Mama's boy Kevin Durant pilots OKC 'closer to dreams'

OKLAHOMA CITY – Kevin Durant isn't one to celebrate early.But with victory secured and a few seconds remaining in the sixth game of the Western Conference finals, theOklahoma City Thunder star fell into an embrace with his mother near her courtside seat.

The Thunder would go to the 2012 NBA Finals. They would beat the San Antonio Spurs, one-time rulers of the Western Conference, 107-99. But first, a moment of shared elation with family.

• MORE: Thunder finish off Spurs to advance to Finals

• COLUMN: Lopresti: Thunder take fast track to Finals

• BLOG: Thunder complete uphill climb to NBA's top

"I never want to take those moments for granted," Durant said. "I know we're just one step closer to our dreams. But it felt good. We've just got to continue to keep believing."

The Thunder are indeed one step closer — one step closer to claiming the NBA title that eluded the franchise for 28 years before it relocated from Seattle in 2008. One step closer than they were a year ago, when theDallas Mavericks denied them in the conference finals. One step closer to their goal in choosing Durant with the second pick in the 2007 draft.

The 6-9 forward, whose postgame television interview was interrupted by a deafening chorus of "MVP" chants, was willing to do anything to fulfill that goal — even take a charge.

Early in a fourth quarter in which Oklahoma City wrested the lead for good, Durant encountered Manu Ginobili weaving into the lane, set his feet and drew the offensive foul, his first of the season.

That's what stood out to coach Scott Brook's about Durant's performance. Not his game-high 34 points. Not the third-quarter rally during which he scored 14. Not the team-high 14 rebounds. It was a charge, a single foul, that had Brooks grinning.

"I'm not so sure he took one in his first few years, but you know that was a big play," Brooks said. "It's amazing for him to play like this in this moment, in this setting."

Durant was the only man on the floor who played all 48 minutes. Teammate Russell Westbrook was the runner-up with 41 minutes. Westbrook scored 25, climbing his way out of a shooting slump which contributed to Oklahoma City's 2-0 series deficit.

In winning Games 3, 4, 5 and 6, the Thunder became the 15th team in league history to rally from 2-0 down to win a best-of-seven series. The Celtics will try to match them Thursday, when they host the Miami Heat with a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

When Oklahoma City fell behind in the series, critics pointed to the Spurs' superior experience. Ginobili (34 years old), Tim Duncan (36), and Tony Parker (30) have shared three titles together in San Antonio. All that talk fueled the Thunder, whose three biggest contributors — Durant, Westbrook and James Harden— are 23, 23 and 22.

"I think the youth is kind of something that wills us," Westbrook said. "A lot of people around the league say we're young and we're not able to make clutch shots, perform under clutch moments. A lot of guys on our team have such great heart and want to do good, and it showed a great thing tonight."

Yet Oklahoma City seemed on the verge of returning to San Antonio for a Game 7 with its first-half showing. San Antonio had sprinted to an early lead behind Tony Parker's 17 points and five assists in the first quarter. He had a double-double by halftime (21 points, 10 assists) and finished with 29 and 12.

Durant led a third-quarter rally which helped Oklahoma City climb back from down 18 in the first half. He scored 14 points in the quarter, including a contested three in front ofStephen Jackson with more than 90 seconds left to take the Thunder's first lead. His 20 second-half points helped Oklahoma City maintain a slim lead for the majority of the fourth quarter.

"This was the toughest game I've played since I've been here," Durant said. "We kept playing hard to inspire my teammates both ends of the floor. And I'm glad I got this for Oklahoma City. … We didn't want to go back to San Antonio."

San Antonio's point total declined through the first three quarters after the Spurs scored 34 in the first behind 60.9% shooting from the field. Their loss drops coach Gregg Popovich's record in games where the Spurs are facing elimination to 7-11. Popovich congratulated the Thunder organization, and nodded to their ascension in the West.

"As sad a disappointed as we are… it's almost like a Hollywood script for OKC in a sense," he said. "You know they went through Dallas, last year's NBA champion, then they went through the Lakers, then they went through us."

Popovich pointed out that those franchises represent 10 of the last 13 NBA titles.

"I don't know if anybody has ever had a run or gone through a playoff playing those kinds of teams," he said. "It's just incredible."

A Hollywood story from a team led by "arguably the best player on the planet," as Popovich described Durant during the series.

Few are the men capable of drawing that kind of verbiage out of the surly Spurs coach, whose press conferences are measured in words, not minutes.

Yes, Kevin, you deserve a hug.

Rolling Thunder: OKC beats Spurs to take 3-2 lead

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Look who's unstoppable now.

Forget that incredible San Antonio streak of 20 straight wins. That's ancient history, and the way the Oklahoma City Thunder have taken complete command of the Western Conference finals, the Spurs might soon be finished themselves.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points and the Thunder are on the brink of the NBA Finals, beating the Spurs 108-103 in Game 5 on Monday night and going from an 0-2 hole to moving within a victory of a series knockout. Their first chance will be Wednesday night at home, where they're unbeaten in the playoffs.

''We never thought we're supposed to wait our turn,'' Durant said. ''Coach always emphasizes that with every opportunity that you step on the floor. It's a great opportunity to get better. To get to our dream.''

[Game 5 slideshow: OKC takes 3-2 series lead]

Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Thunder took a 3-2 lead in a wildly entertaining Western Conference finals. Looking invincible while carrying a 20-game winning streak a week ago - the fourth-longest in NBA history - the Spurs have lost three straight and are on the verge of a stunning collapse.

Manu Ginobili scored 34 in a smashing return to the starting lineup, and the switch showed just how much Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knew his team might be in trouble. The only way the Spurs would have considered the move a success is had they won, and that chance went clanging off the back of the rim with 4.9 seconds left when Ginobili missed an off-balance 3.

Ginobili then walked to the scorer's table, made a fist and hammered it down.

''It wasn't a great shot, but it wasn't a bad one,'' Ginobili said. ''It just didn't go in.''

It was the Spurs first loss at home since April 11.

Popovich said he removed Danny Green from the starting lineup and plugged in Ginobili - who had started only seven previous times this season - to give the Spurs ''an energy boost.'' But that didn't solve a third straight uneven game for the Spurs, particularly another languid second quarter that put them in a 14-point hole.

''If we don't get that straight,'' Popovich said, ''it'll be over on Wednesday.''

[Video: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's best interview sound bites]

Oklahoma City, meanwhile, is bringing home just what they needed: the must-win on the road if they're going to pull this series out.

''That was a total team effort,'' Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ''Everybody did their job. I thought we played as hard as we can play.''

Oklahoma City pulled it off behind their stars. James Harden scored 20, joining Durant and Westbrook as the only Thunder players in double figures.

Harden hit the biggest shot, draining a 3-pointer with 28.8 seconds left that pushed Oklahoma City's lead to five. He admitted afterward that the ball was supposed to go to Durant but had no choice but to let go with the shot clock winding down and Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard in his face.

''The shot clock was running down and I had to make a play,'' Harden said. ''Leonard was playing great defense on me. I just shot it with confidence. West Conference finals - that's a big shot.''

Tony Parker had 20 points and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.

After remaining unbeaten for 50 days before arriving in Oklahoma City, San Antonio has lost three games in five days. They now must win two straight to avoid seeing their last best chance to win in a title in the Duncan era end.

''Championship teams win on the road,'' Popovich said. ''Oklahoma City just did that.''

[Related: Kevin Durant, James Harden spark Thunder to Game 5 win]

It's the first time the Spurs have lost three in a row all season.

Durant scored 22 of his points in the second half. He dedicated the win to his uncle, who Durant said was in the hospital.

Westbrook also had 12 assists.

Not wanting the series to slip away, Popovich moved Ginobili to the starting lineup in place of Green, who came in shooting a combined 8 of 28 in this series.

Green's days as a starter began looking numbered after Game 3. He couldn't save his job before leaving Oklahoma City - Green shot 4 of 12 in both losses combined - and Popovich couldn't wait any longer with the series tied and the season in the balance.

Out with the undrafted swingman who barely made training camp, and in with the former All-Star. Pulling this big an adjustment this deep in the season likely didn't come easy for the NBA coach of the year, and the gambit drew mixed results.

It looked like a no-brainer with Ginobili leading all scorers at halftime with 14, but new rotations for the Spurs made for rocky possessions. None more so than in the second quarter, when the Spurs shot 38 percent.

Ginobili finished 11 of 21 and made half of his 10 3-point attempts. But with the game and arguably San Antonio's season on the line, his last one didn't connect.

''It's either win or go home,'' Ginobili said. ''It's our job. Nobody is going to feel sorry about ourselves.''

Notes: Taking a page from the Thunder, the Spurs held a T-shirt whiteout at the AT&T Center, a move the team has rarely made before. ...Durant's the clear last-shot taker for the Thunder. Popovich said it's as obvious as Dirk Nowitzki having the ball in his hands at the end for Dallas. But who do the Spurs go to with the game on the line? ''It's a secret,'' Popovich said before the game.

OKC Thunder Roar Past Lakers, Celtics Lead 76ers

The mighty Lakers have fallen.

Russell Westbrook scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder surged ahead in the second half to beat Los Angeles 106-90 in Game 5 on Monday night and eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs.

The two All-Stars both bypassed their breaks in the second half and used the time they'd normally be resting to fuel the big run that put away the game and end the Lakers' season.

Westbrook had a pair of three-point plays during a 14-3 burst that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay late in the third quarter, and Durant hit two 3-pointers as the Thunder scored the first 10 points of the fourth to push their lead to 93-77.

Kobe Bryant scored 42 points for the Lakers.

The Thunder open the Western Conference finals on Sunday at top-seeded San Antonio.

CELTICS 101, 76ERS 85

Brandon Bass scored 18 of his postseason career-high 27 points in the third quarter as Boston pulled away from Philadelphia to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for the Celtics, who can advance to the East finals with a victory in Philadelphia in Game 6 on Wednesday. The Sixers would need a win there to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game Saturday.

Elton Brand scored 19 and Evan Turner had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which led by six points early in the third quarter before Boston scored 14 of the next 16 points. Bass scored eight of them, including back-to-back dunks followed by a steal that set up Ray Allen's fast-break layup to give the Celtics a 63-57 lead with five minutes left in the quarter.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2012/05/22/okc-thunder-roar-past-lakers-celtics-lead-76ers/#ixzz1vcPBlrce