2014 Playoffs: The Thunder's pursuit of a championship

2013-14 Playoffs: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies game 2 grades

The Thunder let Game 2 slip away as the Grizzlies stole the show with the overtime win, 111-105.

By Justin Danziger@justin_danziger Apr 22, 2014, 11:58pm CDT

In one of the most exhilarating games of the season, the Memphis Grizzlies stole the spotlight with their 6 point, overtime victory over the Thunder, 111- 105. Despite the heart-breaking loss, what a game! Here is how each player performed.

Joining to help with this grade post will be Juan Toribio.

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KEVIN DURANT	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game stats)	45	36	11	4	2	0	1	-7
JUAN	Kevin Durant needs to have the ball in his hands late in the game. I usually don't harp about this as much as other people do, but he did not miss a shot in the fourth quarter, but only took four of those. Besides that, his four-point play was probably the best thing I've ever seen and he's just continuing to try and prove he's the best player in the world. But he's going to have to demand the ball from Westbrook.
JUSTIN	The shot! Although the Thunder could not pull out the win, that shot will be remembered for quite some time. KD had just 8 points at halftime, nearing his season low of 7 before the 3rd quarter. But he flicked on the switch in the 4th quarter by co-leading a comeback with Westbrook to score 20 points in the final quarter. On top of his tremendous fourth quarter performance, Durant hit an incredible shot leading to a 4 point play...so yeah, great game Durant.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game stats)	43	29	7	8	1	1	3	-1
JUAN	Russell Westbrook is the engine that makes the train go. His energy is usually unmatched and he's an athletic freak. He played a good game, but at times, he tried to do too much. He was bailed out by Kendrick Perkins at the end of regulation on a bad shot, and he really shouldn't be taking 12 shots in the fourth as opposed to 4 by Durant. Expect a better game from Russell Westbrook in game three.
JUSTIN	At first, I felt Russell Westbrook was taking some shots that KD was supposed to take. But throughout the game, I realized that the Thunder would not be keeping up with Memphis if it weren't for him. In the 4th quarter, Westbrook and Durant were on a scoring tear. Nothing is more fun that watching Westbrook energized in transition. Recording a near triple-double, Russ had a fine game overall.

THABO SEFOLOSHA	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game stats)	32	7	7	3	0	2	0	-4
JUAN	I think Thabo Sefolosha did some okay things out on the floor, but I still believe he doesn't really have a spot in this series because of his lack of offense, and I think 31 minutes is too much.
JUSTIN	Thabo Sefolosha played a large role in this game. He played 32 minutes, and came up big with a steal leading to a KD slam late in the 4th to give OKC the lead. Along with his suffocating defense, Thabo scored 7 points and rebounded 7 times to go along with it. Thabo was everything I wanted in this game.

SERGE IBAKA	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	47	15	11	1	5	1	1	-3
JUAN	Serge Ibaka seems to block anything that's comes close to the rim and that just speaks to his activity. I would like for him to go on one of those 10/12 shooting games instead of just 50% (which is still pretty good) to go along with 11 rebounds and those 5 blocks. But Ibaka is the Thunder's best big and he's dealing with two other great big man, and he's holding his own.
JUSTIN	I think winning the Community Award gave Serge Ibaka that extra boost to go after the win. In all seriousness, Ibaka was absolutely, positively dominant in the paint. From the 15 points and 11 rebounds to the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag following a blocked dunk of Ed Davis, Ibaka owned the paint throughout the game., and he was having fun blocking 5 shots.

KENDRICK PERKINS	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	27	4	4	1	1	0	1	-8
JUAN	You might already know why he gets an ‘A.' If he wouldn't have gotten that buzzer-beating layup, he would have probably ended up with a ‘C' but being a hero has it's Perks, too. Pun intended.
JUSTIN	Perkins! Who would have thought that Kendrick Perkins would hit the buzzer beater in the postseason. Not Kevin Durant, not Westbrook, but Kendrick Perkins. Wow. For that huge putback, giving Perkins anything below an A- would be a crime.

REGGIE JACKSON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	14	2	3	2	0	0	2	-6
JUAN	Game one: Good Reggie Jackson. Game two: Bad Reggie Jackson. That pretty much sums up most of Reggie's season, but these bad games are a lot more costly now. The Thunder need Jackson to be productive this series so they can have a little bit more offensive punch in the game, but when you literally don't make a field goal, there's just no room for you.
JUSTIN	Very, very disappointing game for Reggie Jackson. Jackson was invisible while on the court. He shot 0-5 from the field and did not contribute in any way. In minimal minutes, Jackson left no mark on the court. The Thunder's supposed "leader of the bench", lead his bench to just 14 points compared to Memphis's 33 bench points.

STEVEN ADAMS	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
JUAN	Steven Adams only got three minutes and quite honestly, I don't understand it. I thought he did a fine job in game one.
JUSTIN	Funaki barely played in Game 2. But the effort was visible in his 3 minutes of court time.

NICK COLLISON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	15	2	3	0	1	0	0	0
JUAN	Nick Collison was one of two players on OKC that didn't have a negative +/- rating, so in other words, he was Nick Collison.
JUSTIN	While Nick Collison's contribution to the stat sheet was minimal, his contribution to things like defense, PnR, and running plays, Collison had a solid game. I just truly enjoy watching Collison play, his effort and hustle is evident in every minute.

CARON BUTLER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	23	3	2	1	0	0	0	-3
JUAN	22 minutes is still a bit high for Caron Butler, but at least his minutes went down from game one and if he keeps missing everything he throws up, his minutes have to go down, right?
JUSTIN	Finally! Caron Butler was not overplayed, nor did he chuck up any unwanted shots. He was a nice fill-in off the bench and knocked down a nice three pointer during a "drought". Just what we need from Butler.

DEREK FISHER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BL	ST	TO	+/-

(Game Stats)	17	7	1	0	0	2	0	+2
JUAN	I think Derek Fisher did a pretty good job as the only guard off the bench that made any sort of contribution, and when you read that, you immediately realize why the Thunder lost last night.
JUSTIN	Derek Fisher's hot hand could not have came at a better time. When OKC's game was slipping through their fingers, Fisher stepped in and played fantastic offense. He knocked down some shots, got to the foul line, and left the starters in good shape when they were ready to return to the court. Just what OKC needs from a guy like D-Fish.

SCOTT BROOKS	Coaching Grade

JUAN		It's been a couple of months now and I don't think any of us can understand why Jeremy Lamb gets no playing time, but aside from that you really can't do much as a coach when whoever you plug in from the bench can't make any shots. I think the rotation was a little questionable for game two, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.
JUSTIN		Scott Brooks did a fine job in Game 2, but still needs some work. Coach Brooks avoided overplaying Caron Butler, finally, but avoided playing Steven Adams as well. There were not lots of rotations this game but I feel like Reggie Jackson should have been given a longer chance to get in his groove. But, I am not a professional coach.

TEAM GRADE	FG%	3P%	AST	REB	BL	ST	TO

(Advanced Stats)	39.8%	30%	20	49	10	6	8
JUAN	I don't think the Thunder played terribly, but they just simply did not have much balance. Guys not named Durant, Westbrook or Ibaka only scored a combined 25 points. That's just not good enough against a good team. But a lot of credit needs to be given to the Grizzlies, who came out and just beat the Thunder and now OKC has to return the favor at FedEx forum this weekend. It's going to be a battle in the grind house.
JUSTIN	Despite the loss, the Thunder played pretty solid basketball. The starters all played excellent, especially in the 4th quarter. But, the defense was not so impressive and the bench made a small contribution to the game. Overall, the Thunder did not play bad, the Grizzlies just played good.