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Oklahoma City Thunder – Trying to be the Miami Heat Won’t End With an NBA Championship
When using the perfect vision glasses of hindsight, was trading James Harden the right decision? As of now, no, but titles in the near future, with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka leading the ship, will change that view on the controversial transaction, with the Oklahoma City Thunder putting the model of the Miami Heat in front of them as something to follow.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook Won’t Become Champions With Ryan Gomes
The fact that Ryan Gomes joins the Oklahoma City Thunder does make them slightly better heading into next season, but it doesn’t change the fact and the outlook of their current situation, which seems to be Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook just not having the right team around them to win an NBA title.
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NBA Stars During Their Summer League Days
There’s no need for an NBA Summer League to tell us LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony were going to be NBA stars, but for other, less heralded rookies, it’s a chance to get acquainted with what the NBA is going to be about, slightly.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Kept Getting Worse & Was Running on Empty
A true superstar doesn’t hit only 23.8% of his field goals attempts (taking 21 shots) as his team faces elimination. But Kevin Durant had to be everything for the Oklahoma City Thunder in their conference semifinals series, and ended up without anything left to give in the final two games. Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson actually put up the numbers they were supposed to in giving him the helping hand he needed, but it was a little too late, as Durant couldn’t find anything left in his arsenal in the fourth quarter.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Zach Randolph & Marc Gasol Grind the Life out of Kevin Durant
If last year after losing in the NBA finals Kevin Durant looked sad, he looked exhausted and empty after losing in 5 games to the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s hard to say when looked more pitiful. Zach Randolph pulled a number on him and his entire front line by destroying them in the paint, while Tayshaun Prince, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen did on the defensive end.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Isn’t Good Enough to Win Without Russell Westbrook
For about three quarters, Kevin Durant and the rest of the players around him were doing exactly what the optimistic among the Oklahoma City Thunder personnel knew they should be doing in order to win the series. Knock down their shots, and try to hurry up the game as much as possible. At some point, reality hit them in the face. Without Russell Westbrook it was easy to focus on their best player down the stretch, and the guy who thinks he should be the best in the NBA wasn’t good enough to live up to his own desires.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Making Kevin Durant Look Terrible When it Matters
It came down to defense, and there doesn’t seem to be any team that does it better at the moment than the Memphis Grizzlies, with Marc Gasol closing any lanes on their way to the rim, while Tony Allen simply did a perfect job on Kevin Durant during the fourth quarter and overtime, putting the Griz only one win away from reaching the conference final for the first time in franchise history.
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Kevin Durant Needs to be Better, But How Much More Can He Give
When you look at the transition offense the Oklahoma City Thunder had during the regular season, the best in the NBA, and what they’re trying to pull off now, you suddenly realize why Russell Westbrook is so important, despite his obvious shortcomings. Kevin Durant is trying to do everything for his team, but it doesn’t seem to be enough, and it’s not certain he has anything else to give.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Needs More From Serge Ibaka & Kevin Martin
It’s hard to point a finger on the one reason the Oklahoma City Thunder have been looking so bad on the court, regardless of who is missing. Reggie Jackson is doing a good job in the place of Russell Westbrook, but Kevin Durant needs more from what worked during the regular season – Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin, who have been disappointing, to say the least, the Western Conference Semifinals so far.
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Memphis Grizzlies – On Marc Gasol Being Clutch, MVP’ish and DPOY all at Once
The Memphis Grizzlies don’t have a scorer as good as Kevin Durant is, but Marc Gasol is good enough to lead the way and take the lead in the Western Conference Semifinals, getting it done on both ends of the floor while getting just enough offensive help from Mike Conley and Tony Allen to remain unbeaten at home in the 2013 playoffs.