Kevin Durant talks about his foul trouble; vows to play smarter in Game 4 of the NBA Finals
After an evenly fought first half in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Kevin Durant really turned the screws on the Miami Heat.
With Oklahoma City Thunder trailing by 49-46 inside the first minute of the second half, Durant sank a jumper to kick start a 14-2 run which shifted the dynamics of the game. Durant would go on to score 6 more points in that spurt
including two back-to-back deuces which capped it.
After two fruitless possessions on either ends, Russell Westbrook made a selfish offensive play and his three-pointer failed to land. Mario Chalmers took the rebound and passed it to Dwyane Wade in transition. Wade then forced
what later became the turning point of the game.
He drew KD into his fourth personal foul while going towards the cup and although D-Wade made only one of the two free shots available, Durant had to be pulled out of the game with 5:41 remaining in the third.
Durant’s exit took the life out of the Thunder offense and Miami closed out the frame with a 15-3 run to seize the momentum. Although Durant returned in the final quarter, he and Thunder were just unable to hold the Heat.
After the game, Durant admitted that his fouling troubles are making an impact;
“I didn’t want to come out of the game, but I knew that it was going to be tough for Coach to play [me] with four fouls,” said Durant, who had scored 21 points before being taken out by Scott Brooks. “But that’s a part of playing
basketball, man. It’s fight through adversity and fight through tough times, and I think we did that and gave ourselves a chance to win. Unfortunately we didn’t.”
The major reason for KD’s foul problem has been LeBron James. Durant accepted in the press conference that it is tough to guard James but re-iterated that he will not change his style because of that;
“I just have to play smarter,” Durant said.
He also refused to complain about some of the 50-50 decisions that have gone against him in the series. In the Game 2, he was apparently fouled by James while going for a game tying 2-pointer, but the call was never made and last
night he was called for a minor contact on Wade.
“I’ve never really been a guy that complains about it or gets mad at a ref for making a call, so I’ve just got to play through it and be myself, and whatever happens, happens. I’m going to leave everything out there.”
The Thunder take on Miami in the Game 4 tomorrow. Heat seem to have all the aces at present, and if OKC are to have any chance of tying the series, Kevin Durant has to be at the top of his game. He has vowed to do the same, but
whether he will be allowed to do that remains a big question.
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