The Forecast for April 28 – May 4: Reg
I watched Game 4 from the comfort of a loft a much more financially healthy friend of mine is renting. It’s just north of downtown Chicago and it looks like it’s a converted church garage or some other weird remix of a previously useful building someone has since turned into an upscale place of residence they can charge four arms and four legs for. It’s one of those modern looking places on the inside, straight out of location scouting for Tiny Furniture or the “Home” section of GQ.
The bed’s above the kitchen and is only accessible by an unusually tall ladder and the only art in the place is black and white. I could never live there and feel like myself but it’s fantastic and I’m extremely jealous of him. It is the coolest place a friend of mine lives. It felt weird watching a game as grimy as Game 4 in that place. Like I was playing “fan” or something.
When Reggie dropped his 30th point through the net and the whole of Memphis cussed as the whole of OKC roared, I stayed seated on his denim, L-shaped couch and pumped both of my arms out before me like Tiger when he hit that putt from something like 500 miles away and then fumbled a series of rapid high fives with Stevie. I screamed from the bottom of my throat. Reggie!
Unreal, my friend says.
I’m mad at myself for being surprised at Reggie’s game. We’ve been knowing for years that nobody is better than Reg.
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The whole of Game 4 had felt like a nightmare that I kept trying to convince myself had the makings of a dream. But the dream refused to come. Tony Allen was outscoring Kevin Durant. Every remarkable hustle play Russ made was followed, inevitably, by the basketball gods finding a way to get the ball back in the hands of a Grizzlies player, a destructive narrative getting furthered in the face of the usual abnormal effort Westbrook provides.
But then Reggie turned it on high and Memphis burned. He hit a monster three and a monster runner and two monster free throws and on and on till people on Twitter started their premature shuddering about whether or not we could afford him going forward, as if dude is averaging 32 on the series. Anyway, Conley missed a three my defeatist self was convinced he was going to make and the game was over, Russ pounding the ball against the wood floor of the GrindhsorryRussIknowwe’renotsupposedtocallitthat, telling the FedEx Forum crowd what he thought of them. Cue Reggie hugs from Russ and Durant and a pre-tears face from Reggie that made you feel good to be a fan of this weird and silly thing called sports.
Reggie had a good game when he needed one more than anything. Just so happened that the Thunder needed him more than anything, too. I have a hard time saying that game was the most important of the Durant era as we’ve been in the Finals during his time, but this was certainly a hugely, massive game. One that felt necessary to win for reasons even beyond the fact that the Thunder are trying to win a title. This was a win the Thunder needed to keep the swirling talks of people talking death to this iteration of them down. It kept some of the silliness at arm’s length. It kept some people off their backs.
This series is just insane. Through 31 games played between the two teams the last few years the record is now 17-14 (Thunder-Grizz). They’ve gone to overtime on a handful of occasions over that span and — barring injury — it doesn’t appear that either team is going to become outlandishly mismatched overnight. This series will stay bloody. It knows no other way to be.
Let’s take a look at The Forecast.
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Game V
Team: Memphis Grizzlies (7th seed in West)
Round: 1st Round of Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 (Home)
Details: The NBA, in their not-so-infinite wisdom, put this game on NBA TV. Just so stupid. You’ll have your pick of watching it on there or with Brian and Grant, but this is really just the dumbest. There’s no reason for this to not be on TNT or ESPN. No reason at all. Especially now that the series is what it is.
The Thunder need to protect home court at all costs now and that begins Tuesday night. They cannot drop one and go back to the FedEx Box giving the Grizz a chance to close out at home. Do not let the bears come into our cave and get comfortable. Do not let Gasol and Randolph begin their hibernation period in the lane. Make them work. The only reason we were even in the last game is because of a defense that finally woke up and decided it could get stops. That can’t leave now. We have to continue to guard or else it’ll be Jimmy Houston time real soon.
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Game VI
Team: Memphis Grizzlies (7th seed in West)
Round: 1st Round of Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014 (Away)
Details: It’s back to The Box for Game 6 and the series will be on the line in some way, shape or form. That place will be loud and small, white women in navy blue blouses will be waving “We Don’t Bluff” towels in the air with such extreme devotion and arm-waggery that it’ll be hard to make out the words on the Sonic yellow towels.
Mike Miller will probably show up for this game and hit massive threes throughout because just thinking about it makes me feel like it’ll be the type of game where he does that. I’ve never been more terrified of a role player. He scares me to death.
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Game VII
Team: Memphis Grizzlies (7th seed in West)
Round: 1st Round of Western Conference Playoffs
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2014
Details: This is one of those *If Necessary games that feels like it’s going to be absolutely necessary. If we get here we’re staring at a game that could be for Brooks’ job. I’m not one for that school of thinking mid-playoffs, I’ve long felt that Brooks, despite some head scratchers in the choice department (Playing Fisher so many minutes, refusing to give Lamb time, the general vanilla of the offense, Playing Fisher so many minutes, giving so many minutes to Derek Fisher instead of anyone else on earth, playing Derek Fisher, etc.) has done a much better job than people give him credit for. He’s been the head man for a young squad that, next to the Heat, has been the most questioned and maligned since the 2011 season. A lesser man would’ve watched the walls come down around him, packed up his glasses and his mousse and gone home. I like Brooks. I ride with Brooks. I want him to do what he did in the San Antonio series two years ago: prove he’s smarter than the blogosphere/fans would ever give him credit for. Show out, Scotty. I fully acknowledge that I might be dreaming here.
This, if we get here, would be the biggest game of the Durant era. A first round exit with a fully healthy squad would be rough to deal with. This one would be on TNT. I don’t want any fishing poles being pulled out of garages and sheds just yet.
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Acceptable Outcome: 2-1
That’s the only answer here, right? 2-0 is cool, but reaching. 0-2 would really suck. 1-2 would suck even more. The Thunder were a few wins away from having the best record in the league after dealing with an injury-filled season. To bow out in the first round, regardless of the Grizzlies toughness, wouldn’t really be acceptable at all. We are to the point now, as Thunder fans, that unless they come back with a ring (assuming full health), then it’s really hard to accept. This is what this team is now. It’s what’s been created before us. They are a monster with all the necessary tools that make it capable of destruction. They expect to win. Seems to me that’s spread around to the fans, too. Has for awhile now.
