1. This is going to need to be short out of pure necessity. If I keep typing, I'm going to say something that is either exceptionally dumb or exceptionally offensive. I am livid. It is embarrassing how outright furious I am right now over the outcome of this basketball game. I can't believe how this game went down in almost an identical manner to game 2. It is shocking to me that the Thunder were incapable of matching the clutchness of Memphis in either of the two games. There are so many things to complain about tonight that I'm not even sure where to begin. All I can say is that I have never felt like this after a Thunder loss. Not once. The game 4 loss in the 2011 WCF to Dallas was more heartbreaking, but I wasn't mad. The Finals losses to Miami were disappointing, but understandable. This one? This one was take a brick and throw it through my TV (luckily we don't make it a habit to leave bricks lying around the house). I'm equally shocked and disgusted.
2. I'll bring up the one positive thing I have to say here: Perk, RW, and Thabo were amazing during the 17-0 run in the 4th. A ton of heart shown by those guys (and KD and Serge as well) to fight back the way they did. It isn't easy to be down 17 and still have the fight to lock down defensively the way they did. That was a very gutsy stretch of basketball. Had they won the game, that stretch would have gone down for me as one of the best in Thunder history. Perk was especially effective during that run-- as much so as he's ever been. Total shame it all amounts to zilch.
3. Vintage RW: Makes you want to slam your face on the table one minute and then jump for joy the next. One thing is for sure: he has stones. No fear at all. But ultimately, despite his heroics in the fourth quarter, I found this game to be a disappointing one for RW. I say this because he looks like the same guy he was three years ago. Wild and out of control. Incredible heart, incredible toughness, incredible ability. But little to no improvement in his decision-making. Maybe he was hurting or maybe just spent, but he was bad in OT. All year long I felt he made some serious strides in the efficiency department, but tonight, he reverted a bit. Maybe I'm being too harsh here--- I suppose the only way you can erase a 17 point lead is to go full speed ahead, but I just wish there was a way for him to pick his spots better than he does. He certainly did enough in the fourth quarter to win the game.
4. Utterly shocked at the way KD played tonight. He was awful. His shot selection was terrible. And for about 75% of the game he didn't seem to have his normal energy or intensity. The 0-8 from three was an absolute killer. The final shot in regulation was very telling: he didn't have much time, but he got a very clean look-- and he missed it by four feet. That was not the guy we saw all year out there tonight. That was not the MVP out there tonight. I am so incredibly surprised by how poorly he played, that I don't even know what else to say.
5. I've supported/defended Brooks with great conviction since the day he was hired. I've always felt he was the right man for the job. But tonight, that is a hard argument to make. A team in the stage of development where the Thunder are should not look like that in a playoff game-- at least not twice in a row. They should not look so frazzled, confused, and disorganized. The only time things go well is when in the game breaks down to pure effort--- in a way that's a good sign, but it is most definitely a bad sign that the results turn negative as soon as the game calms down and teams have to run sets. I can accept one wild game like we saw in game 2. But for things to play out exactly the same way in game 3 and for there to be no change/improvement is unacceptable. The team looked panicked tonight. A few moments of great athleticism or toughness followed by stretches of abject stupidity and confusion. You just can't excuse that considering where our key players are in their careers and how long this core has been together. It just can't happen. But it did; twice in as many games. The Grizzlies were ultimately more composed and competent when it mattered than we were-- and that absolutely points to coaching. There is simply no way around that.
Where to we go from here? Well, one place I'm not going is to bed--- for the second time in a week the Thunder have left me sleepless. I have a pit in my stomach that will be there at least until Saturday night-- and by Sunday morning it may very well be much bigger.
Game 4 is huge for two people as I see it: KD and Brooks. I don't place all the blame on them for this loss, but they deserve the most heat in my estimation. KD is the MVP... He simply can't come out with another performance like that with his team facing a potential 3-1 hole. And Brooks has to hold this team together in what I imagine is a very frustrated and emotional clubhouse right now. They need to get off to a better start, and have a better plan of attack. Regardless of plan, KD needs to come out in full attack mode from the opening tip. It needs to be his night. If it isn't, we are sunk.
My confidence is zapped. I no longer think we will win the series. My gut tells me we lose Saturday, find a way to win game 5, and then lose in 6. If we win Saturday, then it's all good really--- I'll take a best two out of three with home court advantage. But Memphis hasn't lost at home since Feb. 5th and we have now lost four straight playoff games there dating back to the series in 2011. The last game we won there? Game 4... Down 2-1, we came up huge with a thrilling win in doubt OT-- one of the best in Thunder history. That win saved the series. We need to see it again. But after watching us fail these past two games to match the Grizzlies when it mattered most, I simply have no faith anymore. Hope? Of course. But I am so rattled right now that I simply can't see us winning. I hope my emotional state is significantly weaker than that of our players and coaches. If these two games have crushed them the way they've crushed me, then this series is already over.
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