Kevin Durant: “I Let The City Down”

One of the lasting images from OKC’s heartbreaking Game 4 loss last night to Dallas, was Kevin Durant’s horrific heave with time running out in regulation (which was blocked by Shawn Marion.) KD says he had no choice but to take the shot. From The Oklahoman: “On a night the Mavs took a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals, overcoming a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and winning in overtime, the Thunder got the best and the worst from Durant. His 29-point, 15-rebound performance was almost a triple-double. Had he committed one more turnover, he would’ve had it. Yep, Durant had nine turnovers. Egad. Durant sat in his postgame conference, hand on his head, looking as down as he had in the final moments of overtime. ‘I feel upset because I let them down,’ he said of the Thunder faithful. ‘I let the city down.’ … At one point, Durant walked to the bench, asking for a conference with Thunder coach Scott Brooks but really wanting a sympathetic ear. Where were the calls? Where were the whistles? ‘You let them worry about the fouls,’ Brooks said of the officials. But clearly, Durant was frustrated, miffed at who knows what. The officials? The defenders? Himself? ‘He’s just one of those guys that needs the constant attention,’ Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. And the Mavs gave it to Durant, primarily courtesy of Shawn Marion. ‘Durant needs to be wearing him,’ Carlisle said. He was much of Monday night. Marion stuck to Durant like static cling on a winter sweater, but as good as that one-on-one defense was, it was the Mavericks’ team defense that made the difference against Durant. On the biggest play of the series, the final play of regulation, Durant caught the ball at halfcourt, but when he looked toward the basket, he saw three Mavs coming at him. So, he shot from at least 8 feet behind the three-point line. ‘I didn’t know what else to do,’ he said, the frustration obvious in his voice. ‘I didn’t want to run into their defense and get another turnover.’ Instead, Marion blocked the shot, and even though there was overtime left to play, the Thunder was sunk.”