WCQF: P1 | (4) OKC Thunder vs Utah Jazz (5) | Utah wins 4-2

[Catchall]

Fouls were a problem, sure, but if Westbrook and PG13 can score 80 points, hats off to them.

[KDBG]

This is going to be a ****ing dog fight, whether it's 6 games or 7. Both teams are going to go full throttle at each other. I was pissed tonight, but this series is fun as hell. NBA playoffs man.

[Woodsanity]

lebron 44 - 10 -8 with 5 tos and +2
russ 45 - 15 - 7 with 5 tos and +10

and russ brought his team back down 20 in the 3rd, facing elimination on a team with no momentum or flow against the best defense in the league in ppg. we'll see lebron's shot for the next 45 years. but russ' heat wave is by far more impressive and important. game was tied when james hit his, admittedly, incredible shot. they both went hero. but russ went superman to lebron's batman.

LeBron 14-24 - 44 pts
WB: 17-39 - 45 pts

15 less shots to get one less point. I'm not going to debate who had the better game but that's a pretty big difference you left out.

was lebron down 20, facing elimination?

If WB didn't play so poorly in the beginning he wouldn't be down 20.

[Son_of_Slam]

LeBron 14-24 - 44 pts
WB: 17-39 - 45 pts

15 less shots to get one less point. I'm not going to debate who had the better game but that's a pretty big difference you left out.

was lebron down 20, facing elimination?

If WB didn't play so poorly in the beginning he wouldn't be down 20.

too bad the game isn't 28 minutes, huh?

[TheBallsDeeper]

I was watching the OKC replay and it looked like Melo was arguing with the coaches to try and get back in the game when OKC had just gone on their 25-3 run. Has there ever been a less team orientated, selfish player in Basketball? Every other player on the bench (or any other bench in the league if it was their team) was cheering on their team and not wanting to stop the momentum, but Melo was more concerned with wanting to sub someone out so he get in on the glory. Bizarre behavior, and extremely unprofessional.

I lost all respect for him when he laughed off suggestion from a reporter earlier in the season that they could try him off the bench. He has the opposite of a team first mentally.

OKC play much better without him. He is a terrible defender and does not fit with Westbrook (they expose each others weaknesses). I'd like to see them start without him next game. If that happened I could see him opting out and looking for another team, I think he would rather lose as the star than win as a role player.

[pistonsbball]

Utah win game 6 comfortably. Jazz have been clearly the better team the whole series, a hot OKC run doesn't change that. Can't count on Westbrook to make contested pull up 3's.

[RalphSampsonJr]

I was watching the OKC replay and it looked like Melo was arguing with the coaches to try and get back in the game when OKC had just gone on their 25-3 run. Has there ever been a less team orientated, selfish player in Basketball? Every other player on the bench (or any other bench in the league if it was their team) was cheering on their team and not wanting to stop the momentum, but Melo was more concerned with wanting to sub someone out so he get in on the glory. Bizarre behavior, and extremely unprofessional.

I lost all respect for him when he laughed off suggestion from a reporter earlier in the season that they could try him off the bench. He has the opposite of a team first mentally.

OKC play much better without him. He is a terrible defender and does not fit with Westbrook (they expose each others weaknesses). I'd like to see them start without him next game. If that happened I could see him opting out and looking for another team, I think he would rather lose as the star than win as a role player.

Yea when i saw the video of him laughing at the coming off the bench question i knew Sam Presti had made a terrible decision

[NBAFan93]

I was watching the OKC replay and it looked like Melo was arguing with the coaches to try and get back in the game when OKC had just gone on their 25-3 run. Has there ever been a less team orientated, selfish player in Basketball? Every other player on the bench (or any other bench in the league if it was their team) was cheering on their team and not wanting to stop the momentum, but Melo was more concerned with wanting to sub someone out so he get in on the glory. Bizarre behavior, and extremely unprofessional.

I lost all respect for him when he laughed off suggestion from a reporter earlier in the season that they could try him off the bench. He has the opposite of a team first mentally.

OKC play much better without him. He is a terrible defender and does not fit with Westbrook (they expose each others weaknesses). I'd like to see them start without him next game. If that happened I could see him opting out and looking for another team, I think he would rather lose as the star than win as a role player.

And of course you know exactly what Melo was saying and aren’t just speculating? He could have been saying anything - even arguing to NOT go back into the game. I think he’s sat out the end of games before this season and was fine with it.

Melo is a very professional player - we’ve seen him keep his cool many times in the face of hard criticism. I really doubt he was fighting to go back in if the coaches didn’t want him in...

But keep looking for reasons to hate...

[Patches Perry]

Thunder fan here but I think Utah wins game 6. That said, I think this whole "we just let up, no worries" mentality for Utah is dangerous. If they come into game 6 without the urgency this game should create, they'll be vulnerable.

[TheBallsDeeper]

I was watching the OKC replay and it looked like Melo was arguing with the coaches to try and get back in the game when OKC had just gone on their 25-3 run. ............r.

And of course you know exactly what Melo was saying and aren’t just speculating? He could have been saying anything - even arguing to NOT go back into the game. I think he’s sat out the end of games before this season and was fine with it.

Melo is a very professional player - we’ve seen him keep his cool many times in the face of hard criticism. I really doubt he was fighting to go back in if the coaches didn’t want him in...

But keep looking for reasons to hate...

No I am just speculating, but it looked pretty clear what he was doing to me. Would be good if someone was able to find the footage and post it (I've got no idea how).

And "keeping looking for reasons to hate...." . First time I've ever posted regarding Carmelo. Sometimes conversations can happen on a subject without needing to turn it into a hate crime or getting overly defensive.

[RalphSampsonJr]

I was watching the OKC replay and it looked like Melo was arguing with the coaches to try and get back in the game when OKC had just gone on their 25-3 run. Has there ever been a less team orientated, selfish player in Basketball? Every other player on the bench (or any other bench in the league if it was their team) was cheering on their team and not wanting to stop the momentum, but Melo was more concerned with wanting to sub someone out so he get in on the glory. Bizarre behavior, and extremely unprofessional.

I lost all respect for him when he laughed off suggestion from a reporter earlier in the season that they could try him off the bench. He has the opposite of a team first mentally.

OKC play much better without him. He is a terrible defender and does not fit with Westbrook (they expose each others weaknesses). I'd like to see them start without him next game. If that happened I could see him opting out and looking for another team, I think he would rather lose as the star than win as a role player.

And of course you know exactly what Melo was saying and aren’t just speculating? He could have been saying anything - even arguing to NOT go back into the game. I think he’s sat out the end of games before this season and was fine with it.

Melo is a very professional player - we’ve seen him keep his cool many times in the face of hard criticism. I really doubt he was fighting to go back in if the coaches didn’t want him in...

But keep looking for reasons to hate...

They just finished interviewing him about it and he admitted it was about him wanting to get back in the game..

[TheBallsDeeper]

Thunder fan here but I think Utah wins game 6. That said, I think this whole "we just let up, no worries" mentality for Utah is dangerous. If they come into game 6 without the urgency this game should create, they'll be vulnerable.

I don't think it was the Jazz taking it easy that turned it, it was Gobert getting into foul trouble and not being able to have any impact on defense. He is without a doubt Utah's most important player - showed during the season that with him they can compete with the best, without him they are in the lottery.

The big question for me in the next game is - was this just a bad game/bad luck for Gobert (and Favors) that got him in foul trouble, or have OKC now worked out a way to take him out of the game that they can replicate? The answer to that decides the series.

[RalphSampsonJr]

[Catchall]

As a Jazz fan, I like this situation. This is exactly what you want a young team to experience. In the post-game presser the Jazz guys looked pissed. I want to see them take their intensity up a notch and return the favor. If they can overcome this, they'll be better for it.

The Jazz were having it too easy in the series and they got complacent.

[Papi_swav]

It sucks that Melo's game has come to this, I feel bad for him.

[xfactor99]

If the Thunder really want to win Game 6, they need to roll with a Westbrook/Abrines/George/Grant/Adams lineup. They probably won't for political reasons (need to start Melo and to a lesser extent Corey Brewer) but there's zero margin for error on the road in a Game 6. Abrines is a better shooter than Brewer and is not really that much worse on defense, while we all know that Grant is better than Melo at this stage in Melo's career. That's what unlocked that big comeback, you can't be giving up random 8-0 runs or having Mitchell get a few buckets isolating on Melo in the 1st quarter in this Game 6. You need to play perfect on the road.

And it goes without saying but they need to switch everything and force the Jazz players to beat you one on one. The only one who can do it is Mitchell. Baiting guys like Rubio and Crowder into taking off the dribble jumpers was a big part of why Utah's offense fell apart in the 2nd half of this game.

[anish23]

Hope you play a lot of minutes next game. We need you out there Melo !

[Johnny Firpo]

Melo is so delusional, he should be grateful he started, if it's any other coach, he is already out of the rotation. What a waste of a cap space that guy is, wow. And he will make 28 million next year? Just a horrific trade. Anyway, I think the Jazz closes this out at home, but even if they do, this game showed why they will be outmatched in the next round. They will run into a team with similar talent level, but much better cohesion, and an infinitely better coach than Donovan, who Snyder pretty much owns in this series (Westbrook and George saved him last night).

[Cappy_Smurf]

I want this series to go 7 but I just don't think OKC can win in Utah. If they do though, the Thunder are winning this series. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit is considerably easier when you have homecourt advantage.

Tell the ex Clippers that, who we closed out in 7 on their home court last year.

The Clippers were always pretenders. They also let Houston come back from a 3-1 deficit just like Utah might do. They made blowing 3-1 deficits a thing.

Speaking of Houston, I believe that was the last time Utah played a game 7 before their win last year. Wanna guess what happened?

Ah hell, I'll just tell ya. It was at Houston and Utah won. So yeah, not scared of game 7's on someone else's floor.

[Cappy_Smurf]

LOL @ Utah fans blaming the refs for calling fouls on Gobert. Adams was in foul trouble for two consecutive games with some weird calls and Westbrook got 4 fouls in the first half with 2 nice Ricky Rubio flops (that was smart but still...) Everyone was criticizing Westbrook for it instead of criticizing the refs.

Anyway, you guys have a better team and will probably end up winning the series. Good luck!

Yeah, the refs have been bad, but anytime a team has a 25 point lead, they should be able to overcome poor officating. The great teams have always done this.

Now the pressure is on Utah to protect their home court. Some of our fans counted the team out before they started based on the fact we didn't have home court. Well, we have it now, so no excuses. Utah just choked away a golden opportunity to close out a series, so we'll see if they have learned their lesson.