OKLAHOMA CITY — Rick Carlisle talked tough late into
Monday night.
Sounded upset, too, not just suggesting the Thunder played in a manner
unsuitable for gentlemen, but using some words unsuitable for print.
Carlisle did the talking, saying the "Dirty bull---- has to stop." He
talked about cheap shots and dangerous play, but tried to play it off
congenially by saying he didn't want anyone to get hurt.
And while Carlisle was talking, not so specifically about the Thunder's version
of Steve McQueen in Kendrick Perkins, scuffling and scowling at and with Dirk
Nowitzki, it wasn't a cheap shot by the Thunder that beat the Mavs 102-99
Monday inside Chesapeake Arena.
It was a direct blow.
The defending champion isn't done, but the Thunder are ahead 2-0 because they
were tougher when it counted most, starting with Perkins in the first quarter
and finishing with another rally late.
Nowitzki and Perkins got tangled up in the first quarter and it looked like
something more dangerous than a West Side Story altercation would come about.
Instead, both players received technical fouls.
The fallout meant the teams wound up with a total of 71 free throws, a lot of
staring, complaining and talking.
"It was just two teams playing hard," Nowitzki said. "He tried
to bully me and I bullied back. We talked about some stuff and moved on."
Carlisle didn't move on, but he did talk, deciding to marinate in the madness
after the game with a head-shaking postgame conference. Yet, no matter how the
excuses may come, and no matter who taunted who, Dallas has to live with the
hard truth it blew a lead with less than three minutes to play for the second
game in a row.
And it's two in a row the Thunder did it with defense, bit parts from the
bench, another notable performance from Russell Westbrook and a great finish in
the fourth quarter.
But not from Kevin Durant.
Durant struggled for the second game in a row, shooting 5 of 17 Monday, but
rallying with 14 points from the free-throw line, to finish with 26. Westbrook
had 29 points, James Harden had 15 and Perkins was impressive with 13. Derek
Fisher played his finest game for the Thunder, scoring 11 points on 5-of-6
shooting.
But Durant is now 15 for 44 from the field in the playoffs.
Fortunately, his team is ahead 2-0.
"We played well on the defensive end to finish the game off," Durant
said. "I missed some shots I would love to make."
"Both teams missed some shots," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.
"Both teams were forced to miss shots. That's what good defensive teams
do."
No one is really confusing the Thunder with the basketball version of the Steel
Curtain, but when the Thunder lost their way offensively, lost every bit of
their 16-point lead and lost a good dose of confidence, it was the defense that
slowed down Dallas.
Oklahoma City led by 16 in the second quarter, led by seven at half, then came
undone. The Thunder started the third quarter 1 of 11, finished it at 29
percent, turned it over three times and were outrebounded. But they saved this game
because of defense.
The Mavs led by as many as three in the quarter but never distanced themselves
from the Thunder, making just 8-of-20 shots and only outscored OKC by five in
the quarter.
Meanwhile, Dallas missed two chances to tie in the final seconds — both coming
on shots from Jason Terry. Nowitzki missed a wide-open 3-pointer with 1:31 left
and missed a 12-footer with 27 seconds left.
"We have to close the games better," said Nowitzki, who finished with
31 points. “The 3-ball I had in the corner was game-time. If I hit that we go
up four and it's over."
That's the Dallas side of it. The OKC side went this way:
After Vince Carter made a turnaround jumper with 2:18 to play, the Thunder
scored the next four points over the next 1:53. In between was a turnover by
Jason Kidd, a pair of free throws by Durant and another pair from Harden.
"It wasn't pretty," Thunder forward Nick Collison said. "But for
us to get wins like that is big. We'd like to play better.
Well, the Thunder played well enough to nearly choke this series to death.
Dallas will certainly have to win both games at home – starting Thursday – to
have any chance of upsetting the second-seeded Thunder.
"We just haven't made enough plays," Carlisle said. "They've
made one more play than we have. You have to give them credit, and we can't dig
ourselves a hole in the first half. I love the way we fought back, that was
great."
Funny that Carlisle would use the term fight, while at the same time deride
Perkins for instigating.
But then again, Carlisle complained about his star player not getting enough
calls after Game 1, then called out the Thunder after Game 2.
Even forward Shawn Marion talked, saying Durant's game winner in Game 1 on Saturday
was "lucky."
But it was Durant who landed one final verbal jab.
"We have to continue to take that punch from them and do a great job of
sticking together," he said. "Game like these in the playoffs are
going to get chippy."
