Say what you will about the questionable sequence of events that led to Nene’s 12th basket and 26th through 28th points, but the fact remains that the Thunder had let him score 25 points on 11/11 shooting prior to their endgame blunder. A team that lets a guy with gray in his beard put that amount of hurt on them doesn’t deserve to win any game, much less a playoff game. #truelifefacts
Nene is still a good player, somehow, but he should not be the kind of guy who takes 12 shots and makes 12 shots in a single game. There isn’t any kind of guy like that. The fact that this happened is both an indictment of the Thunder defense and a testament to James Harden’s point-guard wizardry. It was also a bit of a throwback to the hyper-efficient Denver-era Nene, but only a bit. He only had a few buckets where he showcased his offensive skills; the rest were gimmes at the rim and one where he didn’t even touch the ball (thanks Westbrook, you stat-chasing maniac!). Still, a playoff record, is a playoff record, even if the other guy who also made 12 of 12 is some scrub whose name is lost to the endless passage of time.