Thunder 91, Pistons 83
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Last year, the Thunder took two steps back in games like this.
On the road. Bait for a team’s home opener. After a blowout home win.
It used to be the perfect storm. Friday night it was a piece of cake.
For a moment, though, it appeared as though not much had changed. The Thunder scored just 38 first-half points on 39.5 percent shooting. A talented Pistons squad that’s loaded with offensive weapons wasn’t having much trouble putting the ball in the basket in the first 24 minutes. And what we thought was a new and improved Russell Westbrook was regressing by the second, reverting to playing faster and turning over the ball at an alarming rate.
Even when the Thunder took a 10-point lead on two occasions in the fourth quarter, the outcome seemed in doubt. You might have reached ‘Here-we-go-again’ mode when the Pistons clawed within four with 4:27 remaining after surging to an 8-0 run.
But then it happened. The Thunder showed us this year would be different. Westbrook turned the tide when he hustled back instead of hanging his head after Ben Wallace blocked his layup. The Thunder’s point guard returned the rejection on Ben Gordon and helped the Thunder salvage it’s four-point lead. He made two free throws to push the lead to six. After Gordon netted one of two free throws, Westbrook found Nenad Krstic under the rim to bump the lead to seven.
And when Gordon split two more free throws, fundamental ball movement found Thabo Sefolosha in the corner for a 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 84-75 lead with 2:03 remaining. The crowd filed up the Palace’s steps. The Pistons never got closer than five.
“This was one of our better wins since I’ve been here in terms of holding a team off and being able to get stops when we needed to in the fourth quarter,” said Nick Collison. “We never gave up that bad spurt where a team made a run on us. That’s something we struggled with in the past…It’s good to see in a tough game on the road that guys are still trying to do the right thing. A less experienced team like we were last year, those are the times guys kind of break away from the game plan and don’t make good decisions. But tonight, everybody played well.”
And the Thunder is 2-0.
Thunder 102, Kings 89
So what did we learn about this year’s Thunder squad after one game?
If Wednesday night’s season opener taught us anything it was that this team can be pretty good when it plays hard for 48 minutes. The 102-89 win over Sacramento proved that the things the organization has preached since moving here in July of last year — teamwork, energy, effort, commitment and patience — can indeed pay off.
“It was a good start,” said coach Scott Brooks. “I thought we played some pretty good basketball.”
The Thunder has become a more confident group. That was perhaps the biggest revelation on opening night. You can see the progression in almost everything the players do, everything they say.
Kevin Durant was spotted at his locker before the game, slouched in his office-style chair with his long legs stretched out. He seemed calm, prepared for anything that was about to come his way. Less than an hour before tip-off, he looked every bit as at ease as he claimed to be only a day earlier, on the eve of his third NBA season.
And after the wire-to-wire win, the Thunder’s dressing room was far from festive. Players hardly flashed smiles, let alone celebrated the opening victory. Media members filled the room with more noise than the guys who had just put on the show. It was almost a surreal scene considering it was one that rarely played out after big-time wins last year.
“It’s an encouraging start,” said Nick Collison, “but there’s 81 more games.”
The ROY Race Minus Blake Griffin
James Harden (pictured above in the bow tie) rejected the notion that he’s got a better shot at Rookie of the Year now that L.A. Clippers rookie and No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin could miss up to six weeks with a knee injury. The Thunder’s No. 3 overall pick out of Arizona State said the 2009 draft class still is too deep, too talented to get overly confident just because Griffin will miss a chunk of the season.
“Obviously Blake’s a tremendous player,” Harden said. “I hope he recovers very well. But we have a great class. Jonny Flynn over there (in Minnesota), Tyreke Evans, who we’re playing against (tonight) has a chance, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry. It goes down the line. These are some great players who are put in positions to play and help their teammates win games. So it’s up for a hunt.”
But how will Griffin’s near two-month absence impact the Rookie of the Year race?
Of this year’s 30 first-round picks, 21 are set to make their debuts tonight. Four of them will be in the Ford Center for tonight’s season opener against Sacramento. Top five picks Harden and Evans will get a heavy dose of minutes. Sacramento forward Omri Casspi, the No. 23 overall pick, will make history when he checks into the game for the first time and becomes the first Israeli to play in the NBA. And Byron Mullens, the No. 24 pick will be on the Thunder’s bench as well.
Griffin isn’t out of contention for the award. But he’ll have to make up ground in a hurry when he returns. That could be rather difficult considering Griffin is on a Clippers team with a talented frontcourt and he’ll be experiencing his rookie growing pains more than a month later than everyone else in contention.
So with Griffin out of the picture for now, what largely was considered a two-man race might be about to blossom into free-for-all between seven main competitors. Here they are, listed in order of most likely to win it.
Power Lunch Thunder Chat Transcript
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Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James: Round II
A rather entertaining and comical conversation took place on the set of Pardon the Interruption today between hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser and guest Bill Simmons of ESPN.com.
The trio debated whether Kevin Durant could eventually have a better career than Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. It’s a variation of an argument that first gained traction this summer. Longtime NBA scribe Sam Smith wrote in July that he’s heard multiple league execs suggest Durant could one day be a better player than James.
Tuesday’s slight distinction in the debate seems a little more plausible when you think about it. Still, neither Wilbon nor Kornheiser were buying what Simmons, who is extremely high on Durant, was selling. Here’s the transcript.
MW: Let’s talk about two guys still in their 20s, even though one of them has been around for a while. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, two of your favorite subjects. You’ve questioned how the Cavs have built around LeBron and praised the Thunder and the way they’ve built around Durant. Can you see in any scenario, because I can’t Bill, Durant having a greater career than LeBron James?
BS: Well, Durant has two things that LeBron never had. He has a good GM, and he actually has good young teammates that they’re building around. I mean, LeBron, what did he have? Ricky Davis? Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Like, he never really had that second guy and that third guy. As we talked about before we came out, if LeBron goes to the Clippers next year, suddenly he’s got cap space, he’s got a good young team. So I don’t know if the LeBron book as been written yet because it’s all going to depend on where he goes.
TK: Wait, am I on the moon here? Did you just entertain the possibility that Durant would have a better career?
BS: I think he could. LeBron has made one Finals and got swept. He made the Eastern Conference Finals last year and was out in five. Like, he really hasn’t done anything yet other than win an MVP.
TK: But does anybody ever say, when they list the two best basketball players in the NBA, does anybody ever put the name Kevin Durant in there?
BS: But he’s only like 21 years old. The situation that he’s growing into is a better situation. He’s got the cap space. He’s got the young talent.
TK: (To Wilbon) Are you sitting here silently for this?
MW: I’m trying to listen to what he’s saying. If LeBron leaves, and you always have to…
TK: Oh, he’s leaving. He’s going to New York.
MW: We’ll get to that at some other point, and we’ll bring Bill back for that. But Durant is one of those guys I was skeptical about initially. In his second year he looked awfully, awfully good. I don’t put him with LeBron. Yet.
BS: Let me ask you this, how many of Gretzky’s Kings seasons do you remember?
TK: One.
BS: Yeah. So that could be LeBron’s entire career. He just could be playing with the Kings over and over again until he’s 35.
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Etan Thomas In The Gym
It’s been a long and hard road back to basketball for Etan Thomas, who underwent open heart surgery two years and two weeks ago. He missed the entire 2007-08 season following the operation. His 6-foot-10 inch, 260-pound frame lost 35 pounds during the recovery process. He struggled to put one foot in front of the other more than 10 times without exhaustion setting in while rehabbing.
People thought Thomas would never play another NBA game.
But Thomas, the former Tulsa Booker T. Washington standout, was determined to get back on the court. Doubters served as one of his driving forces. The acclaimed author and poet penned a song about misleading reports surrounding his heart condition. And he hit the gym. Hard. He made it back for the 2008-09 season but played in only 26 games after tearing his MCL in a game in mid-January. He spent this summer trying to come back from the latest setback, and cameras were around to capture footage of what his workouts were like.
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ESPN Analysts Weigh In On OKC
So I decided to watch a bit of preseason ball on ESPN last night — as if I haven’t had enough exhibition games for one beat reporter. And just as I turned to the broadcast I caught Jamal Mashburn saying during the pre-game show that the Thunder will make the playoffs as the eighth seed. And ya’ll thought my 35-win endorsement of this team was high last year. : ) Avery Johnson gave the eighth seed to the Clippers and essentially laughed at Mashburn’s prediction.
But two days earlier a few of their colleagues, Jalen Rose and Jon Barry, also weighed in on OKC during a national teleconference. Here’s what they had to say.
JALEN ROSE
“I really like the young core group of this team. Kevin Durant is going to be one of the league leaders in scoring. I think he’s a tremendous talent. Russell Westbrook as a combination guard can break defenses down and get shots for himself as well as others. He’s going to continue to get better. The rookie Harden is a slasher. He’s going to be able to score and is real nifty and crafty. And Jeff Green, here’s a guy that can rebound, do the intangibles, get blocks, get steals, he’s real strong, he finishes around the basket. That group of young players continuing to grow together is really going to create a lot of excitement for their fans. Not yet a playoff caliber team, but definitely a team that will show promise and on a nightly basis will be the kind of the team that can put up big numbers and make a lot of contending teams look bad. ”
JON BARRY
“Another very young team. The average age is 25, or something like that. I like Harden the rookie. Another year at the point guard position for Westbrook will help. He still needs to learn the position. I think he’s still a bit out of control. Not used to the position. A terrific athlete. He’s going to be a terrific player. Durant is a stud, big-time all-star. I love Collison. He’s a dirty work guy. But they are a couple of years away. As long as they continue to grow, I love the young pieces. I don’t think there are a lot of moves that have to be made. If this team stays together, in a couple of years they are certainly a quality playoff team in the West.”
GET YOUR THUNDER GIRLS CALENDAR
The Thunder Girls are having a calendar release party tonight at 7 at Mickey Mantles in Bricktown. Thunder fans can get and advanced copy of the Thunder Girls calendar before they go on sale for the first time at Wednesday’s season opener. Calendars cost $15, and tonight will be the only time all the Thunder Girls will be in attendance to sign copies of the calendars.
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Playing The Odds With OKC
The online gambling Web site Bodog.com has released a variety of odds for the 2009-10 NBA season. I’m not a betting man, but there is some very interesting material about the probability of how the Thunder and some of its players will do this season.
Kevin Durant
Over/Under: 27.5 PPG
Over/Under: 6.9 RPG
(I’m taking the under on points and a push on rebounds.)
Russell Westbrook
Over/Under: 16.3 PPG
Over/Under: 6.0 APG
(Give me the under on points, barely, and the over on assists.)
Jeff Green
Over/Under: 17.4 PPG
Over/Under: 6.8 PPG
(Again, I’m going under on points and I’ll take the over on rebounds.)
James Harden
Over/Under: 12.0 PPG.
(Sounds close to me. I’ll go 12.4)
Kings 104, Thunder 89
Don’t think this game didn’t matter. Not for a second.
If for some reason you’re still under the impression that Thursday night’s 104-89 loss to the starless Kings was simply a throw-away game, the last of this exhibition season, carefully chew on Kevin Durant’s words.
“It always means something when we step on this floor,” he said. “We’re a young team. We want to get better every time we step on the floor. Tonight was a tough one. We took some steps back.”
Steps.
Plural.
This was the third straight loss by at least 15 points. The third straight time a team has drained at least 10 3-pointers. The third straight game the wanna-be-defensive-minded Thunder allowed 104 points or more. The third straight game in which the opponent has shot better than 50 percent from the field.
In no way is it time to panic. It’s certainly way too early for that. But while the outcome doesn’t matter in these tune-ups, the performances and the trends certainly serve as warning signs.
After seven preseason games, the Thunder has demonstrated an inability to put together 48 minutes of quality basketball. It’s the same flaw that plagued this bunch last season. Some of this preseason’s blunders can be attributed to odd lineups and funky rotations, to subs closing out games and philosophy taking precedence over the outcome. But mostly, the Thunder showed the same imperfections during times its main unit was on the floor and times when the team tried to successfully close out a game with a win.
Have we forgotten Phoenix’s 26-9 fourth quarter on Oct. 12 that erased a 20-point lead before the Thunder prevailed by five in overtime? Lose that game and this exhibition season goes from 2-5 to 1-6, from decent to disappointing.
“It’s definitely a concern in our minds because we want to change it,” said Shaun Livingston. “That’s not how we want to come out and start the season. I know that we are going to come out better opening night. We know we are better than that.”
The Scene At Shootaround
I’ve been MIA lately, I know. Had to focus my attention on this little nifty thing we do before every season called a special section. I got a little bogged down with that on top of the regular load. But it gives me great pleasure to say that weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and our Thunder special section will hit newsstands and your front porch or driveway this Sunday. So let’s get back into the swing of things here shall we?
TINKERING WITH THE ROTATION
Thunder coach Scott Brooks at this morning’s shootaround sounded like he is done throwing out funky lineups and wacky rotations. I expect Brooks to play what mostly will be his main rotation in tonight’s preseason finale against Sacramento. But Brooks said he and the coaching staff are still trying to figure out who fits best with each other while giving different players an opportunity to adjust to playing with different teammates.
“It’s good for our team,” Brooks said. “It’s good to build chemistry on the floor. You’re going to be put in a position where you have to play with different guys…You try to figure out what a guy does with different guys. The game is impacted by who you’re playing with.”
DEJA VU
Rarely in the NBA will a team open the regular season against the same team it ended the preseason against. But that’s the position the Thunder and Kings are in this year. Cleveland and Boston have also managed to pull the scheduling quirk.
Brooks, however, said tonight’s game shouldn’t have any bearing on Wednesday’s season opener. Because of exhaustive scouting departments, he said, NBA teams, don’t have anything left to hide.
“We know what they’re going to run and they know what we’re going to run,” Brooks said. “We have to do a great job of executing it and using effort in our execution.”
Brooks did say Wednesday’s packages will be different than tonight’s because he plans to implement more wrinkles in the final few days of practice before the two teams meet again. He called the next five days of practice “pretty important for us.”
A FRIEND TURNED FOE
Perhaps a more significant advantage than the Kings’ ability to pick up on the Thunder’s strategy early is the presence of former Thunder forward Desmond Mason on Sacramento’s roster. Brooks expects Mason to share secrets with his new teammates. All players do once they change teams. Mike Harris informed Jeff Green of Houston players’ tendencies at the scorer’s table just before tip-off Monday.
“One of the things our coaches do when we have guys that play with other teams is (go over) their personnel’s tendencies,” Brooks admitted. “I think it’s important to listen to the players. They know, they feel it, they see it on the court. They experience it. So you always tap into their knowledge. And I’m sure Sacramento is going to be no different. Desmond knows what Kevin Durant does and how he does it. The bottom line is it takes five guys to make an offense work and it takes the same five guys to make a defense work.”
