Scott Brooks Likes to Text Message
Want to know why Jeff Green recorded a double-double in tonight’s 102-91 loss against the Cavs?
Thunder coach Scott Brooks text messaged him before the game and told him to focus on rebounding. It was that simple.
Brooks regularly uses text messages to encourage his players to do something well in the next game. It worked for Green against the Cavs, as he scored 16 points and pulled down a season-high tying 10 boards.
“That’s just him trying to inspire us to challenge ourselves to do one thing in the next game,” said Green of Brooks’ method. ”He asked me to rebound in this game and that’s one thing I set out to try to get better at.”
Brooks used text messages while he was an assistant under P.J. Carlesimo and has continued the usage as the head man. Green said Brooks’ messages are mostly related to giving 100 percent effort and focusing on only the things players can control.
“They’re just motivational texts to get us inspired to be ready to play the next game,” Green said. “It’s just him trying to get the best out of us.”
A few notes from tonight’s game……
* Brooks was pleased to see Green respond to his text message and focus on rebounding….”The thing I like about Jeff is he understands he needs to rebound better. He wants to rebound, and tonight he had the double-double. Every game he has to rebound, and that’s part of his maturity going into every game, get better, don’t be satisfied with what just took place the last game.”
* Russell Westbrook continues to improve, scoring 24 points with 11 assists and six rebounds in a career-high 40 minutes…..”I believe in Russell Westbrook,” Brooks said. ”He is going to get better every day. And the reason why is he works hard. He doesn’t expect to wake up one day and be a great player in this league. He’s going to work for it.
* Chris Wilcox got the short end of the stick tonight, as the minutes crunch continues to leave at least one of the team’s bigs on the outside looking in. Wilcox played just seven minutes tonight. Joe Smith, who didn’t play two games ago, played 23 minutes.
* Desmond Mason had his worst game of the season, and it’s probably safe to say chasing LeBron James around had a lot to do with it. Mason, inserted as the starter last game, scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting with three rebounds, three fouls, two assists and two turnovers in 32 minutes.
* The Thunder had no answer for Delonte West and Mo Williams, as they combined to score 38 points on 16 of 26 shooting with eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals. They, more than James and his 31 points, killed the Thunder tonight.
* Kevin Durant is in his best offensive rhythm of the season. He had 26 tonight to give him at least 22 points in each of the last seven games. Durant is now averaging 25.2 points on 46.8 percent shooting in December, showing improved consistency and efficiency.
* Tonight’s game was the latest example of the Thunder’s continued improvement. The last time OKC played this Cavs team it trailed by as many as 42 and lost by 35. Tonight, the Thunder trailed by as many as 18 and lost by 11. Not a bad showing from the worst team in the league against the NBA’s second best.
Following the game, a writer who covers the Cavs came up to me and told me how much better this team has gotten since the first meeting on Nov. 26. I assured him that Cleveland road game, when many Cavs writers were blasting how bad this team is, was by far the worst the Thunder had played all season and tonight was a better indication of where this team really is. Still, the writer insisted that this team is much better and there is no way the Thunder will challenge the 1972-73 Sixers for the worst all-time record.
A writer in San Antonio did the exact same thing to Mike Baldwin following the Thunder’s five-point road loss to the Spurs last week.
The Thunder is turning heads, ladies and gentlemen, and could be turning the corner as well.
-DM-
Related posts:
- Scott Brooks: “Technicals are overrated”
- Thunder 102, Portland 93
- Magic 98, Thunder 89
- Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103
- Brooks Gets Butterflies
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Comments
[...] Thunder coach gets through to his players via their cell phones. They remain an awful team; maybe he should consider sending [...]
I thought this team had turned the corner after playing the Mavericks and Spurs - I was so disappointed when they lost to the Clippers.
I knew they could beat the Raptors and figured they would lose to Cleveland. They played great in the first half put you could just see their confidence going down in the 3rd and 4th quarter when shots refused to drop in. This week will be the big test to see if they really did turn the corner.
As I’ve said repeatedly, Mason’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t realize he’s not a shooter. That being said, one thing he did well last night was to draw doubles that opened up our other guys.
In addition to Ballistic Kristic, it sounds like the Watson for Toronto’s Parker and Graham that was mentioned on ESPN could be interesting. Parker would be a nice 2 guard, and give us more cap room next year because of the difference in Graham’s and Watson’s contracts (both Parker and Mason’s contracts expire after this season).
Diane,
One thing to remember is that the Thunder is the first team to beat the spread against Cleveland in quite a while. Some of the posters on ESPN were really hacked off because Durant’s last 3-pointer cost them big money.
[...] it with defense. - Bucks Diary - If Detroit can trade Billups, Milwaukee can trade Michael Redd. - Thunder Rumblings - Scott Brooks harnesses the power of text messaging. - Bright Side of the Sun - A [...]
Turned the corner?
funny.
Here’s to 4 wins by March.