Thunderstruck

I've made the comment before, it's great to see players rise to the occasion in big games. Today we saw the first Game 7 of the 2011 NBA playoffs between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook made sure that this was the end of the line for 8th seeded Memphis. Durant had his best game of the series finishing with 39 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks and Russell Westbrook had 10 rebounds and 14 assists (both playoff highs for him this year) to go along with 14 points for his first career postseason triple double, as the Thunder advance and can now get ready for Dallas. Durant was coming off of his worst game of the playoffs when he was just 3 for 14 with 11 points in Game 6 so his ability to bounce back made the performance that much more impressive.

Durant and the young Thunder continue to exceed all expectations. It hasn't just been Durant though. In fact, the Thunder's top 4 scorers are all 22 years old or younger. Westbrook and Durant are both 22 while Ibaka and Harden are 21. Harden also turned in a solid effort in Game 7 finishing with 17 points and draining 4 3-pointers, and while Ibaka played limited minutes in Game 7 due to Nick Collison's strong play, he still leads the NBA in blocks during the postseason with 43 in 12 games. It's the balance of talent with a strong mix of role players that has really allowed this team to hit its stride earlier than many people expected. The addition of big men Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed at the trade deadline has been paying big dividends inside, Nick Collison, the longest tenured Supersonic/Thunder player (1st round pick in 2003) has given them an energetic big who does the little things off the bench, Thabo Sefolosha is a terrific wing defender, 2nd year point guard Eric Maynor has been more than capable of spelling Westbrook, and Daequan Cook is a knockdown shooter. If you're a basketball fan, you have to love the Western Conference Finals matchup between the Thunder and the Mavericks. The NBA, where amazing happens.

The Grizzlies meanwhile can hold their heads high, as they came one win away from reaching the Western Conference Finals as an 8 seed. Their accomplishments are that much more impressive when you consider that their best known player, Rudy Gay, missed the postseason with an injury. With a young corps group of players, of the nine players in their rotation only Tony Allen (29), Zach Randolph (29) and Shane Battier (32) are over the age of 26, it's unlikely this will be the last time they're competitive.