By BERRY TRAMEL, The Oklahoman

The fouls kept mounting. Nine against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter alone. Two more in the first three minutes of the second quarter.

Didn't set well with the Big Blue crowd. But somewhere behind that scowl, Kendrick Perkins was smiling.

"Be the instigator, not the retaliator," Perk said. "You always gotta be the instigator."

Clutch is a many splendored thing.

Last-second shots are the garden variety that make their way to SportsCenter. Then there is the deeper forms of clutch, which make their way to legend.

OKLAHOMA CITY - In his first playoff game ever without Ron Artest attached at the hip, Kevin Durant kept making shots of all kinds and all distances Sunday night. The Oklahoma City star scored 41 points and the Thunder needed virtually all of them in a 107-103 survival of the wildly interesting and entertaining Denver Nuggets.

San Antonio guard Tony Parker drove the lane Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nick Collison delivered a moderately hard foul and all kinds of brimstone ensued.

Parker took umbrage, Spurs teammate Antonio McDyess shoved Collison, and Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan received off-setting superstar technicals.

Have you ever sat close at an NFL game? First 20 rows or so?

If so, you know. You've seen a different game than those glorious Sunday afternoon battles aired every autumn on NFL networks.

Donald Driver, part of that seemingly endless supply of Green Bay Packer receivers, says his team is hot entering the Super Bowl.

Driver is wrong. The Packers are not a hot team. The Packers are a great team.

That doesn't mean Green Bay will win Sunday. The Steelers are a great team, too, so it's anybody's ballgame.

Big 12 schools knew the Texas Network was coming. But that doesn't mean they were prepared for it.

There is no preparation for stark reality.

Texas' $30-million, 20-year deal with ESPN is a blow to whatever was left of Big 12 stability.

America's Team is hosting the Super Bowl. Which will match America's teams.

Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. Football's most popular franchises.

Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath combined to win eight Super Bowls. They also combined for three playoff road wins in their careers.

Sonny Jurgensen, Steve Young, Norm Van Brocklin, Warren Moon, Y.A. Tittle, Jim Kelly and Bob Griese all are Pro Football Hall of Famers. Together, they quarterbacked 20 playoff games on the road. They won three of them.

You remember, I assume how the G-Men eventually nailed Al Capone.

Not for murder and mayhem. Not for breaking legs nor cracking skulls. Not for bootlegging liquor nor prostitution. Not for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Nope, the feds got Scarface on tax evasion.