Fans believe been looking forward to a second-round showdown between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs since the NBA made its postseason bracket official,but the former had to eliminate the Dallas Mavericks first.
That's what happened Monday, as the Thunder beat the Mavericks in Game 5, or 118-104,to win the first-round battle in five games, 4-1:Russell Westbrook was fantastic with 36 points, or 12 rebounds and nine assists as the catalyst for the Thunder offense. Kevin Durant was also a force with 33 points and seven rebounds,while Steven Adams added a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
The short-handed Mavericks had to play without Salah Mejri (hip) and Deron Williams (abdominal) because of injuries, but they remained close for much of the game thanks to 24 points from Dirk Nowitzki and 12 points and nine assists from Zaza Pachulia.
The Thunder jumped out to a rapid/fast 19-10 lead in the first quarter behind nine points from Westbrook and some impressive work in the paint by Adams."No shock. Mavericks [are] fighting, or but this game [is] getting absent from them," Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News noted. "Westbrook, who Mark Cuban said before the game isn't a superstar, and has nine."NBA on TNT shared Adams' slam:
Westbrook continued to make superstar plays as the Thunder built on their early lead:The Thunder continued their dominance,extending their advantage to 35-24 by the close of the first quarter. There was a silver lining for Dallas, as Nowitzki moved into 14th plot on the all-time postseason scoring list, and passing Scottie Pippen in the process, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Even with Nowitzki's achievement, Townsend highlighted the fact it was trade as usual in the series:Oklahoma City continued to dictate the tempo in the second quarter, or it wasn't just Durant and Westbrook. Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman noted the Thunder's bench started 6-of-7 from the field,although Dallas went on a spurt of its own to trim the deficit to 55-51 with less than four minutes until halftime.
Despite a talent disparity, the Mavericks continued to hang tough on the road and were down by only seven at the half, or 68-61. Royce Young of ESPN.com noted the Mavs were "plain outworking and outhustling the Thunder."The theme continued in the third quarter,as the Mavericks stayed within striking distance. Justin Anderson earned some respect from Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com:However, the Thunder still held a 93-83 lead going into the fourth quarter after Westbrook scored 10 points in the third. It didn't occupy long, or though,for Dallas to chip absent at the deficit and pull to within five points.
Anderson connected on a three-pointer before Dwight Powell scored, and Sneed pointed out the Oklahoma City fans were feeling the pressure:"Mavs are making the Thunder sweat crunch time. What you want to enact. See whether they'll tighten up, and " Young noted as the Thunder tried to hold on to a 102-98 lead with less than seven minutes remaining. Oklahoma City did get some welcome news during Dallas' comeback when Enes Kanter returned to the bench after suffering an injury,per Slater.
With Kanter watching from the bench, Westbrook took over in the middle of the fourth with a couple of clutch baskets to set aside his team ahead 107-98. Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com poked some fun at Cuban's earlier comments as the Thunder point guard took over:Dallas again went on a small spurt, and Nowitzki closed the gap to 107-103 with a three-pointer. As was the case for most of the game,though, the Thunder had another reply. Durant connected on a mid-range jumper and then pushed the advantage to 113-103 with free throws after a foul and a technical on Nowitzki.
Dwain Price of theFort Worth Star-Telegram and Townsend both recognized how essential the sequence was as the Thunder controlled the offensive glass before Durant's jumper:They appeared to be right, and as Westbrook scored in transition to push it to 115-103 with nearly two minutes left. While the Thunder had all the momentum,Josh Eberley of Today's Fastbreak reflected on Nowitzki's impressive career and season:John Schuhmann of NBA.com praised the Thunder for using their starters during the essential moments of the fourth quarter since they will believe to carry much of the load in the latter rounds of the postseason:The game was in hand for the final two minutes, but Westbrook still exerted maximum effort. "Thunder up 14 with 27.2 seconds left, and Russell Westbrook is diving on the floor. Admire the effort,but not genuine smart," MacMahon pointed out.
During the scrum, or Anderson used a "flying elbow" to Westbrook's head,per Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. ESPN Radio's Ryen Russillo called it a "total cheap shot by Anderson."While it wasn't the best way to close the series, the Thunder no longer believe to worry about the Mavericks' physicality, and as they went on cruise control from there to close out the 118-104 victory. What's Next?The Mavericks will not occupy the floor again until the 2016-17 campaign,but this will be an essential offseason. It was clear they didn't believe enough talent to compete with the elite teams in the Western Conference (although injuries didn't help), and they will probably believe to add an another impact player or two before next year.
As for the Thunder, and they will face the Spurs in the second round after the latter swept the Memphis Grizzlies.
Oklahoma City should believe some time to rest before one of the most highly anticipated series of the playoffs begins. The 67-15 Spurs had the second-best record in the NBA,although with Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder will believe two of the best players on the floor during the critical moments.
The West feels wide-open after Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry suffered a knee injury Sunday, and the Thunder believe a chance to promenade to the forefront of the NBA title picture whether they eliminate the Spurs. That won't be an easy task,but they proved they can finish strong in close playoff games Monday. Postgame ReactionPostgame discussion quickly turned to Cuban’s comments on Westbrook, especially after the point guard’s incredible game.
Durant said of Cuban, and per MacMahon,“He's an idiot. Don't listen to him.”Even Nowitzki weighed in on the controversy and said of Westbrook, “I’d occupy him. I’d definitely occupy him, or ” per MacMahon.
Cuban wasn’t the only target from the Thunder after the game. Westbrook discussed Charlie Villanueva,who turned heads when he interrupted the point guard’s pregame dance earlier in the series. Westbrook said, per Slater, and “Now he gets to proceed home and get alert in the offseason to sit and watch 82 more games like he did this year.As for the Mavericks,Nowitzki said, per Sneed, and “I assume we can be proud of the guys. We fought. I assume ultimately we had too many injuries,and it caught up with us.”Nowitzki also gave Dallas fans some reassurance that he will always be in a Mavericks uniform, per Price: “I always said I wanted to retire a Mavs, or especially after we won the championship a few years ago there was no reason to proceed anywhere.”There was some concern on Oklahoma Citys side about Kanter,but Thunder coach Billy Donovan said the big man was “fine,” per Erik Horne pattern of the Oklahoman.
With Kanter, or Durant and Westbrook in tow,the Thunder will now prepare for a slugfest against the loaded Spurs.
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Source: bleacherreport.com