Feel free to panic, but Kevin Durant won’t.
After the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Memphis Grizzlies at home in Game 2 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, some folks were prepared to hit the panic button.
To be clear, we’re talking about the same panic button the world was ready to slam on once Russell Westbrook went down for the season; the same one that was whaled on when it appeared the Thunder were on the verge of squandering a 3-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets.
That button.
Naturally, after a loss at home to Memphis that effectively relinquished the Thunder’s home-court advantage (for now), the alarm needed to be sounded once more. Durant isn’t at that point, though. Or even close to it.
Following the loss, Durant made it clear that while others may panic, he and his teammates won’t.
KD: “Of course everyone’s going to panic because we lost the game, but that’s not what we’re going to do here.”
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 8, 2013
Postseason losses are certainly more meaningful than regular-season drops, but Durant has a point. Why panic after just one game? After just one loss?
It wasn’t as if the Grizzlies trounced the Thunder from start to finish. Oklahoma City was very much alive in this one. Durant was relied on to heavily come crunch time, but the Thunder really don’t have a choice. With Westbrook watching from a luxury suite, he has to be “The Man.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKSqHAZGQp4&feature=player_embedded
I get that the Thunder aren’t likely to win an NBA title this year. I really do. Sans Westbrook, they don’t appear to be built to unseat the San Antonio Spurs or Miami Heat. And they may even fall to the Grizzlies. But they haven’t yet. And if they do, they’ll go down swinging, not while hanging their heads or panicking over a series deficit.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Oklahoma City isn’t at that point yet. It gave up home-court advantage, but didn’t lose the series. We’re knotted up at one game apiece. Don’t write the Thunder off just yet. And most certainly don’t panic.
Instead, appreciate the near triple-double effort put forth by Durant. Understand that it was the Thunder who let this game slip away. Comprehend that there is still a chance the Durantula is able to lead what’s left of his platoon into the Western Conference Finals. Worry about losses later on. You know, when it’s actually time to panic.
Or don’t panic at all. Durant won’t be. He has faith in his team and his abilities. And normally, we do too.
One loss at home in Game 2 of a best-of-seven series shouldn’t change that.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
