Oklahoma City Thunder: It’s Official—Kevin Durant Can’t Do it Alone
By Phil Watson
The Memphis Grizzlies have made life difficult for Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. (Photo by Justin Smith/Wikimedia Commons)
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a 17-point lead in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, May 13, and seemed destined to tie the series.
Until the Grizzlies put together a big second half, that is, and until Kevin Durant couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean in the fourth quarter and overtime of OKC’s 103-97 loss that pushed the Thunder—the defending Western Conference champions—to the brink of elimination.
Much has been made of Durant, now a solo act with All-Star Russell Westbrook sidelined for the duration of the playoffs with a knee injury, having to carry the load for Oklahoma City.
This isn’t to say it’s all Kevin Durant’s fault that the Grizzlies are up 3-1 in the series. But Durant came up small down the stretch Monday night.
How small? Try 2-for-13 in the fourth quarter and overtime. The shot chart tells the story:
(NBA.com graphic)
Durant had been 8-for-14 through the first three periods before he went ice-cold. Part of that was how Memphis defended him, sending multiple defenders his way late in regulation. Tony Allen’s job was to stay with Durant, fighting through screens, while the man guarding the screener—usually Marc Gasol—would front Durant while Mike Conley would come from the backside to help.
Three All-Defensive team players conspiring to stop one player late in a game—you have to like Memphis’ chances there.
Even with all the extra attention, the Thunder don’t even get to overtime without Durant doing this:
You could see the frustration Durant is feeling during his post-game comments on Monday:
If it seems unfair to pile on Durant, consider that when LeBron James struggled in clutch time during the playoffs, he was dissected 25 different ways. When Carmelo Anthony can’t get it done in the fourth quarter, he takes the heat for it.
Losing a close game is never one player’s fault—just as it wasn’t all on LeBron when the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat couldn’t close the deal and just as it’s never Melo’s fault alone when the Denver Nuggets or New York Knicks failed to close out a close game, so too is it not all on Durant that the Thunder are in a precarious position against Memphis.
Durant has a reputation for being a terrific clutch performer. In Oklahoma City’s lone victory in this series, it was KD who knocked down the game-winner:
But Durant has also never been in the position of having to carry the Thunder by himself; he has always had Westbrook there as his running mate. Because Westbrook has the ability to take games over, Durant could bide his time and wait for his opportunities to do the same—which he has done on many occasions.
Durant put together one of the most efficient seasons in NBA history in 2012-13, joining the exclusive 50/40/90 club by shooting 51 percent from the floor, 41.6 percent from 3-point range and 90.5 percent from the foul line.
But in the playoffs, those numbers have dipped to 47.6 percent, 33.3 percent and 84.5 percent, respectively. Against Memphis, Durant is shooting 46.2 percent overall and 41.7 percent from 3. And in the fourth quarter, Durant has made just 1-of-5 3-point attempts and is 13-for-28 overall.
Against the Grizzlies, Durant has to be the guy to take over the game, simply because no one else on the roster is capable of doing it. It doesn’t help that Oklahoma City is matched up against the best defensive team in the league, a team that is showing that when it knows exactly what is coming at it, it will stop it.
Memphis did just that in the late going against the Thunder and against Kevin Durant and because of that, it is the Grizzlies who are on the doorstep of their first-ever trip to the Western Conference Finals.