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You knew it wasn’t going to come easy. For a little while there, it looked like it just might. The Thunder revved up the offense and really appeared to be taking total control of the game, holding a 13-point lead with a few seconds to go before halftime.
Then Shane Battier hit a wild buzzer-beating 3. And then the Grizzlies poured it on the Thunder.
Oklahoma City held a 10-point lead at halftime, but Memphis carried over Battier’s 3 for a 9-0 run and held the Thunder to just 29 second half points. OKC just had no rhythm offensively. The defense was good enough to win. But scoring 29 in a half just doesn’t cut it. There’s a lot of blame to go around, but I’m actually putting this one on Scott Brooks. Here’s why: Not that Brooks would ever make an in-game adjustment, such as alter his second half starting five, but it was obvious that Lionel Hollins’ move of putting O.J. Mayo in the game and having him and Tony Allen defend Russell Westbrook while leaving Mike Conley on Thabo was working.
Now I’ve never really leaned either way on the “start Harden” debate, most of the time feeling fine as long as Harden got his 30 minutes. But here’s all the evidence you need, at least in this series. I understand why you stick with Thabo though — messing with what’s worked all season long is a bit dangerous. But at some point you’ve got to coach. You’ve got to see what Memphis is doing and react back. By leaving Thabo in the game to start the second half, Memphis immediately was able to stifle the Thunder’s offense by basically leaving it up entirely to Westbrook to make a play. Durant was shaded by Marc Gasol while Tony Allen guarded him. And Westbrook had Mayo on him while Thabo stood idly in the corner. It was a mistake. The same problem existed to start the game, but OKC survived. After the Grizzlies took the energy up a notch, the Thunder didn’t.
I’ll add this to it: In 16 minutes, Thabo was a -16. Harden was a plus for most of the game before Memphis pulled away late. That should say a lot.
That much is on Brooks. The fact Durant shot the ball just 3-14 and 1-9 from 3 isn’t on Brooks. That’s on KD. This was just a complete dud from him. He’s far better than this but after he picked up his second foul early on a ticky-tack charge call, Durant’s rhythm was seriously interrupted. He made his first two shots and had The Look there, but was forced to sit most of the first quarter after that second foul. You can debate whether or not KD should’ve stayed in because in hindsight, maybe things turn out different if he played through, but I don’t blame Brooks for pulling him there.
Reality is though, KD looked a bit disconnected. He didn’t fight off the ball near as much and really seemed to allow Battier and Allen’s physical play get to him. The Thunder survived as long as they did because Westbrook carried the load entirely (27 points on 11-22 shooting). Yep, Westbrook took eight more shots than Durant, but tonight, he should’ve taken 18 more. It was all him or nothing. Well, him and Harden. Harden was great in the first half with 12 points but was part of the struggle in the second, scoring just two the last 24 minutes.
I really don’t know how to sum up what went wrong offensively in the second half other than it was too many contested jumpers, not enough at the rim and a lot of standing around. The Thunder didn’t do near as well on Zach Randolph who scored 30 on 12-22 shooting, but again, it wasn’t so much that the Thunder defense fell apart, but more that OKC quit scoring. The Grizzlies got into a simple rhythm while OKC drifted further away from one.
Now, it’s to Game 7. The pressure will be there. Anxiety. Tense moments. It’s going to pile up and be two and half hours of terrifying basketball. The Thunder should respond and handle their business on their home floor. The fact Memphis has won there once and that Z-Bo got going again is a bit nerve-racking, but KD isn’t going to drop another stinker like this. The team isn’t scoring 29 points in a half again. They will be better. Just like we knew the Grizzlies would bounce back from Game 5, the Thunder are going to come back strong after this one.
But it’s all on the line Sunday. I had this series going seven and that’s where we’re at. Hopefully we see the best of the Thunder. The aggressive, attacking team that is absolutely good enough to beat anyone. If that one shows up, it’ll be smooth sailing on to Dallas. If it’s the one that forgot about the second half tonight, then it’ll be time to start talking about the draft.
NOTES:
- The Thunder turned it over seven times in the first quarter. Unofficially in this series, I think they’re averaging 35.8 turnovers in first quarters of this series. In the second where things got going, OKC turned it over just twice.
- The Grizzlies finished with nine more shot attempts than the Thunder. They finished shooting 43 percent which isn’t great, but made five more baskets.
- The Thunder went just 4-25 from 3. First, that’s too many 3-pointers. Second, that’s horrible shooting.
- Really interesting tweet from Shoals: “Can somehow explain how Harden’s play makes Westbrook and Durant seem like they are on same team?” It’s a great point, because it really does seem like Harden is the glue between Westbrook and Durant. Now there’s a third guy on the floor worthy of touching the ball. He’s like a mediator that steps in and cools everyone off a bit.
- Evidently Al Green sang the national anthem before the game. That was a bad sign for the Thunder.
- I have to say it: Man, Shane Battier sure came out playing a bit dirty, didn’t he?
- It wasn’t rebounding so much in this one (41-41) but it did seem like the Grizzlies got to most loose balls and really beat the Thunder on the glass in key moments.
- When Randolph has that rock-back jumper working, you’re not stopping him. Collison has been really good on him, as has Ibaka, but that’s just not being stopped.
- I keep trying to think of what really went wrong and all I can come up with is the start of the second half. After that, it was like the Thunder got whitewashed. Without KD getting it going, the Thunder were just completely sunk.
- I bet most people go with a “Friday the 13th” type lede for this game. What do you think?
- Memphis fans stood for most of the second half. That was impressive.
- The whole technical foul thing is becoming painfully one-sided. The Thunder are really getting the short end of the whistle there. Westbrook picked one up for shoving Battier back after Battier tried to deck him. Then O.J. Mayo tries to start a scuffle with Harden and it’s double-techs.
There’s no doubt the Thunder are fine. Winning here on the road in Game 6 to close the series would’ve been very nice, but it didn’t happen. That just means they’ve got to do it Sunday. It’s their first Game 7 and it will be intense and scary. But remember, the Grizzlies are up against the same situation, but they’ve got to try and do it on the road. I don’t think it’s going to be a walk by any means, but I do think the Thunder will be ready.
At least, they better be.
Next up: Game 7 Sunday in OKC.
oboy :
after the game i was very upset at brooks and KD but other players need to step it up
Ibaka has to stop hesitating with the jumpshot, if you hesitate then you probably had it open in the first place and he needs to be better handling the ball, he bobbles alot of passes and either commits a turnover or interrupts the flow of the offense
also i didn’t really like how maynor played, to me he played like westbrook in this game instead of facilitating, he wasnt terrible but the second team needs to move the ball more
Also fellow fans going to the game sunday I know alot of ppl go to church and game 1 the crowd wasnt at its norm, everybody have some drinks before the game and be loud!!!!!!!
Huh, what game were you watching
Daniel Plainview :
Should we take this protest up a notch and march for Hardens release??? Its seems that at least one of the last two hold outs on Thabo starting, Brooks and OKC Baby, one has turned for James
There you go putting words in my mouth. hahah you sure do like to cry about something that wont change.
@derbon99
I don't look at it as a Thabo problem, I look at it as a lineup problem.
Look at the Grizz. They've made adjustments to make sure that they have a well-rounded team out there. With Allen and Young on the wings, there's not enough offense for our wings to respect, thus enabling us to pack the paint. If Gay was there, Gay-Allen would have been a fairly devastating lineup for us. Battier-Mayo ensures that there's enough offense, while not giving up too much defensively.
If we want KD to find open looks and Russ to be able to drive in, then you have to find the right balance of space. We have 3 space cloggers in Perk, Thabo, and Serge. Small ball alleviates this issue for a little while, but with this team, it's really dangerous because of their post offense. That's what happened in the 4th quarter. Thabo gets the blame because we're not gonna take out Ibaka, and I'm sure the coaches feel Perk has earned his right due to his pedigree.
Kudos to Hollins and the Grizz for making the necessary changes to win. Let's hope Brooks thinks a lil outside the box for Game 7
It s a bit easy to take Thabo as the problem.
Formerly it was Green so it looks like you need to hate somebody in this team.
During the last quarter he wasn't on the floor and OKC played really poorly.
James Church :
I think we need to stop thinking of Memphis as an 8 seed. They were in turmoil most of the year and when they did get themselves together, they still had to tank to get the 8th seed. They’re the best of the lower seeds. It’s fitting only they, us and Dallas are remaining in the West, because they’re the best sides. So let’s cut the ‘How can we lose to an 8 seed?’ junk.
Actually, I haven't thought of them as an eight seed. theyre tough, theres no doubt about it.
kfmsooner :
Two great points from Darnell:
“And for crying out loud, when Harden does finally get in the game put the ball in his hands and let him make a play. Westbrook doesn’t always have to be the one generating offense. Mix it up and make the D adjust.”
“As for Collison, when he’s played 25 or more minutes in this series the Thunder has won. When he’s played less than 25 minutes, the Thunder has lost. He had 20 minutes tonight. Simple math.”
And this too. Randolph os too crafty of a vet for Ibaka at this point. Collison played greta on Zach, he just his some really tough shots, and most of those were much further from the basket cause he couldnt back Colli down. KD could take some tips from Randolph on how to get players to bite. The problem is KD is always taller and faster than most of his defenders so hes never really been forced to learn ho to get players to bite. I think he could use some work in this area.
@Daniel Plainview
*"...Perks lack of offense was a non-issue with Boston..."
I think we need to stop thinking of Memphis as an 8 seed. They were in turmoil most of the year and when they did get themselves together, they still had to tank to get the 8th seed. They're the best of the lower seeds. It's fitting only they, us and Dallas are remaining in the West, because they're the best sides. So let's cut the 'How can we lose to an 8 seed?' junk.
One of the reasons Perk's lack of offense with Boston was because all 4 other starters could create and score. His offensive limitations were not an issue, here, their part of a collective black-hole, save our two stars
Hollinger, echoing my words I said earlier in teh game:
"Mayo made two of his four 3-point attempts, but more importantly, his presence on the floor afforded more space for Zach Randolph in the paint. That was especially true when he shared the floor with Shane Battier, who played 28:30 himself and hit perhaps the most important shot of the game when his high-arcing 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer cut the Thunder lead to 10.
"We weren't spacing the court," Hollins said. "They were just clamping down on Zach with two of three guys. We felt like if we put a shooter out there, they would have to honor him and they did it.""
Should we take this protest up a notch and march for Hardens release??? Its seems that at least one of the last two hold outs on Thabo starting, Brooks and OKC Baby, one has turned for James
If it wasnt for Noah and Boozer, Id probably root for the Bulls, I hope they win teh first two in a row at least, ineffect, to humble, but then I hope it goes to a game 7
@kfmsooner
I just want to know if we win this series whether Brooks will play thabo to guard DeShawn Stevenson who is Mavs' thabo.
@kfmsooner
There are no 2 starters in the league as impotent on offense as Thabo and Perk. Ibaka is still learning, he should not be out 3rd option. Thabo and Perks are non-entites on the offensive end and if I were a coach I would think that would easy to prepare for
kfmsooner :
Hollinger is blaming the loss on lack of floor spacing. He points to Gasol jumping out on Durant and doubling off the ball with Perk not able to take advantage. It’s a great point. He doesn’t specifically call out Thabo…Great points. I just don’t think Perk and Thabo can play together…
Agreed. Also, its what KD doesnt do when hes doubled
Hollinger is blaming the loss on lack of floor spacing. He points to Gasol jumping out on Durant and doubling off the ball with Perk not able to take advantage. It's a great point. He doesn't specifically call out Thabo...Great points. I just don't think Perk and Thabo can play together...
I have this horrible, awful feeling that we will indeed LOSE game 7. When Memphis plays well, and their defense steps up, there's nothing we can do, we're overmatched at nearly position it seems. Westbrook is the only one who can do anything so the Grizz will allow that if they can take away KD's confidence, they know KD will give up and quit trying. It's happened multiple times in this series. And then you have the Sunday factor, the ABC/ESPN factor, and the fact they just won by double digits in what was supposed to be closeout game for OKC.
We are better than Memphis, a LOT better. But does the team know it? If they do, then why do they keep toying with them? You have to go in and get things done, put a team away like everyone else in the playoffs did. I've been saying for a long time that this team lacks one crucial thing that will keep them from winning anything important and that's a killer instinct. Until this team develops it, we will always be worried about games like Game 7 against teams like Memphis, who we SHOULD have put away in 5 games. They continue to choke away 12-16 points leads and if I'm a Memphis fan, I feel really good that our team has a killer instinct and OKC does not.
Two great points from Darnell:
"And for crying out loud, when Harden does finally get in the game put the ball in his hands and let him make a play. Westbrook doesn’t always have to be the one generating offense. Mix it up and make the D adjust."
"As for Collison, when he’s played 25 or more minutes in this series the Thunder has won. When he’s played less than 25 minutes, the Thunder has lost. He had 20 minutes tonight. Simple math."
Sammy :
It’s weird. I think we’ll win Sunday. I know we’re favored. And I think we have a legitimate chance of beating the Mavs and the Bulls/Heat. But if we lose Sunday, I don’t think I’ll be as upset as I should be.
The thing I’ll be most disappointed about is that I don’t get to see what would happen in a series vs. the Mavs and (especially) in a series vs Miami. But I won’t be mad because we’ll have missed an opportunity to win a ‘ship or because we got eliminated by an 8th seed. Mostly I’m just curious and want to feed that curiosity. But that’s about it. I won’t be mad because we didn’t win a series against a team we’re more talented than. I guess it’s cause I’m so well aware of our faults that if we lose because of them, it won’t hit me by surprise.
Not that I’m resigned to defeat or anything. Eff that. Go Thunder.
You might have a case of that god awful perspective that escapes us a lot of the time. Like, Durant being 22 when we blast him for having a poor game, or the overall youngness of the team in general when they play poorly down the stretch, or zone out for long periods, or when Westbrook loses his cool. Take a step back and where it's at now is brilliant.
I'll be disappointed. But I'll be satisfied. Because it's been a great season no matter what happens next. Let's all make that our motto for the next game thread, rather than cussing each other out repeatedly.
Can we stop dobbing now? It's like we don't acknowledge Royce as a functionally reading adult? He'll be aaaaaaaaaaaaaight.
Check it, curtesy of Mark Deeks:
"Every NBA finals series ever - sixty of them in total - has included one of these twelve: Duncan, Isaiah, Kareem, Wes Unseld, Havlicek, Dr. J., Wilt, Bill Russell, Max Zaslofsky, Dolph Schayes, Phil Jackson, and Rudy Tomjanovich. But not this year."
Joey Gladstone :
dylan :
All the pot zach randolph smokes has to catch up with him sometime. if i lived in memphis i’d drop a big ass bag and some cheetos at his front door tomorrow
Humor fail
This is the guy Royce. Pure Troll. Check the threads.
okc baby :
The problem was more then just starting Thabo
If Thabo had sprained his ankle 10 minutes before the game started, we win this game by 10. It's a fact. Thabo not only doesn't deserve to start, he doesn't deserve to touch the court. I don't care if it is Harden, Cook, NRob, Ivey, MoCheeks, or a guy from the stands that replaces Thabo, but it has to happen. If Brooks plays Thabo and doesn't admit his mistakes, we may well be staying home after Sunday.
@Skeletor
Crap. I forgot about the Sunday curse. At least this game starts a bit later than the previous Sunday game in this series. I think there's something about the earlier starts that throws these guys off. Their routine is just very disrupted by that.
@Skeletor
I hope we do it again
Last Sunday win was the big win in LA against the Lakers.
@Floppy Punch!
I didn't make it out but I am so glad to see that so many people did. That has to be very uplifting for the players.
@Sammy
I think I know what you mean. At this point its clear how good Memphis is. Should we lose Sunday it will hurt, but it won't be like losing to a typical 8 seed by any means.
http://www.twitvid.com/UPKJT
"Ya'll kraaaaaazy!" Hahaha!
It's weird. I think we'll win Sunday. I know we're favored. And I think we have a legitimate chance of beating the Mavs and the Bulls/Heat. But if we lose Sunday, I don't think I'll be as upset as I should be.
The thing I'll be most disappointed about is that I don't get to see what would happen in a series vs. the Mavs and (especially) in a series vs Miami. But I won't be mad because we'll have missed an opportunity to win a 'ship or because we got eliminated by an 8th seed. Mostly I'm just curious and want to feed that curiosity. But that's about it. I won't be mad because we didn't win a series against a team we're more talented than. I guess it's cause I'm so well aware of our faults that if we lose because of them, it won't hit me by surprise.
Not that I'm resigned to defeat or anything. Eff that. Go Thunder.
By by gladstone...
dylan :
All the pot zach randolph smokes has to catch up with him sometime. if i lived in memphis i’d drop a big ass bag and some cheetos at his front door tomorrow
Humor fail
Hollins launched Conley-Mayo-Battier-Randolph-Gasol in the first half just after Durant sat and Harden came in. He didn't launch it against the full starters or use it against the full bench lineup but rather in the transition time with 2-4 starters. I don't know if that was part of the plan or part of the reason it worked. I don't know how confident the players feel with their mixed starter and bench lineups. I assume they confident with their closing lineup (with Durant) but that had some trouble too when it was fully in and Brooks tried several other different things in the 4th without success. But trying full starters or full bench against it was not tried and would be other options to consider, though it might require significant variation for the standard rotation to do so.
@Daniel Hawaii
We got 50 FTs in G4 and it was a road game.We can play aggressive game if we want.I really dont like the game becomes a FT contest but the win is more important.
And Mavs is the best jump-shooting team I think.If we have chance it will be an interesting series
after the game i was very upset at brooks and KD but other players need to step it up
Ibaka has to stop hesitating with the jumpshot, if you hesitate then you probably had it open in the first place and he needs to be better handling the ball, he bobbles alot of passes and either commits a turnover or interrupts the flow of the offense
also i didn't really like how maynor played, to me he played like westbrook in this game instead of facilitating, he wasnt terrible but the second team needs to move the ball more
Also fellow fans going to the game sunday I know alot of ppl go to church and game 1 the crowd wasnt at its norm, everybody have some drinks before the game and be loud!!!!!!!
re-watching the game.. Brooks played right into Hollins's hands when he started trying to cover Z-bo 1-1 and spreading the floor to control the perimeter shooters in the second half.. in the first half, though it wasn't ideal, we were still collapsing on Randolph and Gasol in the paint while allowing the occasion open look from the arc.. ya it bit us a couple times, but Memphis can't score enough from the perimeter to keep them in games without consistent scoring from the low post.. Randolph only had 11 points in the first half 4 points coming from the line.. our offense was horrible in the second, but it was the spread defense that eventually killed us, and created opportunities for the Grizz down low.. fix that and we take game 7 at home
This is what happens when you're primarily a jump-shooting team. You have bad shooting nights. Suddenly if feels like you're drowning and gasping for air as the number of offensive options you have shrinks smaller and smaller.
We've seen the good (Game 5) and the bad (Game 6) of being a jump-shooting team. All we can hope is that we shoot well in Game 7 and then miraculously keep shooting well for 2 more series.
I checked how some other teams did against this lineup and nobody faced it much and nobody beat it for more than a few minutes. Boston beat it by 6 in 2 minutes with their other starters and Krstic but that is really the thinnest possible data and of course not enough to go on. Hope the team experts figure it out by looking at the tape and using their experience. Maybe you don't expect to beat that lineup. There are some lineups where the Thunder played that lineup even and maybe that is enough if you win elsewhere.
The problem was more then just starting Thabo
Looking at the lineups that have faced Conley-Mayo-Battier-Randolph-Gasol in the small sample there is no obvious player with better results. Not Harden, not Nick, not KD at the 4. Maynor is virtually untried against it though. Might be worth a look.
The full starting lineup had a good first half. It is fairly common that they have contrasting halves. It would be nice to have a stronger more consistent starting lineup. There are options but as was noted before the game and many times before by many people, they didn't / don't feel like taking one.
Mark! :
@Mark!
To be fair, I blame the -4 point malaise over the next 5 minutes 38 seconds in the 3rd after Harden was subbed in on the funk the starting lineup drug the Thunder into after tearing it up to end the 2nd.
Yep...
@Mark!
To be fair, I blame the -4 point malaise over the next 5 minutes 38 seconds in the 3rd after Harden was subbed in on the funk the starting lineup drug the Thunder into after tearing it up to end the 2nd.
@Royce. I went off kilter, starting on page 15 of in-game thread. I vehemently objected to a poster in game, and said nasty things. I have admitted shame. Im sure the board will acknowledge that this is very uncharacteristic of me and I hope that is seen in the overall context. the poster I objected to, I also admitted, I do not believe is a troll or the like and dont believe weve ever been cross with one another. I hope this goes into your assesment of the situation.
justin :@Royce Young
How were your emotions as Thabo Sefolosha and co. gave up a 10 point lead in under four minutes?
To be fair, the starting lineup only gave up 9 points in 4 minutes 11 seconds.
You're such a hyperbolist.
Conley-Mayo-Battier-Randolph-Gasol won the game going something like +19 in 15+ minutes. I hadn't really studied the Griz' lineup performance in the playoffs but when I went and looked at it just a bit ago, that lineup jumped out immediately as the Griz' best performer though in only about 27 minutes before tonight in this series or 5-6 minutes per game. Hardly used at all in the regular season. One minute more and I find out it was essentially the best lineup in the Spurs series. I don't know what Hollins was thinking before but if you needed a secret weapon that was it. It is a pretty logical lineup. I don't know if the Thunder were ready for it, but this information was sitting on the internet if you knew where to look. I wish I had checked it sooner but... I backed off of doing some of that. What will the team do to change how they play against that lineup? It probably will be back front n' center next game. I would think Hollins knows what he has now. Surprised it wasn't used more, sooner.
@shiki
i hope so but we've gotten screwed by the whistle in OKC too for the most part
@dylan
+1
Refs helped Allen and Battier to guard KD.But they will stand our side at home.KD can get benefit from it.FTs is our best weapon in this series.
@shiki
I agree. I think a straight cook-for-thabo switch would greatly benefit the starters without really hurting the bench.
@DSYIII
Thabo's minutes are less and less in this series I think.Brooks found Thabo cannot help us much.But he plays Thabo as starter.Maybe we should start Cook if Brooks hopes Harden to lead our bench.
we're going to make so much money from these extra games (game 5 against denver, game 7 against memphis) that we'll be able to afford to extend westbrook, harden and ibaka. What a great plan by Presti.