Daily Thunder.com

Zach Lowe of Grantland: “Durant has cemented his late-game chops already. He has ranked among the league’s most efficient high-volume crunch-time scorers over the last few seasons, and even in a somewhat down “clutch” season this year, he still shot an acceptable 39 percent in the last three minutes of close games, drilled his foul shots, and collected a bunch of very important baskets — including the game-winning bucket in Game 1 of this series, the basket that set up that shot, and (in last season’s playoffs) a million midrange jumpers that still make people in San Antonio nauseated. The guy has both embraced the big moments and worked effectively during them, and it has been good to see the commentariat mostly shrug at his half-dozen big misses with a collective “I guess it happens to everyone.” After all, Marc Gasol, the world’s newest playoff hero, missed two free throws in the clutch last night.”

Darnell Mayberry: “The most worrisome part of it all is that the Grizzlies’ defense on Durant doesn’t appear to be a fluke. Not only has Durant been ineffective down the stretch for three straight games, but he also turned in a similarly stale performance in the same situation back in the final regular-season contest against the Grizzlies. OKC lost by one in overtime on March 20 in large part because Durant in the fourth quarter and overtime scored just seven points on 3-for-10 shooting with two assists. Two months later, history is repeating itself. And without Westbrook around to alleviate some pressure, the Grizzlies’ late-game defense on Durant has become the Thunder’s latest and greatest problem.” Keep Reading…

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com: “He made a joke about being tired because it was well past midnight by the time he came into the interview room with the late, 8:30 p.m. CT start. The room offered a tepid laugh. But nothing’s funny about what has happened to the Thunder since Westbrook’s untimely injury. They’re trying, Durant is trying, and they’re making progress at times. Serge Ibaka rediscovered his midrange game with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Kevin Martin delivered 18 points off the bench. But they miss Westbrook. They aren’t the same. And these Memphis Grizzlies aren’t letting up anytime soon.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “It’s a seven-nation army and it is geared to hold Durant back. And so Durant will deal with the same questions so many worthy stars have faced before, about his ability to “carry a team.” All the while, few will recognize that the real reason beyond Westbrook’s absence is that when you give a disciplined, intent team a clear roadmap of what’s coming at them, they’re going to stop it. Durant may be unstoppable when he gets going, but the Grizzlies, especially in Game 4, have made the superhuman mortal, and shown him something he never asked for: how lonely it is on his own.” Keep Reading…

Ben Golliver of SI.com: “Those two plays marked an unfortunate end to another strong performance from Jackson, who had 16 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, and found a way to provide the occasional spark by getting to the rim or finding space to shoot open jumpers in semi-transition. The future of Eric Bledsoe with the Clippers — where’s more or less stuck behind Chris Paul even though he possesses starter-type talent — has received all sorts of attention and we’re getting closer to the point where Jackson’s play will warrant that type of buzz as well. He’s way too talented to play just 14 minutes a night again next season. Most likely, the Thunder resolves the scenario by playing him alongside Westbrook on a regular basis, as Jackson’s finishing abilities far outpace his playmaking skills at this point. Remarkably, none of Oklahoma City’s 18 most-used lineups this season included Jackson and Westbrook on the court simultaneously, per NBA.com. Talk about a huge opportunity for experimentation.”

Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com: “Bottom line, the Thunder no longer look like a title contender. Or like a threat to the Heat. Or like much, really. They look, with all due respect, like a one-man show, like those old Cleveland rosters led by King James, like a team more likely to lose to Memphis in six than push Miami to seven. And that I’m typing these words after a game in which the Thunder out-performed the Grizz in a bunch of grit-and-grind categories and still lost speaks volumes. Because if Oklahoma City can’t win in Memphis on a night when it outscores the Grizz in the paint (44 to 30) while All-Star forward Zach Randolph misses eight of the 12 shots he takes and finishes with just one offense rebound, how is Oklahoma City ever going to win in Memphis? And if Oklahoma City can’t win in Memphis then Oklahoma City can’t win this series. And if Oklahoma City doesn’t win this series then this will forever go down as the season that could’ve been in addition to the one when the world realized that, great as he is, Kevin Durant being asked to “carry a huge load,” as Hollins put it, isn’t a recipe for notable success in the NBA because, you know, it never really has been for anybody.” Keep Reading…