Wednesday Bolts – 5.8.13

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.”

Greg Howard of Deadspin: “Allen also made arguably the most important play of the game. With less than a minute to go in the fourth and Memphis up, 94-90, Durant received the ball. When Allen closed him down, Durant turned to shield the ball and lean into Allen, but the reigning NBA All-Defensive First Team selection backed off, pulling the chair from under the OKC star. Durant stumbled and fell, and Allen was able to knock the loose ball to Gasol, more or less sealing the game for the Memphis Grizzlies.”

At CBSSports.com, I wrote about how Kevin Martin has to be better.

From Elias: “There were 27 lead changes in the Grizzlies’ 99-93 win at Oklahoma City, the highest total in an NBA playoff game since 2009. The Grizzlies have played 1008 NBA games since moving to Memphis in 2001, including 40 in the postseason. Only one of those games produced as many lead changes as Tuesday night’s win over the Thunder. There were 29 lead changes in Memphis’ loss at Sacramento on November 2, 2009.”

The Thunder and food, equal two very good combinations.

ESPN Stats and Info: “Kevin Durant brought the ball over half court on 32 of his 69 touches Tuesday. The Thunder scored 19 points on those 32 touches. In Oklahoma City’s Game 1 win of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Thunder scored 29 points on 29 plays in which Durant brought the ball over half court. Oklahoma City is 3-3 this postseason when Durant brings the ball up 30 or more times. Since Russell Westbrook’s injury in Game 2 against the Rockets, Kevin Durant has averaged 264 dribbles per game (Regular Season average: 134 dribbles per game).”

Shaq clowned on Perk last night: “I need more out of the great Kendrick Perkins,” Shaq said, sarcastic and derogatory in his tone. “Kendrick Perkins dominated tonight. Four points. I won’t talk about myself Kendrick, I’ll just talk about you.”

Berry Tramel: “Conley was superb down the stretch, and if the Thunder doesn’t figure out a way to contain him, all the angst over stopping Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph will be wasted energy. Stopping Conley will be Key No. 1. That could mean more Thabo Sefolosha, who played just 23:28 – six teammates played more. Thabo gives the Thunder the best chance at slowing Conley. Certainly, Hollins made the adjustment by playing Allen more on Durant, and it paid off. So expect more Thabo in Game 3 Saturday, when the Thunder must try to wrestle away a victory in a series that has turned Memphis’ way.”

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com: “Never for a day has Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant needed such a reminder. The doe-eyed assassin is even more willing with running-mate Russell Westbrook out indefinitely. If Westbrook’s absence has had any positive ancillary effect, it has been the opportunity to watch Durant exhibit every facet of his game without restraint — a handle unbefitting a man who’s 6-foot-10, the body control, the mercilessness with which he appraises the weakness of his defender and pounces on it. Durant exacted plenty of damage Tuesday night — 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists — although he drained only one field goal during the final six minutes of the game. If Game 1 taught the Grizzlies anything, it was that a conventional defensive strategy was an engraved invitation for Durant to go bonkers. A defense can’t drop its big men against Durant in a high pick-and-roll, and leaving Tayshaun Prince on an island against Durant, ball in hand while moving toward the goal from 25 feet away, wouldn’t fly, either.”

Jenni Carlson: “More impressive, though, is what Durant has done in these playoffs. He has scored 30-plus points in five of the six games since Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook got hurt. Think about that for a minute. Since losing his sidekick, the guy who absorbs all sorts of defensive pressure and takes weight off of his shoulders, Durant has still managed to hit that 30-point plateau in almost every game. You just keep wondering: can he keep this up? How many times can a guy go into hero mode? How much can he be depended on?”

Darnell Mayberry: “Here was an issue I had with the Thunder’s late-game execution. The wrong players were taking the wrong shots. Much of it had to do with Memphis’ defense on Kevin Durant. The Grizzlies made sure Durant would not again be that dude that beat them. They attached Tony Allen to him and sent multiple bodies his direction. Allen was either physical with him or the defensive attention forced Durant to give it up. Still. In the final five minutes, Reggie Jackson missed two 3s, Serge Ibaka missed a corner 3 and Fisher took a tough shot. Each were shots that are fine for the regular season or even the first three quarters of a playoff game. But in the final five minutes, the Thunder has got to get better looks.”