There would be no letdown this time for the Oklahoma City Thunder; Kevin Durant made sure of that.
The NBA MVP scored 39 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while leading his Thunder team to a series clinching 104-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night setting up a much-anticipated Western Conference Finals tilt against the San Antonio Spurs.
While all’s well that ends well, early on it appeared as though the two teams were headed for a game seven back in Oklahoma City. The Clippers, behind 17 assists on 18 field goals, led by as many as 16 points in the first half and took a 50-42 lead into the locker room. Even as the second half began, LA was able to push its lead back to as many as 11 before Oklahoma City began chipping away. Nick Collison’s three-point shot, only his fourth of the entire season, at the end of the third quarter rang true and the two teams were knotted up at 72 going into the final frame.
The fourth quarter belonged to OKC. Tied at 80, the Thunder went on a 10-0 run behind two three-point shots from Durant and Reggie Jackson. During that stretch, Russell Westbrook, who struggled offensively most of the night, added a lay-up as the Thunder stretched its lead to ten with six minutes remaining in the game. Indeed, the Clippers saw their season slipping away, and they never got closer than four points down the stretch.
Westbrook finished with 19 points and 12 assists while Reggie Jackson added 14 off the bench. Rookie Steven Adams continued his stellar playoff run by scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 boards in 40 minutes of playing time. Adams was pressed into extra duty after starting forward Serge Ibaka left the game in the third quarter with a calf injury.
The Clippers were led in scoring by Chris Paul’s 25 points, while Blake Griffin added 22 of his own. However, the All-Star combo made just 17 of its 38 shot attempts. J.J. Redick pumped in 16 points to round out the Clippers’ high scorers.
LA now enters an off season of uncertainty with the issues surrounding embattled owner Donald Sterling, whom the NBA fined $2.5 million and banned him from any league activities. Sterling, however, has made it clear he will not give up the Clipper ship that easily. He has plans to sue the NBA in what will most likely become a drawn-out battle that could affect the team’s ability to make progress this summer.
To the Clippers’ credit, they did not allow those issues to entirely affect their post season play. On Thursday, however, the Oklahoma City Thunder would not be denied.
"We've gone through a lot of stuff over the last three or four weeks," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said after the game. "I don't think that was why we didn't win. I don't think we should use that as an excuse. We're a team in process. I believe we were good enough to win it this year. Oklahoma City told us we were not."
As for the Thunder, the team is sitting exactly where most people thought it would be at this point. Battle-tested and war-weary, OKC is ready to push forward.
"Experience has helped us out a lot, just being with each other for so long," Durant said. "We've got a long ways to go. We definitely can get better. This is definitely a series that pushed us to the brink. We were in a tough spot. We stayed together and persevered."
Indeed, perseverance has been the calling card of Oklahoma City thus far in the NBA Playoffs. The team survived two elimination games against Memphis in round one, and erased a late Clipper lead to pull off a miraculous comeback against the Clippers in game 5 that set up the series clinching win.
Now it is off to San Antonio for the Western Conference Finals, which tips off on Monday night. Rest assured, Durant and his crew will be ready for battle once again.