Thunder VS Mavericks (Game 4)

Thunder Lead Series 3-1

This was a very testy game. You can tell that the Mavericks will to compete is really getting under the Thunder's skin. This caused for multiple technicals on the Thunder and Durant to be ejected with a flagrant 2. This could mean Durant might have to sit out of game 5. That would be the Mavericks best chance to steal another game.

The Mavericks played like they were the better team. They fought and every time the Thunder would make a push, the Mavs would come right back. The Mavs shot 51.8% on the game. They got some great looks at the basket with their pick and roll and kickout looks. Raymond Felton was at the heart of this. He did a great job finding open players as he had 11 assists but also did a great job finding openings and scoring at the right time as he also had 19 points on the night. Dirk was a big part of that pick and roll. He had 27 points on the night.

The Mavs did a great job guarding Westbrook and Durant, but they were so focused on them that the other guys carried the team. Ibaka had 16 points, Steven Adams had 14, Dion Waiters had 12, and Kanter had 28. Kanter was also 12-13 from the floor. All of these guys shot very efficiently while Westbrook and Durant had their shooting woes. The Mavs have a hard task of guarding the Thunder, but Kanter can't be shooting 12-13. They also can't let the Thunder get 60 points in the paint. You could tell the Mavs were trying, they just weren't always fundamentally sound on defense though.

A big part of there loss was J.J. Barea's inability to hit shots. He was such a big part of their offense in game 3, but in game 4 he shot 0-7 from the floor with 6 assists. He seemed very passive when he was in the paint almost always looking to pass off. If Barea played better, I have to think that this would have been a much different game.

Justin Anderson was the guy that really caught my eye. He had 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. You could tell he wanted the ball and he wanted to win. He did a great job and put in the effort.

If Kevin Durant is out the next game, and the Mavericks show the same heart and effort, they have a good chance at winning that game. They have a few things that they could fix up. Game 5 will be a great competitive one as the whole series has been.