According to Mavericks guard Delonte West, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't make a statement Thursday night at American Airlines Center.
En route to taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Thunder fired on all cylinders from the opening minute, never trailing, leading by as many as 26 and winning 95-79.
"You can win by two or 30, it's all the same thing," West said. "We just didn't shoot the ball well.
"Tonight we came out and shot a dud and that's the story for us."
The fans exiting with 10 minutes to play and the Mavericks down 86-60 probably saw it a little differently. To outsiders, that beat down coupled with Kevin Durant turning in his best game of the series -- 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting -- equaled a possible final nail in the coffin.
Obviously, the players in the Mavericks locker room have slightly more optimism than the person in the second level Thursday night who hurled their free royal blue Mavs shirt down to the lower bowl.
"Win the next game," Mavericks reserve guard Vince Carter said. "Plain and simple. There's no rhyme or reason. Just win the next game. Or it's over. There's no sense in trying to dress it up and make it any more difficult than it is."
West was on the same page, saying on several occasions, "We can't win four at a time. All we need is to win one."
And if they don't get one, the defending champs will be heading home much earlier than many expected.
But what kind of fight will they put up Saturday night in Game 4?
"This team is still motivated," West said. "And if we got to go out, we're going out like champs. We're going down swinging."
Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota
