Moments after the Dallas Mavericks were blown out in Game 1 of this series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-70, a reporter prefaced a question aimed at Dallas coach Rick Carlisle with a disclaimer seemingly meant to soften the blow.
“Coach, I knew it’s only one game, but in a game like…”
“Yes!” Carlisle barked, interrupting the question. “That’s right. It’s only one game.”
It was a nice sentiment, particularly after the Mavs posted a franchise low playoff points total on 29.8 percent shooting from the field. It was just one night, and ostensibly the Mavs would turn the page and move ahead preparing for Game 2. But really, after the blowout in Game 1, would a fresh start make much of a difference? After all, the Mavs would be facing a Thunder team that seemed to be peaking, and Dallas would be without an injured J.J. Barea and David Lee, with Deron Williams listed as a game time decision.
What a difference two days makes.
Tonight it was the Thunder who couldn’t buy a basket, and the zombie Mavs managed to hang around and hang around, until time finally ran out on the Thunder by the slimmest of margins. Dallas evened the series at one game apiece, with an 85-84 win.
Coming into the series, Dallas emphasized getting out to strong starts against the Thunder, who were one of the NBA’s best first quarter teams during the regular season. While Game 1’s first quarter ended with OKC on top 26-11, in Game 2 the Mavs managed to end the first quarter with a 24-20 lead. As Dirk Nowitzki said, “For us to have a lead after the first quarter kind of set us up to be in the game for the rest of the night, and come up with the close win at the end.”
For the Thunder, things seemed off from the start. Even Westbrook’s pregame dance routine with Cameron Payne was interrupted by a couple of interloping Mavs (Westbrook later waved off the gamesmanship, saying “That’s for the guys who don’t play”).
Kevin Durant tried just about everything within reason to get going and keep the Thunder in the game. He pulled up, he drove, he spun, he used his rip move, he went to Dirk Nowitzki’s trademark fadeaway jumper, he played a spell at power forward for the first time in the series, he pleaded with the officials…heck, Durant even changed shoes at halftime, switching from a pair of Nike KD 8s to a pair of KD 8 Elites.
But on this night, nothing worked. Durant finished the game 7-for-33 from the floor, including 2-for-11 on 3-pointers. Although he totaled 21 points, it was the most missed shots in a game in Kevin Durant’s postseason career.
“No excuses. I’ve just got to make them next time,” Durant said. “I’ve got to be better and put the work in. I’m going to have nights like that, that is a part of the business. I’ve just got to keep staying confident and my teammates and my coaches stay confident in me.”
Meanwhile, Dallas guard Deron Williams started and couldn’t miss, as he hit three 3-pointers to score 11 points in the first quarter. Williams was battling a sports hernia, which has limited him for several weeks, and he finished with 13 points and 5 assists in 26 minutes, before exiting for good midway through the third quarter.
“None of this would be possible without Deron Wiliams,” Carlisle said. “His effort in the Utah game a week ago tonight, he played a huge game that night. It was his second game back after an over-two-week hiatus, and that game got us in the playoffs. Tonight, had he not played the first 26 minutes, we wouldn’t be in position to win. He kept the confidence level of the club up.”
When Williams exited, Raymond Felton picked up the slack. The 11th year veteran who averaged 9.5 points per game in the regular season, came alive against the Thunder, finishing with 21 points to lead Dallas, including a huge layup over Thunder big man Steven Adams with 28.7 seconds remaining to give Dallas an 83-81 lead. Moments later, Wesley Matthews converted following a steal to push the Dallas lead to four.
Though the Thunder have struggled in the fourth quarter — as NBA.com’s John Schuhmann notes in his series numbers preview — they weren’t finished just yet. Despite Durant’s struggles, Donovan said, “I was never going to tell him not to shoot.” Durant drained the three to shave the Mavs lead to one with 9.5 seconds remaining.
After Felton missed two free throws, the Thunder’s final possession was a microcosm of their entire night: Durant’s layup attempt was blocked by Dallas rookie Justin Anderson; the ball fell to Russell Westbrook, who missed the putback; Steven Adams got to the miss and tipped it up and through, and as the crowd celebrated and streamers streamed from the ceiling, a video review showed that the shot was too late, preserving the win for Dallas.
The teams will now head south to Dallas for Games 3 and 4, with the Mavs suddenly holding home court advantage. While there’s no telling which players will be healthy enough to play for Dallas — “Ask Mother Nature,” Carlisle quipped — as the Mavs proved in Game 2, questioning their desire or drive is a losing game.
“Every time we came in the huddle, even after they were making runs, guys were encouraging each other to hang in there, keep banging away,” Carlisle said. “That’s what we’ve been doing the last three weeks: banging away. And that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
