Without Russell Westbrook, it was going to be difficult for the Thunder, but most believed that the top seed in the Western Conference would eventually breakthrough and beat the Grizzlies.
However, Durant shot 5-21 from the field and miss the game-tying shot, a 17-foot wide open jumpshot, that would’ve sent the game to overtime. We asked Lakers Nation if Durant should receive more blame and the response is a bit surprising:
In our poll, 65 percent think Durant is getting the right amount of blame while the rest believe that he should be getting more attention for his missed shot.
Yes the Thunder didn’t have Westbrook, but the play from Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin are what let the team down in the end. Durant played all 48 minutes last night and went all Kobe Bryant by only resting for 17 minutes throughout the entire series as the Thunder fell way short of their expectations.
However, if LeBron or Kobe took the same shot and missed, the national media would’ve talked about their failure to close the game all day. For some reason, it seems like Durant is getting a pass due to the Westbrook injury as his inability to bring the Thunder to overtime hasn’t been criticized that much.
With their failure to reach the NBA Finals this year, Durant should return next year with a vengeance as he’ll have all summer to stew over that missed shot.