The Clippers had their chance. They really did.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were struggling to put the ball in the basket and Los Angeles had control of the game and the pace, taking the lead. It was just never big enough. Durant and Westbrook are not going to stay down too long. An 8-12 point lead was not going to be enough with the eventuality Durant and Westbrook would make their shots.
The onslaught came, the Clippers could not stop it. And now they are headed home into the uncertainty of the offseason and their franchise situation.
There was bitter disappointment that things did not end better for the Clippers. For the Thunder, there was the confidence that Durant and Westbrook can save them from just about anything. That they can grind their way through a game until that point when their two stars can take over.
Durant recovered from a slow first quarter start to score 39 points. Russell Westbrook had 19 points on 4-for-13 shooting, but dished out 12 assists, helping keep the offense going even while he was struggling to make plays for himself.
Oklahoma City got big support from some role players too. Steven Adams was active around the basket and Reggie Jackson had his best game of the series off the bench.
The Clippers got great efforts from Chris Paul (25 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds), Blake Griffin (22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) and J.J. Redick (16 points, 7/17 FGs). But they needed a bit more to keep distance from the Thunder. When their shots stopped falling, the Thunder came back and in a big way.
See you next year, L.A.
