Durant's performance likely wouldn't have been in my top three if it weren't for the final shot he made.
It was kind of ugly, and it hit the rim and backboard before going in. But the shot went in, and the Thunder won. That's all that matters.
Dallas led for almost the entire game, but Oklahoma City came back. The Mavs led 94-87 with under three minutes to go, but the Thunder would not be denied. Durant's dunk tied the game at 94, and after a few points were exchanged, he got another chance.
Shawn Marion was all over Durant, but Durant jumped, stretched his arm high above his head, and just barely got the ball over Marion's outstretched arm. The ball was short, but thanks to a bounce off the rim and a bounce off the backboard, Durant's shot fell cleanly into the hoop.
And the Thunder won a crucial Game 1.
The Mavericks are a great team, and they won't go away. Oklahoma City has a tough test, but winning Game 1 was huge. Durant's last-second magic beat the Mavericks again.
Durant may have been the most clutch, but two other guys had better performances than Durantula.
2012 NBA Playoffs: Ranking the 3 Best Performances from Day 1
Tags: backboard, bounce, clutch, Durant, NBA, nba playoffs, shawn marion, Thunder
Category: nba playoffs
