Daily Thunder.com

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop: “This season they looked untouchable much of the year, then things didn’t just to a little south with the loss of Russell Westbrook. They got up 1-0 in this series but to my eyes, looked nervous all along. Their swagger broke, and you have to wonder about history repeating itself. Now it’s 1-1. A couple of times, late in the close loss of Game 2, Kevin Durant quit on plays. Once he was not really fouled by Tony Allen, and fell to the floor in a bitter heap, complaining to the refs, as crunch time took off without him. In the closing seconds, the win still theoretically possible, he wanted an inbound pass but didn’t get it. Thabo Sefolosha rightly raced the floor with the ball in his hand and time of the essence. When Sefolosha was ready to pass to a shooter … Durant was barely over half-court and out of position. I feel like I can see the “not this again” movie playing in Durant’s head. He needs a Joakim Noah gator-blood transfusion to get his head right to bang out these next three wins. If Durant doesn’t believe that’s possible … it’s not.”

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com: “They’re not so much an underdog as an unknown quantity, and not just to the rest of the league or to a team like Memphis that’s trying to scout them, but I think even to themselves. There’s this period where you have to search for an identity. So I don’t think it’s so much as an underdog as we’re all trying to figure out who they are minus Westbrook, because it’s just not the same team.” Keep Reading…

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Oklahoma City still has a remarkable wealth of talent. That’s what makes this series so close. If the Thunder were at full strength, it might not even be much of a contest. But Westbrook is not with the Thunder on the floor. And as a result, Oklahoma City is going to have to out-work everyone they come across from here on out. But that’s Memphis’ strength, their identity, their motivation. And that situation is in large part why the series is 1-1 headed to Bluff City.”

Lee Jenkins of SI.com: “For 45 minutes, Chesapeake Energy Arena was Rucker Park writ large, Kevin Durant doing to the Memphis Grizzlies what he did to those poor saps in Harlem two Augusts ago: dribbling the ball unencumbered up the court, letting it fly, and back-pedaling as a delirious crowd writhed all around him. But this is the NBA playoffs, not the amateur summer league, and that’s the problem with Durant’s one-man show. It makes for great entertainment, but against these opponents and these defenses, it probably can’t last. Over 45 dizzying minutes, Durant was everything for the Thunder, their ball-handler and sniper, their rebounder and finisher. He scored 36 points and no one else on the roster cracked 20. He pulled down 11 rebounds and no one else topped six. He dished out nine assists and no one else even had half as many. If this sounds familiar, it’s because the Thunder box score was almost as imbalanced in Game 1 and they escaped, a testament to Durant’s all-around brilliance. But he cannot make every play, and without Russell Westbrook, that’s essentially what the Thunder is asking him to do.” Keep Reading…

Tom Ley of Deadspin on KD: “Durant put a stranglehold on the fourth quarter, scoring 12 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing three assists while rallying his team to a 93-91 victory. He scored six of his team’s last seven baskets while sinking a variety of impossible-to-defend layups and jumpers. Most impressive of all, though, was how little hesitation Durant showed while taking over. Every time he got his hands on the ball he just let loose, allowing his instincts and infinitely long limbs to take over and win the game for his team. He never stopped to think over that stretch of time. He just played. We’ve seen Durant hit teams with scoring barrages before, but we’re used to seeing those shots interrupted or bookended by flashs of brilliance or thickheadedness from Russell Westbrook. But now we get to see what happens when Durant is really allowed to stretch out and play the game entirely on his own terms.”

Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: “Allen played less than 21 minutes in Game 1 and fewer than seven minutes came with Martin on the floor. And during a three-minute stint in the second quarter when Martin scored 15 of OKC’s 33 points, he burned Allen backdoor for an and-1 layup and then buried a 3-pointer. During the season with Westbrook in the lineup, Martin’s shooting often told the story of OKC’s outcomes. When he scored in double-digits, the Thunder largely won. And when he didn’t, they struggled, particularly against playoff teams. Now it’s a question of consistency. Martin won’t average 25 points as he has in the last two games, but for OKC to beat Memphis — and beyond — he must continue to be a multidimensional playmaker and shoot at a high percentage.” Keep Reading…

Lee Jenkins of SI.com: “Memphis actually led by three points with 1:08 left when an inbounds pass slid through the hands of Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins and was recovered by the Grizzlies. They had a chance to seal the outcome, but Prince missed a running jumper, then Fisher swiped Conley, and finally Gasol threw an off-balance pass that Conley couldn’t corral. The Grizz failed to score in all three of those last-minute possessions, and in two of them they didn’t even muster a shot. The Oklahoma City defense, weakened without Westbrook, has apparently rediscovered its bearings. The offense has not, but the Thunder can endure, because they happen to employ one of the most prolific scorers alive.”

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com: “For the Thunder to prevail in a rugged seven-game series, they’ll have to morph from a team reliant on individual exploits into one that makes the most of its fourth-ranked defense. Decision-making, which has always been an issue for the turnover-prone Thunder, will have to be refined. They’ll need production from Kevin Martin, who poured in 25 points of his own on Sunday. Durant may have locked up the office, but Martin was the guy who worked through lunch. Resourcefulness has always been Memphis’ thing, as it usually is for a team with obvious holes in its collective skill set. But it has been a long while since the Thunder were anything other than a large-scale operation that churned out offense in high volume. With Westbrook out of action, the enterprise has been downsized. The Thunder will still produce — especially with Durant at the controls — but as Game 1 demonstrated, their profit margins will be squeezed.” Keep Reading…