Oklahoma City Thunder Regaining Urgency, Reclaiming Series vs. Dallas Mavericks
During Thursday night's 131-102 victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder presumably wanted to make it clear the Dallas Mavericks weren't their true enemies.
Sure, there's been some animosity during the first-round series. Before Game 2 began, Charlie Villanueva interrupting a dance between Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne led to a bit of drama. After 48 minutes of action, the contest was decided on a replay review that wouldn’t allow the tension in Chesapeake Energy Arena to be relieved.
Now, the latest contest featured some third-quarter physicality between Raymond Felton and Steven Adams that resulted in double technicals.
But what do you expect during postseason basketball? When one team ultimately advances and the other gets to watch the remaining outings from the comfort of a couch, there's bound to be some elevated blood pressure.
Even as things get personal, the Mavericks are still only the first of what the Thunder hope are many hurdles. The true foes await in later rounds, as a playoff run that doesn't feature the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors (barring upsets in other series) will go down as an unmitigated failure.
That's what made rebounding from a disastrous Game 2 and reclaiming home-court advantage so vital. Another poor outing from Kevin Durant would have allowed serious question marks to emerge. A 2-1 Mavericks lead would have given this series the feel of a lengthy one, possibly preventing the Thunder from getting the rest necessary for a deep run.
San Antonio isn't having any trouble with the Memphis Grizzlies, winning the first two games in its series by a combined 58 points. No one would be remotely surprised if it took just two additional contests for the Spurs to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, granting their veteran-laden roster the chance to rest and recover while the Thunder continue to battle.
Every extra game it takes to dispatch Dallas is another 48 minutes of unnecessary physicality. Each one offers up the possibility of significant injuries. It prohibits freshness in the postseason's later rounds.
This assumption that the Thunder will advance isn't meant as disrespect to the Mavericks, who earned their postseason berth on the backs of an expectation-shattering opening salvo and have already shown plenty of heart during the OKC matchup. That passion was on full display during the Game 2 shocker, just as it was when Dirk Nowitzki pounded his chest after a third-quarter layup Thursday night.
As Tim Bontemps wrote for the Washington Post, Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle needs a lot of credit:
"Now, something should be said about the Mavericks, and specifically Coach Rick Carlisle. It’s truly remarkable what he’s been able to coax out of this Dallas roster, given all the injuries. That he’s getting big playoff performances from guys like Felton – whose career was left for dead after bouncing around from multiple teams in recent seasons – and Mejri – who played in all of 34 games this season – only speaks to the job he’s done there.
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But when looking solely at on-paper talent, there's still a gaping chasm between these two squads—and the pesky maladies plaguing some key Dallas pieces aren't doing the underdogs any favors. Though anything can happen during the playoffs, it still feels safe to assume the Thunder will eventually eliminate the Mavericks. It's just a matter of how many games they cede in the process.
That number may be limited to one.
Durant made that plenty clear in the first half, exploding for 20 points—one fewer than he posted during the entirety of the Game 2 fiasco—and obliterating Justin Anderson with this reverse dunk:
He finished with 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal, shooting 11-of-25 from the field and knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. His night wasn't perfect, marred by a few too many heat-check triples that drew iron, but he proved he was willing to assert himself as one of the best postseason scorers we've ever seen.
Meanwhile, Westbrook left no doubt of his intentions by getting all of his teammates involved. Though he broke tradition by failing to dominate the glass, he still wound up with 26 points, 15 assists, two steals and a block, thriving during the third quarter and helping his Thunder pull away for good.
Even in the first half, the point guard served as a spark with momentum plays made possible by his spring-loaded athleticism. None was better than this rejection of Nowitzki and the subsequent feed to Enes Kanter for an easy transition slam:
This type of overall resiliency was no guarantee, especially given OKC's unfortunate penchant for blowing fourth-quarter leads. Closing out games has been an issue throughout the season, and there was no telling whether that problem would translate from the single-contest micro level to the series-long macro one.
"Just try to let it go, mate," Adams advised of Game 2, per Dallas Morning News' Brad Townsend. "Try to treat it like an ex-girlfriend."
That's easier said than done, but the Thunder both said and did on Thursday night.
When Dallas earned rare chances to celebrate in front of its hometown faithful at American Airlines Center, it was because a brief run had closed the margin to a more reasonable number. Not once did it actually hold a lead, constantly playing catchup after a 5-0 onslaught from OKC opened the game.
But the Thunder are still up only two games to one. Plenty of basketball has yet to be played, and they can't get complacent now that they've stolen back home-court advantage. Winning quickly is important when historically excellent squads are likely waiting in subsequent rounds.
Oklahoma City successfully reclaimed the series Thursday night. Now, Durant, Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder need to stay focused and shorten it.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com or Adam's databases.
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