Thunder Fall Short of Goal

Scott Halleran/Getty Images(OKLAHOMA CITY) -- The Oklahoma City Thunder will watch the rest of the NBA playoffs from home after being bounced out by the Grizzlies on Tuesday night.

Kevin Durant did all he could do without All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who suffered an Achilles injury in the first round against the Rockets.

Durant averaged 30.8 points per game in the playoffs and knows the team fell short of their goal of an NBA title. Still, he doesn't look at the 60-win season as a waste.

"Nothing's ever a wasted year for me. It's basketball. I've grown so much as a man since the beginning of the season. I've grown so much as a leader. Nothing is ever wasted," Durant said on Thursday.

"Of course, the ultimate goal in this league is to win a championship. But I'm never going to say I wasted a year. I'm blessed to even wake up and do something I love every day. So it's never wasted," Durant continued.

Things may have been different if Westbrook was healthy and able to play, but even he is not making any excuses.

"Injuries are a part of sports," Westbrook said. "Stuff like this happened to different players through the year, and in this year's playoffs as well. I think we had a great year. Sixty wins is great. It shows we're getting better each and every year. Hopefully, next year we can take another step forward."

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Grizzlies Advance to First Ever Western Conference Finals

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images(OKLAHOMA CITY) --  Zach Randolph scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history by knocking off the Oklahoma City Thunder 88-84 on Wednesday night.

"This is the first time, so it definitely means a lot. I'm happy, but we've still got work to do," Randolph said. "I want to win a ring."

Mike Conley added 13 points and 11 assists for the fifth-seeded Grizzlies, who had won just one postseason series coming into the season.

They used their trademark grit-and-grind mentality to defeat two high-scoring the teams, the Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kevin Durant finished with 21 points on 5-for-21 shooting, but missed a shot with six seconds left that would have tied the game at 86.  They trailed by 12 points with three minutes remaining but mounted a furious comeback that came up just short.

"I gave it all I had for my team. I left it all out there on the floor," Durant said. "I missed 16 shots, but I kept fighting, I kept being aggressive. That's all I can ask for."

The Thunder were playing without All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook for most of the postseason after he tore his meniscus in the first round.

Memphis will play either the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.

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Russell Westbrook on New Role: 'It's Tough, Man'

Christian Petersen/Getty Images(OKLAHOMA CITY) -- Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook expects to be on crutches for about four to five weeks as he continues to recover from knee surgery that repaired cartilage in his right knee.

Westbrook suffered the injury against the Rockets in the first round on April 24 and has spent the series against Memphis up in the press box watching his team.

"It's tough, man," Westbrook said on Thursday. "I don't want to let my team down. I want to compete. I love playing. I want to play in every game as long I'm able to walk, but this time I wasn't able to walk around like I'm supposed to."

Game 3 will be in Memphis on Saturday with the series sitting at 1-1.

"I think we have a tough group of guys finding a way to win games. The group of guys we have, I think we have enough to get a ring," Westbrook said. "In my honest opinion, we've been together long enough to be able to figure things out when guys go down, and I think you can see that."

Westbrook says he looks at the game differently watching from above and plans on doing whatever he can to give his team another edge.

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Thunder Hold Off Rockets, 104-101, One Game Away From Sweep

Scott Halleran/Getty Images(HOUSTON) -- Kevin Durant took the Oklahoma City Thunder on his back and guided them to a 104-101 victory over the Rockets on Saturday night to take a 3-0 series lead.

Without All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to injury, Durant poured in 41 points and 14 rebounds in the victory for the Thunder.

Houston took the lead with 37 seconds remaining, but Durant got a fortunate bounce on a three-pointer that went in and gave the Thunder the lead for good at 100-99.

Veteran guard Derek Fisher hit two big free throws to push the lead to three following a turnover by former Oklahoma City guard James Harden.

Prior to the game, the Thunder received the news that Westbrook will be out the entire playoffs after undergoing knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.

Game four is Monday night in Houston.

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Russell Westbrook To Miss Remainder Of Postseason

Christopher Trotman/Getty Images (OKLAHOMA CITY) --  Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook underwent knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the postseason, the team announced Saturday.

Westbrook will begin rehab immediately following the surgery but no timetable was given for his return to basketball.

"Although we are of course disappointed that Russell will be unable to return to the floor with his teammates this season, the opportunity to repair the meniscus as opposed to remove it was the best possible scenario for Russell's long term health as a player and person," said Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti in a statement.

Westbrook injured his knee in Game 2 against the Rockets Wednesday night after colliding with guard Patrick Beverley halfway through the second quarter.

The Thunder lead the Rockets 2-0 in their playoff series.  Game 3 is in Houston on Saturday night.

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Russell Westbrook Needs Knee Surgery

Christian Petersen/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A big blow to the Oklahoma City Thunder:  All-Star guard Russell Westbrook will undergo surgery on a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee in the next few days, the team announced Friday.

Westbrook remained in Wednesday's game against the Rockets even after colliding with Rockets guard Patrick Beverley halfway through the second quarter.

There is no timetable set for a return.

Lakers forward Metta World Peace returned from the same injury in 12 days.

The Thunder lead Houston 2-0 in the series as it heads back to Houston on Saturday night.

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Durant and Westbrook Lead Thunder Past Rockets

Christian Petersen/Getty Images(OKLAHOMA CITY) -- Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant each had 29 points leading the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Houston Rockets 105-102 Wednesday night.

The win gives the Thunder a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first round playoff series.

The Thunder led by 12 with 7:44 left in the game, but Houston went on a 14-0 run, capped by a Carlos Delfino three, to take a 95-91 lead with 3:27 to go.

The Thunder responded and Kevin Durant's 3-pointer with 2:28 left put Oklahoma City up for good.

Rockets guard James Harden led all players with 36 points, and usual bench player Patrick Beverley got the start tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals in the loss.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Houston. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 pm eastern time.

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Durant, Thunder Take Care of Rockets 120-91

Christian Petersen/Getty Images(OKLAHOMA CITY) --  Playing against a former teammate in the postseason is not an easy thing, but Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook managed to get it done.

Durant scored 24 points, Westbrook finished two assists shy of a triple-double and the Thunder routed James Harden and the Houston Rockets 120-91 in Game 1 of their playoff series.

"It felt a little awkward just looking across there during the national anthem and seeing him with another team, but we've got to get past that. We're competing against his team, and he wants to win so bad," Durant said when asked about going up against Harden. "We know him personally, so we know how hard he competes and he knows how hard we compete."

Harden scored 20 points for the Rockets, who kept things interesting until late in the second quarter.  The Thunder went on a 14-1 run before halftime and never looked back.

"We didn't have a rhythm as a team. I felt like it was basically one on five every time," Harden said.

Game 2 is set for Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

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Thunder Clinch Top Seed In Western Conference

NBA Via Oklahoma City Thunder (OKLAHOMA CITY) --  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score 50 points as the Thunder dispatched the Sacramento Kings 104-95 to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

The win also gave the Thunder their first 60-win season since 1996, when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

"To get 60 wins is quite an accomplishment," Thuner coach Scott Brooks said. "We've come a long ways through the hard work our entire organization has put in."

Center Cole Aldrich led the Kings (28-53) with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Thunder will play either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs in the West.

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Thunder Top Spurs, Move a Half-Game Out of First

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images(OKLAHOMA CITY) -- Russell Westbrook scored 27 and Kevin Durant added 25, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder past the San Antonio Spurs 100-88 on Thursday night.

The win puts the Thunder (55-20) a half-game behind the Spurs (56-20) for the top seed in the Western Conference.

"It's important for us to play well at the right time of the season," Durant said to Turner Sports after the game. "This is a great, great team (Spurs)...they're missing a few guys. We just wanted to come out here and get better, and I think we did."

The Spurs, who have lost Manu Ginobili to a strained hamstring for what sounds like the rest of the month, had to play the final seven minutes of the game without Tony Parker, who was dealing with a shin injury.

The Thunder will now head to Indianapolis for a Friday night showdown with the Pacers.

The Spurs, who lost for the third time in four games, get a day off before they host the Atlanta Hawks Saturday.

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