Chat with Mike Baldwin at 11 a.m.
Byron Scott Fired, Hornets Continue Reeling
Long before the New Orleans Hornets fired Byron Scott on Thursday, it was clear to NBA fans in Oklahoma that this state is better off with the Thunder here and the Bees in the Big Easy. Scott’s dismissal served as simply the most recent confirmation, the latest in a string of setbacks and slip ups the Hornets have succumbed to.
Losing the first pro franchise this state has ever seen was gut-wrenching, though, on April 13, 2007, when the Hornets played their last game inside the Ford Center as “New Orleans/Oklahoma City” and uncertainty still remained about whether the Sonics would soon shuffle south as a substitute. The disappointment dialed up when the Hornets, in their first full season back in New Orleans, assembled a franchise-best season, a record of 56 wins and 26 losses and a trip to Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It became almost unbearable while watching Chris Paul turn in an MVP-caliber season and establish himself as the league’s best point guard.
But the Hornets are now in full tailspin mode, with a 3-6 record, a roster compiled of a batch of players that don’t fit, an owner who’s diagnosed with prostate cancer and dire financial concerns and now a new coach who has no NBA head coaching experience but happens to be the GM who put this team together.
Add it all up and the troubles in New Orleans function as the ultimate faux pas for the league’s 29 other franchises. And the reason Thunder fans should be grateful management and ownership has taken the complete opposite approach in Oklahoma City, deploying a patient plan rather than the Hornets’ failed attempt at a quick championship chase.
Hard as it is to fathom, not a single transaction by the Hornets has panned out over the past four years, since the time they made their way to Oklahoma City in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Paul, remember, was drafted in the summer of 2005, before there became a slash in the team’s temporary name.
Thunder 83, Clippers 79
While you were cozily tucked in late Wednesday, perhaps uninterested in staying up past midnight to watch the Thunder take on the Blake Griffin-less Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant was busy delivering his breakthrough performance in Game No. 8 of what many consider the season that will be his coming out party.
Durant dominated the Clippers in every respect before the final buzzer sounded on the Thunder’s 83-79 win, undoubtedly assembling his best and most complete outing of his two-plus years.
On this night, Durant arrived, his coronation unfortunately coming courtesy of L.A.’s forgotten team, which had only a generously-announced 14,248 spectators sprinkled throughout Staples Center as witnesses.
Statistically, Durant has had more impressive showings. His line Wednesday — 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists — won’t wow you because it’s what we’ve come to expect of Durant. On numbers alone, this wasn’t even Durant’s best night in Staples Center. He poured in career-highs of 46 points and 15 rebounds against the Clippers last January, getting to the foul line 26 times and swishing 24 freebies. Both the attempts and the makes from the stripe stand as franchise records.
But this game wasn’t about numbers. It was about winning, which the Thunder failed to do against a short-handed Clippers team last winter despite Durant’s career night. It was about the mega-talented Durant, maybe for the first time, coming to the realization that he is capable of doing whatever he needs to do on the court to lead his teammates to victory.
Durant hunkered down on defense, playing the passing lanes and pestering his man to come up with steals and deflections. Durant played point forward offensively, controlling the ball and the pace of the Thunder’s offense throughout much of his 36 minutes, 22 seconds. He created for himself and others, refusing to settle but rather weaving his way into the lane for easy baskets or showing off an improved mid-range game with pull-up jumpers. Durant’s first 3-point attempt didn’t come until the opening seconds of the second quarter.
And this time, on a play that illustrated everything he did right offensively, Durant netted the big shot.
The Thunder took a 78-71 lead with 5:43 left to play but scored just one point over the next five minutes as the Clippers crept back to tie the score at 79-all. Thunder coach Scott Brooks then ran an isolation for Durant on the left wing. With Al Thornton defending closely, Durant drove left with two dribbles before reaching the baseline. He stopped and hit a step-back jumper over Thornton with 38.9 seconds remaining.
“That’s what I do,” Durant said. “That’s what I’m here for is to make big plays, miss or make.”
It wasn’t the make that stood out. It was the decision-making.
Equally impressive, although it will be overshadowed, was the play in which Durant didn’t take the shot. It came on a sequence that saw the Thunder aiming to milk the final 27.3 seconds off the game clock with the shot clock showing a 4.3-second differential. With all eyes on Durant as he stood near halfcourt, much like he did against the Lakers before settling for a 28-footer, Durant jabbed right took one dribble left and passed to a wide open Jeff Green after Marcus Camby helped. Green swung it to Kevin Ollie in the left corner. Ollie missed a 3-point attempt but retrieved the rebound and iced the game with a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining.
“We’ve definitely made some strides,” said Nick Collison. “I think we’re just starting to learn how to play. What I like is we have a lot of guys just concerned with winning and making winning plays.”
Durant did both Wednesday and assumed his rightful place at the front of the line on a night that you might have viewed simply as Game No. 8 of his third season.
Ugly but a win nonetheless
A day after failing to bring their A game in a loss at Sacramento, the Thunder once again played catch-up most of the night in Los Angeles but dominated the fourth quarter to post an ugly 83-79 win over the Clippers late Wednesday night at Staples Center.
If you didn’t stay up until midnight to watch Kevin Durant’s big shot in the final minute, it wasn’t pretty. Niether team shot well. The Thunder finished at 42.2 percent, the Clippers 35.9.
The bottom line is the Thunder found a way to win an ugly game.
The most revealing stat was the Clippers shot only 15.8 percent in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line, making only 3 of 19 shots.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks admitted the Clippers missed a few good looks. But the Thunder also turned up its defensive pressure.
After trailing by as many as nine points, the Thunder opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to take control. Jeff Green was big early in the run, hitting a 3-pointer to start the quarter and drained another big bucket to put the Thunder up 73-69.
Led by Kevin Durant’s double-double (30 points, 10 rebounds), the Thunder built the lead to 78-71 but failed to get baskets to put the game away.
From that point until Durant broke a 79-79 tie with his clutch 10-footer with 38.9 seconds left, the Thunder scored only one point — a Durant free throw — over a five-minute span.
Last season that would have doomed the Thunder to a sure loss. This time, quality defense, a couple of key steals and rebounds allowed OKC to escape to even its record at .500.
The two biggest developments were subjects we’ll explore in upcoming days in The Oklahoman and on newsok.com
Serge Ibaka has a long way to go. He fouled out in less than 16 minutes. But Ibaka’s energy off the bench gave the Thunder a huge lift after they trailed most of the game, including a 65-58 deficit late in the third quarter.
Ibaka is raw but he’s athletic and is a diligent worker. Right now, Ibaka seems too valuable as a potential spark off the bench to spend too much time in Tulsa when the D League starts later this month.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers Live Chat
Thunder fails to seize opportunity
If you’re going to develop into a playoff contender these are the games you have to find a way to win.
In a road game the Thunder was actullay favored, a tough shooting night and the failure to box out on rebounds put them in a hole the entire game in a 101-98 loss to the Kings Tuesday night in Sacramento.
Yes, the Kings are 3-0 without their top player, Kevin Martin, sidelined two months following wrist surgery. But this is a team that probably will finish with one of the league’s worst records.
Now the road gets a lot tougher. Oklahoma City has three consecutive back-to-backs in a 10-day span. Five of the six games are on the road. Following tonight’s game against the Clippers in the Staples Center, the Thunder faces the Spurs Saturday night in San Antonio.
A rematch with the Clippers Sunday night is the only home game followed by a back-to-back next week at Miami (Dwyane Wade) and a more healthy, out-for-reveng Magic squad.
That’s why Tuesday’s game carried a little more importance. The Thunder’s defense was atrocious the first half (Sacramento shot 57.9) but improved dramatically in the second half (31.1 percent).
It still wasn’t enough on a night Oklahoma City shot 39.7 percent and was manhandled on the boards (51-35).
“We didn’t do a good job putting bodies on bodies,” said coach Scott Brooks. “We didn’t rebound the ball well. That’s the bottom line.”
That proved to be the difference.
The Thunder fell behind by 10 points but took its only second-half lead (69-68) late in the third quarter. They fell behind by nine in the fourth quarter, battled back to tie it at 86-86, only to have a 4-point Andres Nioconi play give the Kings the lead for good.
James Harden, who hit a half-court, buzzer-beater to end the first half — a play he’s sure to be remembered for his rookie season — said the one positive was the Thunder was in the game until the end despite some obvious shortcomings.
“We didn’t play as good as we wanted to but we still hung in there on the road,” Harden said. “If you stay in there until the fourth quarter you hope you can pull it out. It just didn’t go our way.”
Up next is the Clippers in the Thunder’s first back-to-back of the season.
“I love back-to-backs,” said Kevin Durant, who scored a season-high 37 points, including an 18-for-18 night at the line. “We can show the type of team we are. It’s a good test for us. It was a disappointing game but it’s good to know we have another one the next day. That’s the best thing about this league.”
The Clippers will be playing without Eric Gordon, their second leading scorer (18.9), sidelined by a groin injury. After getting battered on the boards by the Kings, the Thunder now faces the Clippers strong inside tandem of Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman, one of the few teams to start two centers.
“We have to keep working and put (the loss to the Kings) behind us,” Brooks said. “We’ll definitely learn from this, come back tomorrow and need to give good effort.”
QUICK OBSERVATIONS…
With Blake Griffin sidelined by a fractured knee cap, Kings guard Tyreke Evans probably is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. In the win over OKC, Evans scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists, not that far away from posting a triple double.
It’s the third straight game he’s scored 20 or more points, the first Kings rookie to do that since Walt Williams 16 years ago.
Like any rookie, Evans will experience ups and downs (he also had five turnovers). Evans is an average shooter but has tremendous quickness and athleticism. Brooks finally decided to leave Thabo Sefolosha on Evans exclusively late in the game, the ultimate compliment…
Speaking of Blake Griffin, I’m hoping to have an interview with the former OU All-American before tonight’s game and write an update on his progress…
Sefolosha, by far, is Oklahoma City’s best defender. Sefolosha recorded three steals and grabbed six rebounds, the majority when the Thunder was trying to rally for a win.
His shooting was off (1-of-7, including 0-of-3 on 3-pointers) for the first time all season, but he’s developing into a solid all-around player. Signing Sefolosha to a four-year deal for “only” $15 million should prove to be a bargain…
Harden’s defense is sorely lacking but he’s living up to the billing of having a high basketball IQ. Harden is a good shooter and should develop into a solid player and be a key part of the foundation for the future. All nine of his points came in the first half but he’s gaining more confidence.
“I’m getting more comfortable,” Harden said. “My teammates want me to shoot the ball a bit more. My coaches want me to shoot the ball a little bit more. The more comfortable I feel on the court, the more opportunities I will get. Now it’s just a matter of playing.”
In the believe-it-or-not category, the Kings, 4-4, now have a better record than the Thunder, 3-4.
By season’s end, Oklahoma City should finish with 10 to 20 more wins than the Kings. But Sacramento’s three-game winning streak, including an improbable win at Utah, is a reminder that if you play fundamentally sound basketball, with balanced scoring, you can win.
Sacramento lacks enough overall talent to realistically stay anywhere close to .500 over an 82-game grind. But Evans and Jason Thompson should at least keep the Kings from dropping off the map without Martin.
Kings 101, Thunder 98
A viewer asked the Fox Sports Oklahoma crew the most compelling question of the night via text message.
“Why does the Thunder play to the level of its competition at times?”
I’m wondering the same thing following Tuesday night’s 101-98 loss at Sacramento. I’ve posed a variation of the question to Kevin Durant and Co. on more than one occasion this season, inquiring whether the team gets more juiced when playing against the league’s best teams.
I was met with company line after company line, from everyone except wily veteran Kevin Ollie, who before playing the Los Angeles Lakers said, “I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t get any extra motivation.”
Said Durant, “I get up for every game no matter who we’re playing. I get up for the Lakers the same way I do for Portland or Sacramento.”
The problem with taking that stance publicly comes when you run into nights like Tuesday that clearly prove otherwise. Not singling out Durant. He actually played well and gave good effort on both ends. But what’s been identified is the issue of inconsistency throughout the entire team. Granted, on Monday I wrote that the Thunder is now beating teams its supposed to beat. But in that same space I also pointed out that OKC is far from out of the woods and has work left to be done.
The latest defeat was a prime example of the labor that lies ahead but is to be expected from a team filled with 25-year-old-and-younger talent.
But explanations for effort are harder to articulate when, two nights after manhandling the defending Eastern Conference champions, you get outplayed from start to finish by a Kings team missing its best player, guard Kevin Martin. Had the Thunder got up for the Kings like it did for Orlando on Sunday or the Lakers last week this game would have easily been a blowout. Instead, the Thunder is 3-4. Instead, the Thunder never led by more than four. Instead, the Thunder shot 39.7 percent against a Kings team without any interior resistance and reverted to haphazard defense.
“We just have to play better,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks.
The worst of it was that the Kings outrebounded the Thunder 51-36, including 15-8 on the offensive end and scored 20 points in transition. Jason Thompson had 21 points and 14 rebounds. Numbers like those make it easy to challenge the Thunder’s claim that it treats every opponent the same. Easy because the rebounding numbers against a much better Magic team two nights earlier read 45-30 in favor of the Thunder. Easy because a much more talented post player, Dwight Howard, was held to 20 points and seven boards when the Thunder’s players had it set in their minds that he wouldn’t be the one who beat them.
“We didn’t rebound the ball well. That’s the bottom line,” Brooks said. “We gave them 15 offensive rebounds. Jason Thompson was really a force down there. He had a lot of easy buckets around the basket. He was physical and it was just too many second-chance points.”
The good news is that the Thunder still only lost by three and Durant short-armed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that could have sent it to overtime despite the team’s effort on both ends ranking as arguably the second worst showing of the season behind the Houston debacle. A lot of shots that ordinarily go in rimmed out tonight. Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Thabo Sefolosha went a combined 7-for-27.
Some of the shooting woes could be attributed to a lack of ball movement. And some of the lack of ball movement probably could be attributed to shooting woes. The Thunder tallied just 15 assists one game after recording a season-high 27. The 16 turnovers marked the second time this season the Thunder finished with more giveaways than assists.
But again, despite it all, the Thunder had a last-second shot for a chance to play five extra minutes. Eliminate some inconsistency and we’re talking about the Thunder’s continued improvement right now.
“We didn’t play as good as we wanted to but we still hung in there on the road,” said Harden. “But there are some good teams that are going to stick in there until the fourth quarter and you hopefully pull it out. It was one of those games where we tried to (win it) in the fourth quarter. It just didn’t go our way.”
Thunder preview: Kings no gimme
Sacramento was the team most analysts chose to finish with the league’s record. When Kevin Martin, the Kings’ only player even worthy of All-Star consideration, suffered a wrist injury last week it was a given they would struggle, right?
Not so fast.
The Kings have won three of their last four. They’re 2-0 and defeated the Jazz in Salt Lake City since Martin suffered the injury which required surgery and will keep him sidelined two months.
So how are the Kings doing it?
Rookie Tyreke Evans scored a career-high 32 against the Jazz, getting to the line 19 times, sinking 16. Evans followed with a team-high 23 points and eight rebounds in a win over Golden State. The combined 55 points is the most by a Kings’ rookie in back-to-back games since Walt Williams also scored 55 back in 1993.
Evans and sharp-shooting guard Beno Udrih are averagiong a combined 35.7 points. They’ve been an even more effective guard combo since Martin’s injury.
Throw in second-year forward Jason Thompson, a threat for a double-double every game, and the Kings are no gimme. Thompson is averaging 12.3 poings and 9.4 rebounds.
Oklahoma City is a rare road favorite. But the Thunder is only a 2-point favorite. Coming off an impressive win over Orlando Sunday night, OKC should win this game. But it might be more difficult than you think.
Perimeter defense — not giving Udrih open looks and preventing Evans from penetrating — will be key if the Thunder is to improve to 4-3 overall, 2-1 on the road. If not, OKC could be on the south side of .500 on both counts, 3-4 overall, 1-2 on the road.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings Live Chat
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Let The All-Star Balloting Begin
Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook have been selected to represent the Oklahoma City Thunder on the 2010 All-Star Ballot, the NBA announced today.
Fans can now vote for the 2010 All-Stars by logging onto NBA.com or texting the player’s last name to 69622 (MYNBA). In-arena voting at the Ford Center will begin Sunday, Nov. 15 during the Thunder’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The ballot lists 120 players, 60 each from the Eastern and Western Conference, with 24 guards, 24 forwards and 12 centers from each conference comprising the list. Voters may select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference.
Paper balloting will continue through Jan. 10. Wireless balloting on NBA.com concludes Jan. 18. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.
This year’s NBA All-Star Game will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Feb. 14. An expected crowd of more than 80,000 is expected to attend, which will mark the largest crowd ever to witness a live basketball game.
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