Dort and Paul Not Enough As Thunder Fall in Game 7

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Every professional athlete has those words in a post-game media scrum.

But, I bet none of them had Luguentz Dort in mind when they were reciting that cliche'. Dort was Oklahoma CIty's everything in Game 7.

From scoring 30 (The most points ever scored by an undrafted rookie in playoff history) to running down Austin Rivers off a Thunder turnover to block what should have been a give me dunk.

Moments like this are supposed to be too big for rookies and role players, but Dort played like a superstar with ten years under his belt. For as good as Dort was, James Harden, who struggled for most of the night, came up with two clutch plays to send the Rockets to the second round.

Dor wasn't the only young player for the Thunder to show out in game 7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 19, while Darius Bazley had 6, but one big takeaway in the first-half when he ripped the ball out of P.J. Tucker's hands.

After the loss, a tearful Dort said the young guns understood what was on the line. "We was ready for this game."..."We talked a lot, me Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and Baze [Darius Bazley] are like really close friends, we just talked about it in the hotel it's gonna be a big game, and we all have to step up."

Harden gave the Rockets a 101-99 lead 3:39 to go. Then, with just over four seconds left and the Thunder trailing by one, he blocked a three-point attempt by Dort that would have swung the game in Oklahoma City's favor.

Chris Paul, who finished the night with a triple-double, missed a lay-up with under a minute to go, which proved costly in the Thunder's hopes to advance. The Thunder offense went cold in the last seven minutes, scoring just six points. 

Paul says, "We was pushing the pace really good then we just got stagnant."..."I think the most frustrating part is that last play I put Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] in a tough situation."..."I gotta find us a way to get a better shot."

"We had been playing with pace sort of seeking out Robert Covington."..."It's a tough one; we had our chances."

 Covington, who had had 21, missed the second of two free throws with just over a second left, giving the Thunder a chance to win or tie. After a timeout, the Thunder were able to inbound in the frontcourt.  

Harden was called for a foul away from the ball before play started. But, Danilo Gallinari missed the free-throw that would have made the score 104-103.

 Gilgeous-Alexander's inbound pass was deflected, and the Thunder's season came to an end 104-102 loss. A brutal way to go down after staving off elimination in Game 6 and coming back from two games down.

The Thunder will now work through another off-season of uncertainty in the next few weeks, but, for now, revel in the fact they gave you more than you could have asked for in the craziest of NBA seasons.

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.