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Robb: Hero Ball Dooms Kevin Durant And Thunder In Game 6 Letdown Against Warriors

BOSTON (CBS) – For years in Oklahoma City, the team's postseason struggles have not been due to Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. Instead, it's usually been the performance of a lackluster supporting cast around those two stars.

Despite reaching the Western Conference Finals in four of the past six seasons, the Thunder never seemed to have the right mix of complimentary pieces to surround their two stars with. Serge Ibaka has always been a highly capable big man on both ends of the floor, but once James Harden was dealt away to Houston in October 2012, reliable scoring options have been tough to come by when the level of competition increased in the postseason.

The franchise relied on role players that were too old (Derek Fisher, Caron Butler), too young (Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams), or too one dimensional (Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha) to hold their own against the very best of the Western Conference.

That narrative all seemed to change for the majority of this 2016 playoff run for OKC prior to Game 6 against the Warriors. After making easy work of the Mavericks in the first round, the Thunder upset the Spurs in the second round and it wasn't based solely on the heroics of Durant and Westbrook. Instead, a combination of standout performances from the likes of Steven Adams, Dion Waiters, Andre Robertson and Enes Kanter propelled OKC not only into a dominating series win over the Spurs but a 3-1 series edge over the best regular season team in NBA history.

The stars were aligned for the Thunder to close out the series at home on Saturday night during Game 6 against the Warriors, pulling off an improbable run to the NBA Finals when a new problem arose: Durant and Westbrook declined to use their supporting cast when it mattered most.

OKC led the Warriors by eight points heading into the final quarter in Game 6 and as many as five points with just five minutes remaining in the game. From there? Golden State went on a 19-5 run to close out double-digit comeback and force a Game 7 back in Oakland.

While Klay Thompson (11 3-point makes), Andre Iguodala (three late-game steals), and Steph Curry (go-ahead 3-point shot, 31 points) rightfully deserve plenty of credit for pulling off the rally in a hostile environment, this was somewhat of a collapse by the Thunder. The main culprits down the stretch? None other than Durant and Westbrook.

All series long, the duo had been brilliant by playing unselfishly and using their supporting cast to make the Warriors pay for their double teams on both players. With the end in sight though, the pair forgot about the help. Instead, they resorted to playing hero ball on alternating possessions, giving the Warriors the opening they needed to take the lead. The All-Stars combined to shoot 20-of-58 from the field and a paltry 1-of-13 from 3-point range. In the fourth quarter though, the numbers looked even worse.

Meanwhile, every single one of their teammates outside of Dion Waiters shot 50 percent or better from the field. Yet, that same supporting cast just attempted five total shots in the fourth quarter.

With Game 7 on the horizon Monday night, Durant and Westbrook will have the opportunity to redeem themselves. The Thunder have the talent to take down the Warriors on the road and it's hard to imagine Thompson will stay that hot back on his home floor. Still, with a huge offseason looming, Durant and Westbrook have to realize how important the talent they have surrounding them has been this postseason. If they don't, they'll be watching the NBA Finals from their couch.

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.

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