Zach Lowe of Grantland writing about Game 3, but with some fascinating post-Westbrook stuff: “Durant 
dribbled the ball 377 times in Game 3, about 240 more dribbles than he averaged per game for the season, according to data provided exclusively to Grantland from the SportVU camera system installed in 15 NBA arenas, including in both Houston and Oklahoma City. That number is between 50 and 100 fewer dribbles than the most dribbly point guards — Tony Parker, Westbrook, Mike Conley, Damian Lillard, et al. — averaged in recorded games, but it’s in the same neighborhood as the per-game averages for some point guards who don’t pound the ball quite as much (Kyrie Irving, Ricky Rubio, Ty Lawson, and others), per the SportVU data. Durant touched the ball 111 times in Game 3, almost double his season average, and a number that would’ve led the entire league, per the camera data.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: “Outside his locker on Monday night, the smile curled over Beverley’s mouth. As the Rockets guards go, Beverley (16 points, four rebounds, three assists and no turnovers) had been far better in every way than Harden (15 points, three assists and an ungodly 10 turnovers). Out of nowhere, Beverley refuses to stop impacting this series and suddenly is turning into a cornerstone player for the Rockets’ future. For now, he’ll simply be the most hated man in Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday night. Nevertheless, Beverley promises it won’t be the most volatile setting of his young career. At 24 years old, he’s been to basketball oblivion and back, and these circumstances bring out the ferocity with him.” Keep Reading…
Thunder searching for answers and living dangerously
Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images
HOUSTON — When the Thunder needed a basket the most Monday night in Houston, the best they could do is get Kevin Durant the ball a few feet from the half court line.
As thrilling as Oklahoma City’s emotional Game 3 win was on Saturday night, the Thunder have revealed just how lost they are without Russell Westbrook through two games. OKC’s reliance on Durant has already veered into the territory of over-reliance, and the Thunder would be headed back to the Peake tied 2-2 if it weren’t from some horrific play in the clutch from James Harden that gave them a chance to win two games late in the first place.
Scott Brooks argued after Game 4 that it isn’t as simple as looking at the last play of the game, which unfolded in brutal fashion for Oklahoma City. “It’s easy to point to a play or two down the stretch, but there’s so many plays that we probably could have done much better,” Brooks said. But while that’s certainly true, not only can that be a troubling statement in and of itself, it also ignores the simple truth that the playoffs are going to come down to a play or two down the stretch plenty often, and the Thunder aren’t getting it done on the offensive end in those scenarios, and they aren’t doing what it takes to avoid them in the first place. Keep Reading…