Thunder sweep up Spurs to knot series at 2-2

Just hours before the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs squared up against each other in game 4 of a highly entertaining Western Conference semifinals, there was a widespread tornado warning issued from the Oklahoma Red Cross. It seems the tornado whisked its way into Chesapeake arena, and bolted straight for the Spurs in the 4th quarter. That tornado was Kevin Durant and the Thunder.


The first three quarters were agony for the Thunder. They made an exhilarating run mid-way through the 2nd quarter to tie the game at 40 on a ferocious Kevin Durant ally oup. The run took the Thunder a good five minutes. They were quietly getting stops on defense, then loudly slicing the Spurs up on offense. There was a Steven Adams Dunk, a Dion Waiters three-pointer and Russell Westbrook being his usual freak athletic self.

Less that two minutes after the Thunder tied the game, the Spurs romped right back, and before you knew it, the Thunder were down eight points at halftime. It must have been a solemn halftime meeting for Thunder players. They played their hearts out, and actually out-played the Spurs for all but one minute in the 2nd quarter. Yet all they had to show for it was a 45-53 deficit.

The half was the perfect embodiment of what this Thunder team is. They are breathtaking some moments, but infuriating in others. They have two of the top five players on the planet, yet are still susceptible to costly mental lapses that damage their chances of winning greatly.

The 3rd quarter seemed to flow by. By the conclusion of it, the Thunder had sliced the lead down to 4, but with their recent 4th quarter failings even when they were winning, hope was bleak.

Then came that tornado. Dion Waiters was part of it. So was Russell Westbrook and the Stash Brothers. But the heart of it, was KD. He had 24 points entering the 4th, a really impressive point total, but he had not imprinted the game as distinctly as a superstar would in a must-win playoff game.

His takeover was swift. It started with a smooth finger roll over LaMarcus Aldridge's outstretched hand. But after that, it was pure madness. Name any move and Durant probably did the best version of it. Cross-over, step-back triples? Yup. Fadeaway midrange with the Claw's outstretched arms trying to envelope you? Check. Catch-and-shoot, swished corner 3? Yessir.

Durant, staying true to his humble demeanor, said after the game, "I know that any moment, I can go off and hit a few shots."

He may not be able to all the time, but last night, he hit more than a few shots.

It was not only Durant's brilliant scoring streak. He did not force anything. When he had the ball and play stagnated, he would find the open man, which resulted in crucial, wide-open Randy Foye and Enes Kanter corner threes. If total offensive dominance was not enough, Durant bottled up Kawhi Leonard on defense, leaving the Claw scoreless on 0-5 shooting the entire 4th quarter.

The Spurs, the purest example of a team that never gets too rattled and keeps on plugging, simply had no answer. They got swept away back to San Antonio, where Game 5 will be a war.