pre-series prediction at this point, but I just can’t see Dallas going away this easily.  Being at home, I think one of Dallas’s role players – who, outside of Jason Terry, have been fairly nonexistent up to this point – will put his imprint on the series.  I also don’t think Dirk – a proven playoff performer – can choke in three straight games when the game is close.  Therefore, without feeling comfortable with the prediction at all, I say Dallas wins Game 3 fairly handily.

Apr 28, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots the game winning shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter in game one of the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

MVP candidate Kevin Durant struggled with his jump shot all night long.  But did that stop him from taking the last shot in the final seconds when Oklahoma City was down by one?

Not a chance.

Durant’s difficult, contested floater from the foul line barely dropped in before the clock struck zero, and  the Thunder escaped with a 99-98 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the First Round.

Should Dallas be encouraged or discouraged?

After Dirk Nowitzki’s and-one play with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, the Mavs were up by a comfortable seven points and had this game won.  But some costly turnovers and giving up back-to-back three point plays in the final minutes became their undoing.  Rick Carlisle and Nowitzki blamed the loss on not only these crucial mistakes in the final minutes, but also their inability to get the ball to red-hot Jason Terry (who had 20 points in the first 3 quarters, but none thereafter).  Terry’s explosion in the first half made up for a relatively so-so overall game for Dirk, who put the Mavs in a position to win when he scored 11 of his 25 points in the last 5 minutes.

Still, the Mavs should be encouraged despite the loss.  Not many expected them to be in a position to steal home court advantage, yet they really dictated play for all but the final two minutes of this game.

Apr 26, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry (31) looks on against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 106-89. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

Should Oklahoma City be encouraged or discouraged?

Durant may have provided the last-second heroics, but it was really James Harden who kept OKC in the game.  In his first game since suffering a concussion from Ron Artest’s vicious elbow, Harden scored 19 points and made several timely baskets to keep the Thunder within striking distance.

In the end, I’m not sure if the Thunder should be too high on this win.  Many of the issues that made OKC a mediocre team for the month of April aren’t going away like most expected, perhaps chief among them that Durant still can’t find consistency with his jumper.  One saving grace is that Russell Westbrook seemed to have found his shot, days after going a miserable 3-22 against the Lakers earlier last week.  Still, if not for Harden and an above-average scoring performance by Serge Ibaka (22 points), Dallas could very well have dominated this game.  Durant and Westbrook need to find ways to penetrate Dallas’s zone defense and not settle for outside jumpers,  a trend that has really hurt them all month long.

What should we expect in Game 2?

As I said in my series prediction, Dallas has no fear of the Thunder – a team they made relatively quick work of in last year’s Conference Finals.  Durant, Westbrook, and Harden all have to be playing well in order to knock off Dallas in this series.  For Dallas, as long as they can out-rebound the Thunder and get to the foul line as well as they did in Game 1, I expect Rick Carlisle to rally his guys and come out with the same effort and steal home court advantage. Either way, this is shaping up to be the best first-round series in the playoffs.

I join Thunderous Intentions editor Andrew Kennedy on Fansided’s NBA Podcast to discuss the Thunder’s late game offense, the league’s best crunch time player, and my choices for regular season awards.

You can also download the podcast here.

So far, in what can hardly be considered the offseason, NBA news has consisted ostensibly of talk about business, economics and money. As a fan of the league, one thing that you have to accept is that the NBA is a business; your team may make a lop-sided trade or two for economic reasons, or let a key player go during free agency, but at the end of the day, despite how the business side of the game affects the basketball side, the basketball side of the game will always provide enough excitement and emotion to make you overlook what concessions may fall at the hands of the business side.

Well, that is normally the case, until the collective bargaining agreement expires and greed rears its ugly head; then all we are left with is anger and resentment and no basketball with which to wash those bitter pills down.

On the other hand, the bitterness and resentment may be more preferable than the possible alternative of apathy that will undoubtedly set in once fans start replacing the NBA with other alternatives. This is the reason why events such as otherwise meaningless exhibition games that have taken place during the lockout have become so important to writers and fans alike. (more…)

Today, Saving the Skyhook kicks off our Finals coverage with some very exciting news. We have three new writers joining the team today: Alex McNamee, Neil Noonan and Scott Campsall. Blake and I have been reading their stuff, and we’re pumped to have these guys join the team. You’re going to enjoy what they can do. In the coming days, we’ll be updating the site’s About Us page with their information, but for now, we have a Finals Roundtable for you to pursue while you wait for tonight’s game (9pm ET, ABC).

Give this a read, and please welcome the team to the site!

(more…)

Raise your hand if you picked Portland to beat Dallas in the first round. Own it.

There was little reason to believe the Mavericks could get here. They had an impressive regular season, but they were saddled with an aging supporting cast and a star who may or may not have seen his best days in 2006. Beyond that, the Mavericks found themselves facing a particularly tough path to the Finals. All the Mavericks had to do in order to reach the Finals was to take down fan darling Portland, the defending NBA Champions and the best young team in the game.

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Image from Hoops Collective

There has been much to love about the Western Conference Second Round series between the Thunder and the Grizzles.

And now we get a Game Seven.

Heading into the playoffs, the Thunder was known as the young, fierce team that could catch fire and shock their opponents into a deep playoff run.

Then the Grizzles caught fire. Zach Randolph started playing the best basketball of his life, the ‘other Gasol’ (who I currently refer to as ‘the Gasol still playing’) stepped up on defense and Mike Conley got hot. The Grizzles caught the Spurs off guard in Game 1 and dispatched them five games later.

It was an impressive run, but questions remained as this series begun. How long could they stay hot? How could they deal with Westbrook and Durant? What will they do to counter the Thunder’s bench, the Thunder’s shooters, the Thunder’s interior defense (newly fortified by chiseled defensive vet Kendrick Perkins).

Through the first round, the Grizzles had been playing like a team who had already exceeded expectations, but surely they wouldn’t be able to take out the Thunder, right?

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The 2011 are right around the corner, and are sure to be the most competitive NBA Playoffs we’ve seen in years.  While the 2^nd round and beyond, are the rounds everyone’s anticipating, there are a few things we need to be on the look-out for.  Here are 10 of them…

1^st Round Upsets

1.  The New York Knicks vs. The Boston Celtics

How can this happen, you ask?  Simply put, Youth and Hunger.  The Knicks are considerably younger, and faster than their Boston Counterparts.  The running style that they live by, is the exact opposite type of game that the C’s want to get in to.  Yes the Knicks have had their struggles versus the Celtics this season, but have also had their moments.  When their backs were against the wall, their closer showed up. Carmelo Anthony put the team on his back on multiple occasions, and performed like the star that he is.  These are the leadership qualities that I spoke of before, that are there, just inconsistent.  If Melo can maintain that drive, and killer instinct throughout the series; The Celtics are in Trouble.  Now the likelihood of an upset isn’t in the Knicks’ favor.  However, the Celtics haven’t been the same team since the Perkins trade, and are injured across the board.  The funny thing about this series is that the Knicks lack that “Inside Toughness,” but then again, so do the Celtics.  Yes of course KG is still the backbone of the team, but then what?  You have an old and injured Shaq, who’s paired with another old and injured Jermaine O’neal.  Either way, the Knicks will make a series vs. ANYONE they play this year; you can put money on that! (more…)

Alright, so since none of you want to listen to me ramble on about baseball, I’ll start off by picking five stories at the start of the season, that didn’t quite pan out. Obviously I need to talk about the Miami Heat. No one has done that enough. And of course, I need to talk about Kevin Durant, since people were calling him MVP before the season started. I can’t NOT talk about the Lakers, they had a season that was unlike anyone could expect. The Spurs deserve some attention as well. And no recap list would be complete without Carmelo/Knicks/Nuggets on it. (more…)

TRADE ONE:

The first major trade was obviously Carmelo Anthony going to the Knicks.

TO NEW YORK: Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams, Corey Brewer

TO DENVER: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first round pick, and 2012 and 2013 second round picks

TO MINNESOTAA: Eddy Curry, and Anthony Randolph

This trade obviously is huge. Carmelo gets his extension, and gets to play with his good friend Amar’e Stoudemire. He also gets to play under the shining lights in New York. Carmelo had a solid first game in blue and orange with 27 points and 10 boards. Chauncey Billups may be the key to this trade, as he has plenty of playoff experience and a Finals MVP under his belt. He may be the leader that this team needs. Look forward to big things from New York next year, especially if they can land Chris Paul or Dwight Howard in 2012. (more…)

There is just great depth to this year’s event, so let’s take a look at the participants:

Ray Allen

It starts with this man. There’s a reason why he’s about to become the best three point shooter in NBA history. When we think about the recent championship teams for the Celtics, Allen might in fact be the fourth name you think of behind Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo in terms of determining the most valuable players on that team. (more…)