2014 NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder's wild ride
OKC Advances
The Thunder are notoriously slow starters. It probably has something to do with their traditional, offensively challenged starting lineup, but in Game 6, the Thunder found themselves in a 14-point hole by the end of the first quarter. The Clippers appeared to have put the devastation of Game 5 behind them as the Thunder seemed content to just return to OKC for a Game 7 at home.
Then Kevin Durant woke up. J.J. Redick made an egregious mistake, leaving Durant at the 3-point line to cover Derek Fisher. The MVP made him pay, splashing a straight-on 3. It was the first of three consecutive deep balls for Durant, sparking a 9-0 run on his own. And more importantly, he was in the game.
Durant rolled to 39 points, 16 rebounds and five assists as the Thunder closed the Clippers 104-98.
But there was a storm coming. Serge Ibaka limped off the floor with eight minutes left in the third quarter with a calf injury after falling awkwardly while trying to block a shot. The tandem of Steven Adams and Nick Collison filled Ibaka's spot admirably, but the celebration of moving on to another Western Conference finals was cut short as concern was already beginning to build inside the Thunder's locker room.
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