Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Photo / AP
Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Photo / AP
Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Houston Rockets, in a dramatic game seven to conclude the Western Conference first round.
The Thunder were beaten 104-102 in a game which went down to the final seconds, with the Thunder failing to execute down the stretch as the Rockets clung on to advance to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the next round.
The Thunder had several chances to push ahead in the dying stages but failed to score in the last 1:42 of the game.
Adams was included in those chances. With 1.1 seconds to play and down two, the Kiwi centre was targeted on the inbound from a timeout, only to have the pass picked off and Adams stumble to the floor.
The Rockets ran out the remaining seconds on the clock to secure a tight series.
That last sequence, down 2 w/1.1 seconds left, was horrendous for the Thunder. Have Steven Adams, roll to the rim! Instead they chose to pass the ball to Adams, a non-shooter, in traffic, moving away from the rim. Turnover. Game over. Truly idiotic
Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Photo / AP
Eventually, the Rockets pulled out a tense final game of the first round that lasted long past the final basket as replays and fouls were sorted out.
Houston prevailed to set up a second-round matchup with the Lakers despite James Harden, the NBA's leading scorer, going four for 15 from the field.
The frantic final seconds of a game that was tight throughout had Houston take the lead for good at 103-102 when P.J. Tucker scored with 1:25 remaining. After changes of possession, the Thunder got the ball to Lu Dort, who attempted a three pointer that Harden blocked with 4.8 seconds left.
Robert Covington made a free throw with 1.4 seconds to go and Harden was whistled for fouling Danilo Gallinari before the ball was inbounded, giving the Thunder one free throw and the ball. But Gallinari missed the free throw and the Thunder turned it over on the last inbounds pass, as Adams came under fire.
Steven Adams getting paid $25,842,697 to do some light jogging on national television.
Covington had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Eric Gordon also scored 21 points for the Rockets. Harden finished with 17 points and nine assists.
Dort scored a career-best 30 points for the Thunder, while Chris Paul, swapped for Russell Westbrook over the summer, had 19 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.
It was a wild conclusion to a strange series in which the Rockets won games one and two handily and game five by 34, the biggest margin in franchise postseason history, but hadn't come through in the close ones. Oklahoma City took game three in overtime by outscoring Houston 15-3, the largest overtime point differential in NBA history, and pulled out Game four by three points and Game 6 by four.
