Thunder: Last-second failures more understandable

Eight NBA playoff games were staged over the weekend. Six of the eight came down to the final possession.

The Celtics beat the Knickerbockers easily, and the Hornets held off the Lakers 93-88 in a close game. The other six all were decided by three or fewer points, and all six came down to the final shot to win or tie.

All six missed. Dallas’ Jason Terry, Chicago’s Carlos Boozer, Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu and Denver’s J.R. Smith all missed 3-pointers. San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili failed to get off a shot. And Miami’s LeBron James missed a driving bank shot.

I think we can learn something from all those games. Last-second shots are hard to make.

We’ve gone through periods when Kevin Durant has been criticized for failing to deliver at the buzzer. But think about it. Most of the time, such plays come off timeouts, which means defensives can get set. Also, by definition, the plays are up against the clock, which means scorers have to not only find a decent look, but do it within the confines of time.

Did you see the Miami Heat stat after LeBron’s miss? In the final 10 seconds of games, the Heat’s field-goal percentage on shots that could give Miami a tie or the lead, LeBron is 1-of-8 and Dwyane Wade is 0-of-5. Miami as a team is 1-of-18.