Thunder falls short again

Through three quarters, Dallas had eight offensive rebounds for seven second-chance points. In the fourth quarter, the Mavs had six offensive boards for seven second-chance points.

Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki even admitted the breaks started going his team's way late in the game.

"We really got fortunate down there with a couple of bounces," Nowitzki said. "We had some lucky bounces."

Brooks said he was unaware his team had seven turnovers in the final period. "Sometimes, those are the breaks of the game," Brooks said. "You make a shot that keeps the momentum going. You miss a shot, they get an opportunity to get out and run."

The Thunder managed just two points in its last six possessions, while the Mavs scored 10 in their last four possession.

Can the Thunder take away anything from playing a team of strong finishers like the Mavs, who are now headed to the NBA Finals?

"We weren't worried about them," Maynor said. "We were worried about ourselves. I thought tonight we played harder. We played harder for 48 minutes."