Commentary

Oklahoma City's Finals of Horror

Small losses have conspired to dig Thunder's ditch (PER Diem: June 20, 2012)

Updated: June 20, 2012, 2:42 PM ET
By John Hollinger | ESPN.com

It was 2008, and Byron Scott's New Orleans Hornets had just lost a painful seventh game at home to San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals. The Hornets probably were the better team and probably should have won, but they didn't. And Scott's first comment at the podium that night has resonated with me ever since:

"You don't just go from not making the playoffs to winning the championship," Scott said. "It doesn't work like that."

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