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Oklahoma City Thunder – Not Just a Two Man Show
It’s easy to diminish the Oklahoma City Thunder into being a two-man team of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but when the two of them have great games, it’s the help of the other guys like Serge Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha that makes them truly unbeatable, just like they showed in a 112-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers to make it 1-1 in the conference semifinals series.
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Kevin Durant Wins MVP – First One for the Franchise
Even though there was nothing surprising about Kevin Durant winning the NBA’s regular season MVP award for 2013-2014, there was something quite special about his emotional acceptance speech that brought him and others to tears, and adding to the uniqueness of the moment was him being the first player for the franchise, be it the Seattle Supersonics or the Oklahoma City Thunder, to come up with the award.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – MVP Finally Playing Like One
When Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are playing their best basketball, there’s not a lot anyone can do to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Memphis Grizzlies tried, but without their top scorer, a great start to the game and a surprising effort from them in the series couldn’t last in game 7, as the favorites finally took back the lead and the ticket to the next round with a 120-109 win.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – No Longer Unreliable
Maybe the headline declaring Kevin Durant Mr. Unreliable had some effect on the way he played as he took the Oklahoma City Thunder from facing elimination to hosting a game 7 at home thanks to a big night from the future MVP to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-84.
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Memphis Grizzlies – More Than Just Lucky
Although there are those who are going to try and make the Memphis Grizzlies beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-99, taking a 3-2 lead in their playoff series, about Joey Crawford and referee decisions, from what we’ve been seeing from this postseason battle is that the better team probably one.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – An Unlikely Hero
Maybe Reggie Jackson took a step forward, or it might have been Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stepping back. Whatever it was, it worked, and saved the series for the Oklahoma City Thunder, coming away with the 92-89 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies to tie things at 2-2 and head back home feeling confidence again.
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Grizzlies Over Thunder – Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook Playing the Wrong Way
The playoffs are different from the regular season, and not everything that worked then has the same impact now. The Memphis Grizzlies are forcing to Oklahoma City Thunder to try and win by giving Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook the ball while the rest stand around and watch. The result? Grizzlies win game 3 98-95, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.
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Grizzlies Over Thunder – The Right Kind of Basketball
In a game 2 that was a lot more like the previous postseason meetings between the two teams, the Memphis Grizzlies took home court advantage away from the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to a 111-105 overtime win which included a huge game from both Zach Randolph and Mike Conley, while Kevin Durant going wild in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough for a team that simply doesn’t play the right way.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Punishes Every Mistake
The Memphis Grizzlies have what it takes to make this series a very difficult one for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but an upset? Right now they don’t have an answer for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who sprinted for a fast break finish after every miss or mistake the visitors made, pulling off a 100-86 series opening win in game 1.
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Kevin Durant Beats LeBron James – MVP & Changing of the Guard
Is it safe to say that Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA, better than LeBron James? Some wait for an NBA championship ring to be put on Durant’s finger, but when looking specifically at what each player does and not what he wins with his team, James, for the first time over the last five seasons, is inferior to someone.