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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSJune 2, 2012Kevin DurantRussell WestbrookOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Four Oklahoma City – 109 Q. Kevin, this game started out being one of your favorite games. Everybody else was scoring, and Serge couldn't miss. Perk was scoring. Seemed like a game you really enjoyed. Then in the fourth quarter it turned where you were doing all the scoring and had to carry the team. Is that sort of the way it felt to you? KEVIN DURANT: I wouldn't say I carried us. We made a good effort to play together. We had 27 assists. That comes from moving the ball and making the right plays. I think doing that in the first three quarters kind of opened it up for me in the fourth, and I was able to make some shots. But Russell set great screens. James made great passes. I was just trying to do my job and finish it. Q. Kevin, nobody's won on the other team's home court, yet it feels like in the series the momentum has turned back in y'all's favor. How do you feel heading back to San Antonio? KEVIN DURANT: We know this is only one step closer. As people said, we did what we were supposed to do by winning at home. So we've just got to go down there with the mindset that we're going to play hard every possession, play together like we've been playing these last few games, and we'll see what happens. We've just got to keep believing, man. We'll be fine. Q. Perkins and Ibaka combine for 41 points tonight. Can you talk about how big a performance the bigs have? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: They were great, man. They did a great job of defending their bigs. Duncan and Diaw did a great job of running the floor. Kevin, James and I created so much attention, those guys spaced out and finished plays. Q. From what you've seen out of these guys defensively and in four games now, when Serge is hitting that mid-range jumper like he is, how does that free up things? What impact does that have for you offensively? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: It's a great impact. Serge continuously knocked those shots down in the first three quarters. Then when it was time for Kevin to iso and give us what he needs, he has a lot of space. That just shows the commitment that we're making the right play, and it worked for us. Q. Coach talked about your defense and hustle out there in general. Did you feel like everybody was scrambling and making the right defensive play too tonight? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: Definitely. It's winning time. Whatever you need to do to find a way to get a win, you have to do it. My job is to defend and make sure we're running the right sets offensively. That's what I try to come out and do. Q. Kevin, do you think you're the closer in the game? Is that a label that you strive for to attach to your name? KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, I would like that. I just want to be calm and composed and poised in those situations and make the right basketball play. There are times when I need to pass to my teammates and times when I need to score. I just try to take it on, try not to be nervous. Sometimes it's nerve‑racking playing those games like that. But I just try to calm down and go with my instincts. On the defensive end, I want to be clutch as well. I'm learning every single day. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm going to keep growing in those situations. I think those tough times are going to help me get better. Q. Scott called timeout there after they pulled within four, and you came out and scored the next 16. What was your mindset at that point? Did you feel you had to assert yourself at that point? KEVIN DURANT: I didn't tell myself that I need to go score, because what we were doing was working. We were passing the ball and guys were making shots. They went on a little run there. So I just wanted to stick with what we were doing. It started to open up for me, and I saw some lane that's gave me some opportunities to make some shots. Like I said earlier, Russ set great screens and James made great passes. Serge spaced the floor. Perk did a great job of setting screens as well, and I was able to make shots. I've got to continue to keep working every single day. So next time I'm in that situation, I take advantage of it. Q. When you came in with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Durant got the next seven or eight shots in a row. Was that coincidence? Did Brooks tell you feed him? Was that all you or what happened? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: He didn't tell me nothing. When teams started making a run, we've got to go to our first option, and that's Kevin. He's been doing a great job all season of closing games for us. When things get tight, he always finds a way to help us throughout the game, and he did that tonight. Q. You were having trouble earlier in the series in getting space and getting open. What were you able to do tonight to get more space for yourself in getting the ball and getting your shot off? KEVIN DURANT: I just slowed down, let my teammates screen for me. I think the first game I was going a little too fast. I was watching film, and I was coming off the screen before the guy could set it. That set my man up right. My bigs and Russ and Fish, those guys have been setting great screens for me. I've just got to slow down a little bit. I'm going to continue to keep watching film and see where I can get better, and hopefully I'll have a good game next game. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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