Mavericks make big comeback, take 3-1 series lead

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 in overtime tonight in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City. The Thunder led by 15 points with under five minutes to go in regulation, but the Mavericks, who never led in regulation, came back to force overtime. The Mavericks now lead the series 3 games to 1.

Dirk Nowitzki led the charge down the stretch, proving again that he is a big-time, clutch player. He hit some seemingly impossible shots and did so a couple of times despite the Thunder committing to me what looked like blatant fouls (which were not called). Nowitzki was big-time and is starting to cement his legendary status. Nowitzki ended up with 40 points and again had a strong shooting percentage, going 12 for 20 (60 percent).

You just don't see comebacks like the one tonight. When a team is up by 15 points with under five minutes to go, especially at home, it's game over. That's what made all this so impressive. On top of that, this was a game the Thunder absolutely had to have; they should have been the more desperate team. In fact, they looked like their spirit was crushed even before the game ended. After Jason Kidd knocked down a 3 to put Dallas up by 3 late in overtime, Kevin Durant looked like the Thunder had already lost; he looked completely despondent in the time-out huddle. This game is a back-breaker; I don't see the series going back to Oklahoma City. Game 5 is Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Dallas and can be seen on ESPN and espn3.com.

The amazing Dirk Nowitzki

At left: Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks (left) goes up for a shot against the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Nowitzki had 48 points.

If you missed Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals last night, well, you missed quite a show. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-112. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks dropped an incredible 48 points on the Thunder. The most amazing part of the whole thing is that he did it on 12-15 shooting from the field, an incredible 80 percent. And these were not only dunks and layups, but also a number of jumpshots, including those of the turnaround, fade-away variety. From the free-throw line, Nowitzki was 24-24, setting an NBA Playoffs record for number of free-throw attempts in a game without a miss.

Usually when a guy approaches 50 points, he takes a lot more than 15 shots from the field, which makes Nowitzki's performance truly one for the ages. I hope people recognize how dialed in he really was last night. Jason Terry continued his torrid postseason with 24 points on 50 percent shooting, including four 3-pointers, the last of which in the final minute put the game out of reach for good. Terry is a clutch player who has a knack for knocking down the big shot and has been referred to by Nowitzki as the team's "closer." Credit Terry for being big, but also Nowitzki for facilitating his teammates. J.J. Barea continued his strong play as well, chipping in 21 points of his own. Jason Kidd had 11 assists.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 40 points and had it not been for Nowitzki, he would have been the story of the game. Durant had an outstanding game, shooting 10-18 from the field and 18-19 from the foul line. Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, had a tough night, scoring 20 points, but doing so on just 3-15 shooting from the field. He had only 3 assists as the point guard. The Thunder are going to need improved play from Westbrook if they are going to win this series. The Mavericks guardline was significantly better than the Thunder's in Game 1.

Game 2 of this series is in Dallas tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN and espn3.com. Meanwhile, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is tonight in Chicago at 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on TNT. The Bulls lead the Heat in that series, 1-0.

Thunder, Grizz headed for Game 7

The (4) Oklahoma City Thunder and (8) Memphis Grizzlies are headed for a winner-take-all Game 7 tomorrow afternoon in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1:30 p.m. MT in Oklahoma City and will be televised nationally on ABC. This has been the most exciting series of the playoffs thus far, particularly the triple-overtime thriller in Game 4.

As I stated a few days ago, the first couple rounds of the NBA and NHL Playoffs are too drawn out for me, but when there is a Game 7 with everything on the line, it sure does make for an exciting game. We saw that on Thursday night in the NHL when the Sharks topped the Red Wings to advance to the Western Conference Finals. I believe we will see more of the same tomorrow in the NBA.

Kevin Durant had a poor Game 6, but I think he will bounce back at home in Game 7 and lift the Thunder to victory. That is, if his team remembers to get him the ball in key situations. That has been a problem at times in this series for the Thunder and I think it could hurt them in a decisive Game 7. When you have a superstar like Durant, get him the ball in the key spots and let him decide what to do with it from there. If they do that, I think the Thunder win.

The key for the Grizzlies will be Zach Randolph. Who would have thought he would have been the best low post presence in the playoffs so far? Certainly not me. However, that's exactly what he has been and he came up huge for Memphis last night in Game 6. The Thunder need to double-team him more and force the other guys on the floor to make plays because Randolph really has been playing that well. How Randolph performs will be a key for both teams. However, I think the Thunder having Durant and the home-court advantage will be enough to earn them a date with the (3) Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Check me out on Twitter for updates throughout the game tomorrow and I'll have some post-game analysis on here as well.