Mavericks Vs. Thunder, Game 2: Oklahoma City Escapes With 106-100 Win

In a postseason where there’s been some lack of chemistry at times between Oklahoma City’s two stars, the truly dangerous thing is that they may now have a third player that can enhance the other two.

Harden’s development into what he is now is a bit complicated. He was a really unique prospect coming out of college, but because his skills were misunderstood, he was stuck with the dreaded “good at many things, not great at anything” label. Those kinds of prospects are very difficult for coaches, who tend to look for players who can bring specific skills to the table. In truth, Harden did have some very specific unique skills. Few shooting guards were as good with the ball in their hands as Harden was with Arizona State, and his playmaking skills allowed Herb Sendek’s motion offense to thrive. Also, after looking skinny in college, Harden managed to blow away all the athletic tests at the combine. That transformation has allowed him to elevate and compete against NBA athletes and blew away one of his supposed weaknesses.

That last part may overshadow the discussion surrounding the Thunder’s win on Friday, and it should. For me, it was the most satisfying part of Thursday’s game. Not because I hate Westbrook, but because I sorta love the Thunder at this point and we’ve seen this coming for a month now.

He pulled Westbrook from the game, and told him to “pass the ball.” And Westbrook, for his role in all this, was pissed. ESPN’s cameras tracked him to the sideline, and for a solid 30 seconds we saw him scowling and cursing until finally Mo Cheeks walked over and told him to calm down. That was the end of his night.

After the game, Scott Brooks said he simply stuck with the hot hand to close the game. The reserves were doing a great job on both ends of the floor, so Brooks kept Westbrook and the rest of the starters, sans Kevin Durant, on the bench.

“Sticking with Eric over Russell ... I thought Eric did a good job. I’ve done it a few times this year. We weren’t getting a lot of things done. And this time coming out I stayed with Eric. Eric was terrific handling the decisions on the court”

With the series even at one, the Mavs and Thunder head to Oklahoma City for Game 3, which is set to get underway Saturday at 9 p.m. EDT.

Check out our Mavericks vs. Thunder hubb for more on the series. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.

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By Sebastian Pruiti

The next possession, Westbrook tries to penetrate without making a pass or working the ball around first. Because there is no passes or no ball movement, the defense is still set in their initial formation, so when Westbrook drives, the defense is able to load up, keep Westbrook from getting to the rim, and force him into a turnover.

Check out our Mavericks vs. Thunder hub for more on the series. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.