Memphis Grizzlies Had No Answers for Kevin Durant in Game 7

Kevin Durant’s finest offensive performance of the series came at the most inopportune time for the Memphis Grizzlies, who are now headed home for the summer. From the Commercial Appeal: “He shook his head and dropped the [stat sheet], watching it flutter slowly into a tub of ice water sitting at his feet. ‘That’s where it belongs the way we shot — in an ice cold tub,’ said a disgusted [Tony] Allen, noting a 39.8 percent Griz shooting performance that doomed him and his teammates when paired with Thunder star Kevin Durant’s 39 points. ‘And Durant pushed the turbo button on us today.’ … ‘That wasn’t me at all in Game 6,’ Durant said. ‘I was so upset with myself. I let my guys down by not playing my game. Not only was I shooting bad, but I wasn’t aggressive. I told myself I wanted to start this game aggressive. I missed like my first four or five shots, started 2-for-9 and my teammates kept encouraging me. I just pushed through it. I believed in the hard work that got me here.’ Durant may have missed seven of his first nine shots, but he made 11 of his last 16 to finish 13-of-25, including 4-of-9 3-pointers and 9-of-9 free throws … ‘It’s a make-miss league,’ said [Shane] Battier, who had a miss-game, going 2-for-6 from the field and missed all 3 of his 3-point shots. ‘When you make shots — and he (Durant) was making shots — you have everything figured out. When you don’t, the world is falling around you. He is a helluva player, and he hit tough shots.’ … Griz forward Zach Randolph, limited to 17 points and 10 rebounds by a Thunder defense that was again allowed to smother him because Memphis couldn’t make any shot outside of 15 feet, tipped his headband to Durant. ‘Got to give him kudos and respect,’ Randolph said. ‘That kid is a gym rat who works very hard. You see what he does night in and night out. He’s relentless.'”