The Oklahoma City Thunder got an epic performance from Russell Westbrook. They ran out to a huge early lead. They watched LeBron James get carried off the court in the fourth quarter, and took the lead shortly after he departed.
Somehow, it still was not enough as they lost Game 4 of the NBA finals to the Miami Heat on Tuesday, slipping to a 3-1 series deficit and needing to win the next three in a row to take the title.
Even after getting 43 points from Westbrook, 28 more from Kevin Durant and staking themselves to a 17-point lead by the time the first quarter was over, Oklahoma City lost 104-98 and are now officially on the brink.
Photo: AFP
“I can guarantee this,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “We have fight in us.”
Game 5 is in Miami today, where the Heat can capture the NBA title that they were assembled to get two years ago.
History says the Thunder are now in deep, deep trouble. No team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the finals. No team has even forced a Game 7 when faced with that scenario.
Westbrook took 32 shots, as many as James and Chris Bosh tried combined. He made 20 — half of Oklahoma City’s field goals on the night — and finished with seven rebounds and five assists as well. For a guard who struggled so much so many times against Miami, it was a breakout night that the Thunder desperately needed.
“Russell was terrific tonight,” Brooks said. “The guy played relentless. He was aggressive. He kept us in this game and he gave us a chance to win.”
“He was tremendous tonight,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
What they also needed was to take advantage of that tremendous night — and that did not happen, largely because Miami made sure Oklahoma City only had two options by night’s end.
“It’s not me against the world, it’s not the world against me,” Westbrook said, when asked if his night silenced critics. “It’s me and my teammates trying to win.”
There was one huge blip in Westbrook’s night, and it was a play that helped the Heat seal the outcome. After a jump ball with 17.3 seconds remaining and five seconds left on the shot clock, Westbrook fouled Chalmers as the shot clock was dwindling down. Chalmers made both free throws, the lead was five, and 20,003 Heat fans in the building knew their team was moments from a 3-1 series lead.
“Just a miscommunication on my part,” Westbrook said. “Nothing I can do about it now.”
Durant’s mother grabbed him by both arms as he walked off the floor, hugging him and then using her right hand to turn his face back toward her, trying her best to console the scoring champion. The Thunder were up 33-16, Durant and Westbrook were scoring at will and Durant threw the Heat an early curve ball by opening the game guarding Chalmers, the Heat point guard.
Perhaps he should have stayed on Chalmers, given how good he was in the second half.
For the final 16-plus minutes, the Thunder were reduced to playing 2-on-5 basketball. Serge Ibaka made a jumper with 4 minutes 46 seconds left in the third quarter, cutting Miami’s lead to 68-66.
After that, it was either all Westbrook or all Durant, all the time.
“We just have to stay together,” center Kendrick Perkins said. “It’s not over.”
The stars were superb, again, just not superb enough to take down Miami. After that Ibaka jumper, no other Thunder player besides the team’s two superstars scored a point.
“It’s not disappointing. It happens that way,” Brooks said. “Russell had a great game. We were going. We were going with him. He was making terrific plays at the basket. He was attacking, he was getting into the teeth of their defense and made basketball plays.”
James Harden struggled yet again, shooting 2 for 10 for the second straight game, though he did finish with 10 rebounds. Nick Collison scored six points, but the other three Oklahoma City starters — Ibaka, Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha — combined for a mere 13 on 6-for-16 shooting.
“We’re going to keep fighting,” Durant said. “[It is] frustrating to lose like that, but we’re going to keep fighting, man. That’s how we’ve been since I got here.”
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was