Oklahoma City Thunder Advance



Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant has led his Oklahoma City Thunder team to the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs for the first time in his four-year NBA career. The 22 year-old continues to evolve as one of the best players in the league and he is carrying this squad to great heights. After winning their series against the Denver Nuggets 4-1, Durant and the Thunder await the winner of the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies series.

The Thunder will be the favorite in their second round matchup. If they face the Spurs, the Thunder will look to use their speed and athleticism to outrun the aging veterans. If the Grizzlies are their opponent, then the Thunder will rely on Durant and Russell Westbrook to outshine the “starless” Grizzlies.

Durant fading away

Over the past two seasons, Durant and Westbrook have emerged into some of the NBA's brightest stars and their team has made great progress. Last season the Thunder made the playoffs for the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City and changed their name from the Sonics. They made one of the greatest improvements in NBA history by winning 50 games after only accomplishing 23 wins in the 2008-09 season; this season the Thunder finished fourth in the West with 55 wins.

Durant led the NBA in scoring for the second straight year with 27 ppg, and Westbrook, 22, has entered the category as one of the best point guards in the association. A dynamic duo built on youth, skills, talent, and athleticism, the two are hard to defend because of Durant’s length and shooting range, and Westbrook’s blazing speed and leaping ability. This tandem also makes their teammates better by sharing the ball and allowing them to contribute in many ways.

James Harden, 21, and forward Serge Ibaka, 21, made valuable impacts during the first round as both averaged 10 ppg, and Ibaka grabbed 11 rebounds per game. With the addition of Kendrick Perkins at the center position, it provides some strength and “attitude” that this team was missing. The Thunder acquired Perkins for “hybrid” forward Jeff Green at the February trading deadline because they needed someone who could contend with the big men in the Western Conference.  

Westbrook with the slam

With the makeup of this team, no one will  be surprised if the Thunder advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder have a defensive minded big man in the middle, the best scorer in the league in Durant, an All-Star point guard in Westbrook, and a consistent bench. The Thunder can play at a fast pace, and they can also function in half-court sets.

The Thunder will await the winner of tonight’s contest between the Spurs and the Grizzlies to find out who they will play in the second round. The Grizzlies lead the series 3-2, but if the Spurs win, then the Thunder will have to wait another game to find out who will be their next opponent.

New York Knicks: Swept



Carmelo Anthony

 The New York Knicks have been dismissed from the 2011 NBA playoffs by the Boston Celtics in four games. Many analysts did not expect for this series to be one-sided, but after Chauncey Billups suffered a knee injury in game one the Knicks could not stay afloat. Though the Knicks showed great efforts in the first two games, the last two outings were dreadful.

Without their vocal leader on the floor the Knicks could not run their offense smoothly and they appeared out of order. Some of their disorder can be credited to the Celtics defense, but

team chemistry has been an issue for the Knicks since their midseason trade for Carmelo Anthony. The lack of unity was an element that hurt the Knicks in their series against a veteran Celtics team.

Anthony on the drive

Games one and two were matchups that the Knicks lost within the last few seconds. After Ray Allen nailed a three pointer to put the Celtics up 87-85 with 13 seconds remaining in game one, Anthony had an opportunity to win the game, but he missed a pull-up three as time expired.  In game two Anthony had another chance to give the Knicks a win, but Jared Jeffries dropped Anthony’s pass under the basket with four seconds left on the clock.

Anthony carried his team in game two by scoring 42 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, but he shot 4-16 from the field in the Knicks 113-96 game three loss. Amar’e Stoudemire did not contribute much either as he scored only seven points while struggling with back spasms.

The Knicks got off to another slow start in game four and fell behind by 23 points. Midway through the fourth quarter the Knicks cut the Celtics lead down to four at 84-80, but the Celtics held on to win 101-89. This was the Celtics first sweep since eliminating the Indiana Pacers in the 1992 NBA playoffs.

The Celtics defense was their biggest asset in this series. They forced the Knicks to shoot 38 percent from the field, 34 percent from three-point range, and out rebounded the Knicks 44-40.

Kevin Garnett defending Stoudemire

The Celtics offense was also spectacular. Allen shot 75 percent from behind the arc, Paul Pierce averaged 25 ppg, and Rajon Rondo dropped 12 assists per game. Rondo also set a Celtics playoff record with 20 assists in game three. Rondo broke the record of 19 assists he previously held with Bob Cousy.

While the Celtics head back to Boston to prepare for their next opponent, who will most likely be the Miami Heat, the Knicks will look to make a few more changes to their roster during the offseason. This was the Knicks first playoff berth since 2004, so with star players like Anthony and Stoudemire the city of New York shall have Eastern Conference contenders to root for in the future.