NBA Playoffs 2011: Lack of Trust and Urgency Seal Thunder's Fate

The Dallas Mavericks closed out the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, 100-96, in a thrilling Game 5. Now the Mavericks are headed to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

The Thunder exceeded all expectations just by making it to the Western Conference Finals. But it is officially starting its offseason because it gave the series to the Mavericks rather than just flat out getting beat.

Yes, Dirk Nowitzki was clutch in almost every game of the series.

Sure, the Mavs had experience on their side and the Thunder is a young squad.

You’d be right on the money by saying that the Mavericks were the better team on the floor.

However, the Thunder didn’t lose the series because of any of those reasons. It lost because of the lack of urgency and trust that was on full display in the final two games of the series.

The Thunder was up by 15 with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Game 4. A slew of questionable plays on both sides of the ball led to a huge collapse which resulted in the Mavericks getting the "W" in OT.

Last night, the Thunder was up six with 4:37 left to play. It must have experienced déjà vu because in a similar fashion, questionable plays on both sides of the ball culminated in a huge three by Dirk, a wild pass that led to a fast break dunk by Marion, and a Jason Terry dunk that put the final nail in the coffin.

The biggest thing on display was that the Thunder did not have the trust that they needed at this stage of the playoffs.

Russell Westbrook was going to be the X-factor for the Thunder. If he could step up his game and improve his shot selection as well as learn to pass the ball more, then the Thunder would have been more of a threat in this series. As it stands, Westbrook would force his way into a double- or triple-team time and time again, which would result in him coughing the ball up on a steal or a questionable pass.

Kevin Durant forced up way too many threes, especially with a man in his face, instead of looking for an open man who could get a better shot.

The two best players on the team showed that they didn’t trust each other as well as the other three men that were on the court with them.

You can’t win games, let alone a championship, playing that way.

After the collapse in Game 4, you’d figure that the Thunder would play with more poise and definitely more urgency, especially in an elimination game. Neither was on display in Game 5.

Too many times were the Thunder seen walking up the court on defense after a missed shot, while the Mavs pushed the ball up and were able to get easy baskets.

Serge Ibaka's foolish foul on Tyson Chandler, one that he had been called for several times in the series, gave Dallas another 14 seconds on the shot clock. Without the foul, the Thunder could have gotten the ball on a shot clock violation due to Deshawn Stevenson's air ball.

Russell Westbrook’s dumb technical foul that he received while pushing Jason Terry in front of the ref exposed his youth. In a heated moment, when the game is close, you have to show poise and practice restraint. That’s an extra point just given to the other team for no reason.

When Dirk hit that big three-pointer with a little over a minute left on the clock, there was only one member of the Thunder trying to collapse on Dirk, Jason Collins. He couldn’t get there because Tyson Chandler had set a brick wall of a screen, but no one else even attempted to throw a shoe or yell in the direction of Dirk. They all watched in awe as Dirk hoisted the three-pointer that ultimately broke their spirits.

So yes, the Mavericks may have been a better team, but the Thunder threw away chances that would have made this series closer than it was. With the exception of the last five minutes in Games 4 and 5, the Thunder was in the position to win both games despite its questionable play.  It could have easily been 3-2 in favor of the Thunder.

But the good teams capitalize on mistakes like the Thunder made, and that’s why the Mavericks are going to the Finals.

The Thunder should be proud of what it accomplished this year. Getting to the Western Conference Finals, especially as a young team, is no easy feat. With time and more experience, this could easily become one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.

Westbrook and Durant have to work out their trust issues with each other and the rest of their teammates first.

They also have to learn that in the playoffs you have to have a sense of urgency to earn 16 victories. There is not one team in the NBA that will roll over and just hand you a title. If they can’t improve upon those things, they will certainly find themselves on the outside looking in for years to come.