Kevin Durant Better Be Ready For His Close-Up

Kevin Durant better be ready. After turning in a John Starks-like 3-for-14 stinker on Friday night, Game 7 could be KD’s to win or lose. We know who Memphis will go to, and while Russell Westbrook has played very well, Durant can be the difference if he’s ready … This afternoon, the conference semifinals will officially wrap up at 3:30 p.m. (ET) with the Game 7 between Memphis and the Thunder. While the trash-talking has already started, Chicago and Miami have to wait until tonight (8 p.m. (ET)) to tip off … Do you want one role player who could be the difference maker in this Eastern Conference Final? A lot of analysts are looking at Kyle Korver. Chicago isn’t a great offensive team, and have struggled to score at times in the playoffs. Now that they’re playing Miami, it’ll be even harder. That’s where Korver comes in. The Bulls are much better on offense with Ashton Kutcher in the game, but against LeBron and Wade, who will he cover? For the Heat, Joel Anthony has been huge in the playoffs (fourth overall in plus/minus). Even though Chicago won all three games during the regular season, Anthony was only a factor in one of them. Now that he’s a regular in the rotation, it has changed the dynamic for the Heat … As the Thunder and Grizz have been beating themselves senseless this past week, Dirk and the Mavs are probably just getting out of bed now. It’ll be interesting to see what they look like in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Can they pick up right where they left off? While OKC and Memphis figure to be happy just being there, this might be it for Dallas, and especially Jason Kidd … Now that we know Doc Rivers is coming back, what’s next for the Celtics? Big Baby will almost certainly be back, and the team desperately needs to grab a big man in free agency. Yet none of that will matter if the team isn’t healthy. Rajon Rondo doesn’t need surgery, but Jermaine O’Neal does. We got on O’Neal at times during the playoffs, but it sounds like he was playing with a fractured wrist for much of the postseason … Speaking of Rondo, Gregg Popovich went off on his injury and all of the insane praise that came with playing through it by saying his team isn’t feeling the love. “It’s really been hard to watch the playoffs and have them make Rondo out like Willis Reed,” Pop told the San-Antonio Express News. “It’s like, Manu couldn’t even play the first game (against Memphis), and we probably shouldn’t have played him again. He went out there and worked through it, and you didn’t hear any of that kind of crap” … The Warriors search for their next head coach is ongoing, but figures to be wrapped up soon. The team reached out to both Jeff Van Gundy and Jerry Sloan earlier this week and both declined. All signs point to former Cavs coach Mike Brown. Golden State always struggles defensively, and Brown is considered one of the best minds in the game on that end. But we have to wonder if this is actually a good fit with so many offensive players. It sounds like the Warriors are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole … Reports continue to surface that this summer, Ricky Rubio will finally sign on the dotted line and come to Minnesota. The real question is will the point guard stay in Minnesota? Jonny Flynn figures to be the odd man out, and we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him traded pretty quickly this summer … One guy who is rising on NBA Draft boards? Kansas’ Josh Selby. While he made a questionable decision leaving after a so-so freshman year, Selby figures he’ll fit much better in the NBA. Another sleeper could be UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt. We think he could be the next Tayshaun Prince … We’re out like Flynn.