Looking Back On Last Night’s Win
News, notes and observations from Wednesday night’s 97-93 win over Charlotte.
- Kevin Durant sat the entire second half as part of a predetermined plan by Brooks. Durant scored 12 points in 17 minutes and was as good as you remember. But now, he looks more comfortable and confident in calling his own number whenever he wants. There was one sequence I was particularly impressed with when KD patiently sized up Gerald Wallace from the left wing. Durant toyed with Wallace for a good four seconds — threatening the rip move but not using it and jabbing right to keep Wallace off balance — before ultimately making his move. The outcome was nothing spectacular. Durant drove and kicked it back out. But just seeing KD not settle for the rip move while actually striking fear into a stout defender showed his growth.
- Durant’s emergence as a superstar was on full display in Fayetteville. He received the loudest ovation of any player during pre-game introductions. And whenever he had the ball in his hands, fans filled the arena with that, ‘something-special’s-about-to-happen’ tension. In the locker room after the game, media members waited patiently for Durant and Durant only. And this was a non-NBA venue. It’s going to be interesting to see how much things have changed for Durant during the actual regular season.
- Russell Westbrook was average against Charlotte. And he still put on a heck of a show. The Bobcats didn’t have a single guard who could stop him. D.J. Augustin took two charges on Westbrook, accounting for two of his six turnovers. But those offensive fouls had more to do with Westbrook being out of control than Augustin’s defense. It sounds like a broken record, but the thing that immediately jumps out at you is Westbrook’s quickness. On one play, he went from end to end, blowing by Javaris Crittenton for a one-handed tomahawk dunk. I think we all better get used to seeing plays like that this season.
- Jeff Green went 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc. Talking to him after the game, he sounds like he’s going to keep shooting them as long as they’re going in. He looks more relaxed and much less hesitant shooting from the perimeter. But he was also aggressive driving to the basket. The area that he looked shaky was one and two-dribble pull-ups. I’m not sure what his career numbers are from those different ranges, but the early indications are that he’s going to be at his best this season when he gets all the way to the basket or has his feet set behind the 3-point arc.
- Green also had a spectacular dunk, somehow stuffing one in on a fast break in between fly-by defenders Wallace and Stephen Jackson. Green got awarded a foul on the play and made the free throw.
- James Harden did a lot of things well. He had five steals and four assists to go with his 16 points. But what I liked most was that he got to the free throw line a game-high 10 times, making nine of them. He journeyed to the stripe six times in the first quarter alone. Some of his trips were due to being in the right place at the right time. But more often than not, Harden was going strong to the hoop and earning his freebies the old-fashioned way.
- Harden played a game-high 29 minutes, including all 12 minutes of the first quarter. But coach Scott Brooks told me after the game that Harden received major minutes (for the preseason) only because Thabo Sefolosha stayed back in OKC because of illness.
- Serge Ibaka took the second most shots in the game. That’s an incredible stat considering where he was last October. But the second-year big man looked comfortable working from the low block. He’s got a few moves — a face-up game, a turnaround jumper, a fadeaway and an up-and-under — that make him successful with the ball in his hands on post-ups. I was surprised to see the team dump it into him a handful of times in the first quarter, but Ibaka looks comfortable and perhaps deserving of some offensive touches. As for his defense, let’s just say Nazr Mohammed (first half) and Boris Diaw (second half) aren’t the best bigs to measure Ibaka’s improvement.
- Elijah Millsap had two hustle plays in particular that stood out and kept points off the board. Both were against Charlotte’s Derrick Brown. On the first, Millsap hustled back and pinned a layup attempt against the glass. The second sequence saw Millsap again hustle back on a Charlotte run out and deliver a good, clean, hard foul on Brown to prevent an easy layup. Brown made only one of two free throws.
- Cole Aldrich will become a fan favorite in the near future because of his hustle. I can’t wait to see whatever catch phrase the marketing team comes up with to play off of his gritty game. The guy just never stops battling. He’s not the most athletic center ever, but I guarantee you he’ll beat Robert Swift in a footrace. Whatever Aldrich lacks in athleticism he more than makes up for with desire. When he makes his debut in OKC, the first thing you’ll notice is how he keeps plays alive under the basket and always finds a way to be around the ball. Somebody out there might want to track how many times this season he recklessly dives into the stands for a loose ball. I’m telling you, you’re going to love this guy’s determination.
-DM-
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[...] Really great notes from Darnell Mayberry: “Jeff Green went 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc. Talking to him after the game, he sounds like he’s going to keep shooting them as long as they’re going in. He looks more relaxed and much less hesitant shooting from the perimeter. But he was also aggressive driving to the basket. The area that he looked shaky was one and two-dribble pull-ups. I’m not sure what his career numbers are from those different ranges, but the early indications are that he’s going to be at his best this season when he gets all the way to the basket or has his feet set behind the 3-point arc.” [...]
[...] his notes, Darnell Mayberry talked about how it was a one-or-the-other type performance from Green, with Uncle Jeff either chucking a 3 or [...]
Re:Aldrich. How about “White Coal.” He is going to be a big surprise because of his fit into the whole scheme. The Thunder are going to be an awesome defensive team because of their quickness, athleticism, length and timing.
I can’t take credit for this one, but I kind if like “Stone Cole.”