NBA Playoffs – Oklahoma City defeats Memphis in game 7

The Dallas Mavericks have been resting for a while now but the suspense is over. They now know who will be their rival in the Western Conference Final. It wasn't easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It took them 7 days and this last game was certainly going to be filled of surprises. The Grizzlies managed to survive a 3-2 deficit that had them against the wall for game 6. And yet, it has to be said, the Memphis Grizzlies had much luck in this scenario. The Thunder's best player was having his worst playoffs night in his young professional career. He had 11 points and 7 rebounds as the Thunder fell 83-95 to the Grizzlies at Memphis. Durant knew that he couldn't afford losing another game; ok, that's quite obvious, but what I'm trying to say is that he couldn't afford having another game like the previous since that would mean the Oklahoma City Thunder's elimination, and he would be the one to blame. It wasn't going to fly. Not at least for the player who dominated the US National team in the Turkey 2010 Basketball World Championship. Not for the player who, at the beginning of the regular season, was expected to be in the fight for the MVP. And not for a guy who understands who vital his role is in the Thunder's every aspect of the game. And that's when it clicked in. Kevin Durant stepped into the occasion and scored a series-high 39 points with 9 rebounds and 2 assists while Russell Westbrook finished the night with his first ever playoffs triple-double for a 105-90 win in game seven over the Memphis Grizzlies. Durant was the key-component in this win, but he couldn't have done it without the extraordinary play of Westbrook. The 21 year-old point guard from the Oklahoma City thunder finished the night with 10 rebounds, 14 assists and 14 points. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now working their way into Texas for the franchise's first appearance in the West finals since losing in the NBA Finals in 1996 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The game 1 with the Mavericks will be played at Dallas tomorrow night. Despite losing, some extra kudos should go to Memphis. Truth is Mike Conley scored 18 points to lead Memphis, a team that had never won a playoff game before this year. Surprisingly enough, they were quite close of making a bid to become the first No. 8 seed to reach the West finals. The Memphis Grizzlies were guided by Zach Randolph on game 7. He was struggling inside the paint. Randolph shot 2 of 6 from within 5 feet of the basket and finished the night with only 17 points and 10 rebounds. They had it coming. The Memphis Grizzlies missed 18 of 23 shots over a stretch between the midway points of the first and second quarters. That was just not going to fly against the Thunder. The Thunder took advantage of this for 13-4 run to finish the first quarter with a 21-17 advantage, then extended their lead with the unexpected spark in the second. And the Grizzlies never got back in the game again. Stick around, we'll keep you updated with the best sports betting news her at blog.betias.com