The Oklahoma City Thunder weren't supposed to be able to close out games. They had coughed up fourth quarter leads 15 times this season, and were up by seven with less than five minutes to play against the San Antonio Spurs when Tony Parker made a driving finger roll and was fouled. The Thunder, now up only four, were going to falter down the stretch again, it seemed.
NBA playoff scores 2016: Kevin Durant’s passion fuels the Thunder
Durant dropped 41 points on the Spurs as the Thunder evened the series at 2-2, and the Cavaliers took care of the Hawks to complete the sweep on Sunday in the NBA.
Kevin Durant had different plans. He went on a 7-0 run over 91 seconds to give the Thunder a nine-point lead with 1:30 to play that they wouldn't relinquish, as they held on for a 111-97 win to even the second-round playoff series at 2-2. Instead of heading back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday down 3-1, the Thunder now find themselves in a three-game series against the Spurs.
On Sunday, Durant had 29 points in the second half as he tied his playoff high of 41 points to turn this series around, playing with a fire and intensity the Thunder need if they’re going to pull off the upset.
ROAR! Kevin Durant on fire. https://t.co/4dK1I3640Z
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 9, 2016
Nothing against Russell Westbrook, but going to Durant down the stretch was the move the Thunder had to make. Part of it was feeding the hot hand, but Durant's less frenetic play kept the Thunder poised down the stretch. Durant, who had yet to top 30 points against the stingy Spurs defense, finally found his groove. He was 14-of-25 from the field while Westbrook was 5-of-18 on his way to 14 points. In the Game 3 loss, Durant had 26 points on 18 shots while Westbrook had 31 points on 31 shots.
Westbrook was still an integral part of the win. He had 15 assists and seven rebounds, and was getting the ball to Durant as much as he could.
The Thunder have two of the most dynamic players in the league. Game 4 wasn’t necessarily the blue print for success, but it was better than every other game this series. It helps when Durant is firing on all cylinders and demanding the ball — but that’s the Durant the Thunder need if they’re going to win not only this series, but any series beyond it.
It’s a possibility. A mean Durant is a dangerous one.
2 other things
LeBron James will not miss out on a chance to sweep
James had 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 4 win over the Atlanta Hawks. It was a ho-hum stat line for the superstar, but his final minute of play put the Hawks away for good. He nailed a jumper with 39.2 seconds left to give the Cavaliers a three-point lead, then, after missing a jumper with the Cavaliers up one, forced a jump ball with Dennis Schroder to clinch the game.
James didn’t have a phenomenal Game 4 — he had six turnovers — but he wasn’t going to let the Cavaliers lose. He was great in the series, though. He averaged 24.3 points per game on 51 percent field goal shooting and was 42 percent from deep. Like the rest of the Cavaliers, he was firing from deep at an elevated clip — James shot only 30.9 percent from three during the regular season. As usual, James’ brilliance is on full display. He’s upping his game when it matters, and now he’s in the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth consecutive year with an almost guaranteed sixth straight trip to the Finals coming soon.
The Cavaliers’ shooting is great, but the Big Three are doing work, too
Cleveland shot lights out in their second-round series against the Hawks, nailing 77 threes in four games to set a new NBA record, and the stars were leading the charge.
In ATL series:
— John Michael (@CavsJMike) May 9, 2016
LBJ 24.3 PPG, 51 FG%, 42 3P% (8-19)
Irving 21.3 PPG, 48 FG%, 67 3P% (12-18)
Love 19.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 48 3P%.#CavsRadio
The Cavaliers are firing on all cylinders under new coach Tyronn Lue. While guys like J.R. Smith and Channing Frye are making a huge difference, the fact that James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are learning how to coexist is pushing the Cavaliers to new levels. We won't really know how great this Cavaliers team is until it faces the West champ, but they remain the best in the East — and they are certainly ready to challenge for an NBA championships again.
Play of the night
Kawhi Leonard's hands make even easy passes way too difficult.
4 fun things
Scores
Cavaliers 100, Hawks 99 (Fear the Sword recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)
Thunder 111, Spurs 97 (Welcome to Loud City recap | Pounding the Rock recap)
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