While the Western Conference No. 2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder haven't played as poorly as Indiana, the top seed in the East, they find themselves in the same hole tonight at 9:30, when they will tip off Game 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 2-1 series deficit. Watch the game on ESPN or live stream it free by clicking this link. Thunder fans can hear the action on WWLS 98.1, while Grizzlies fans can find the radio broadcast on 92.9 ESPN.
Kevin Durant, the leading scorer in the NBA, is averaging 33 points per game in this series but has admittedly been less than his own MVP-caliber standard. "I just didn't make shots," Durant said of his Game 3 effort. "That's the name of the game. But I liked the way I cut, I liked the way I was aggressive. But I have to do a better job of maybe passing the ball a little bit more and also making shots. I've got to stay confident in myself."
Oklahoma City's enforcer, center Kendrick Perkins, believes KD will have no issues rediscovering his stroke. "KD is obviously the league MVP and we expect him to be the MVP down the stretch," Perkins said.
The burden may be on more than Durant though if they expect to crack Memphis' tough defense. Durant's been hounded by top wing defender Tony Allen the whole series while the rest of the Grizzlies pack the paint.
OKC head coach Scott Brooks said he's drilling his squad on taking smarter shots in the face of those challenges by Memphis. "The ones we're trying to eliminate and hopefully we do that next game, are the ones that are off the dribble with the no passes.
"Those are the tough ones. Those are the ones that we don't want. The ones we like, and we're going to have to be able to step up and make, are the ones when they're packing the paint."
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