Gästebuch » have a shot to play in Colorados top nine.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kevin Durant insists he and Russell Westbrook arent turning their first-round series into a two-man show, even if the NBA scoring champ says they may be shooting too much. Durant and his Oklahoma City teammates agree those shots will fall. Saturday night in Game 4 would be a good time to start, or the Thunder could find themselves on the brink of playoff elimination in the opening round for the first time since 2010. "I just didnt make shots," Durant said Friday after practice. "Thats the name of the game. But I liked the way I cut, I liked the way I was aggressive. But I have to do a better job of maybe passing the ball a little bit more and also making shots. Ive got to stay confident in myself." Durant and Westbrook each scored 30 points in Thursday nights 98-95 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, combining to go 19 of 53 or a majority of the 87 shots the Thunder took. Worse, they were a chilling 4 of 21 beyond the arc with Durant missing all eight of his attempts. Thunder centre Kendrick Perkins said that wont happen again. "KD is obviously the league MVP and we expect him to be the MVP down the stretch," Perkins said. Memphis has been making Durant and Westbrook work hard for shots by crowding the paint while holding the Thunder below 40 per cent shooting in back-to-back games. Now the Grizzlies have the same 2-1 lead they had a year ago in the semifinals against Oklahoma City after consecutive overtime wins. Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said they want to limit the easy shots and hope Durant and Westbrook miss some. "Theyre going to get them up," Joerger said. Durant and Westbrook werent alone. Oklahoma City went 5 of 28 for a chilling 17.9 per cent. That was just the seventh time in the playoffs the Thunder have shot 20 per cent or less from 3 since moving to Oklahoma City, and three came against the Grizzlies. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said the Grizzlies have been forcing them to take some of the 3s by crowding three and four players around the paint. Oklahoma City can loosen up Memphis by hitting some of those "The ones were trying to eliminate and hopefully we do that next game, are the ones that are off the dribble with the no passes. Those are the tough ones. Those are the ones that we dont want. The ones we like, and were going to have to be able to step up and make, are the ones when theyre packing the paint." Still, the Thunder, who posted the NBAs second-best record, remain confident. "Itd be different if we got blown out or we feel like we didnt have a chance to win," Westbrook said. "Were in a good place." So are the Grizzlies. They now have won four of the last six playoff games against Oklahoma City, including four straight on their home court. The Thunders lone win here in the post-season needed three overtimes in Game 4 of their 2011 semifinal. Not even going to overtime after blowing fourth-quarter leads has bothered Memphis, which has been pushing for the playoffs since January once centre Marc Gasol returned from a sprained left knee. The Grizzlies went 10-4 in games decided by three points or less as one of only four teams with double-digit wins in one-possession games. Conley called Saturday night the next most important game of the season. "We know theyre not going to go away," Conley said. "Theyre going to fight and do whatever they can to win the series." Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . There will be no Down Under four-peat for Djokovic, as the eighth-seeded Swiss slugger Wawrinka outlasted the second seed 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 at Melbourne Parks Rod Laver Arena in yet another five-set thriller in their burgeoning rivalry. Nike NBA Jerseys China . For Bergevin, the best pick is the 30th — which traditionally goes to the Stanley Cup winner. "Thats our goal. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/.4 seconds left and dribbled up court, weaving through Pitts defence. NBA Jerseys China .ca/CurlingSkins - with the Top 16 curlers earning a ticket to Banff, Alta. to compete in the TRAVELERS ALL-STAR CURLING SKINS GAME Presented by Pintys, running Jan. NBA Jerseys Outlet . -- Theres nothing like winning to bring hope for a struggling team.The Colorado Avalanche saved some money in a forward swap, but took the worse player in the process. Numbers Game looks at the trade that sees Daniel Briere and PA Parenteau switching spots. The Canadiens Get: RW PA Parenteau and a fifth-round pick. Parenteau, 31, is a late bloomer who didnt reach the NHL for good until he was 27-years-old, but hes been a productive player, scoring 196 points in the past four seasons, which ranks 55th in the league. He fell out of favour in Colorado last season, missing 25 games with a couple of knee injuries and playing 16:57 per game, his lowest average time on ice of the past four seasons. On an Avalanche team that was among the leagues worst possession-wise, Parenteau was nearly break-even, so he wasnt particularly a problem in that respect. In Montreal, Parenteau should have a good opportunity to play in a top-six role, which is suitable for his price tag of $4.0-million over the next two seasons. A fifth-round pick brings with it a less than 15% chance of yielding an NHL player, but its a bit of a sweetener for the Habs taking on an extra year. Given that Montreal is getting the better player, that sweetener might not have been altogether necessary. The Avalanche Get: RW Daniel Briere. Briere is a 36-year-old who is well past his prime as a scoring forward, with a serious decline in productivity over the past couple seasons, managing 41 points in 103 games over the last two years.dddddddddddd Briere was dropped down the Canadiens depth chart last season, playing 12:46 per game, his lowest since 2000-2001. While Brieres game has declined -- hes not as quick as he once was -- he does come with a rep as a playoff performer, putting up 116 points in 124 postseason games over his career, which is tied for fourth among active players. Briere signed a two-year, $8-million deal as a free agent last summer, so his deal has one year remaining. He doesnt figure to play a prominent role in Colorado, but Briere should have a shot to play in Colorados top nine. If he does, theres a decent chance that, even if he scores a little bit more with more ice time, Brieres sinking possession stats will only be exacerbated by the Avalanches puck possession troubles. In the grand scheme of things, the Avalanche got away from two years of paying Parenteau, which was their motivation, but the price to pay means taking an inferior player for one year. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '