What We Learned About The Thunder
Why has Serge Ibaka (third from left) been glued to seat for the better part of the Thunder's last 96 minutes.
JOHN ROHDE
We learned Daequan Cook has value.There was no way to know that with him in street clothes rather than a uniform. Making only his third appearance since early November, Cook almost knocked off his previous employer on Sunday. Cook certainly knocked off the rust (6 for 12 on 3-pointers) and was ready when needed. What Cook lacks in defense he makes up for in effort and intelligence. When Thabo Sefolosha returns, presumably Cook will move one seat down on the bench, but should he? The way I see it, the heat just got turned up a notch on James Harden, who is shooting 23.1 percent (9 for 39) from 3-point range in the last 11 games.
BERRY TRAMEL
Serge Ibaka is in some kind of doghouse. Nine minutes and 13 seconds? That’s ridiculous. The Thunder got very few perimeter baskets from its big men and quit even trying by mid-game. Ibaka isn’t a great interior defender, but the Heat doesn’t have great post scoring. Ibaka’s shot-blocking could have been useful on Dwyane Wade’s drives. But Scotty Brooks is down on Ibaka. Said Serge wasn’t ready to play. Who knew? Hey, guys, get this thing settled. The Thunder needs Ibaka.
DARNELL MAYBERRY
Kevin Durant is ready to shine on the big stage. With his team hosting the season’s first Sunday afternoon showcase game on ABC, Durant stepped up to the plate against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. He played his best game in six meetings against James, defending him well throughout and scoring against him with ease at times, and stood toe to toe with Bosh when the two got into a war of words. Durant also mixed it up in the post, battling for boards in the paint unlike he’s done many times in the past. Sunday’s game was the blueprint for Durant. Replicate that effort in the big games, and the Thunder has a shot to do some real damage when it matters most.
-DM-
Power Lunch Chat Recap: Darnell Mayberry
Monday Morning Mailbag
Sharpshooter Daequan Cook has heat up on the court and lit up our mailbag.
What a week!
Since we last emptied our inbox, the Thunder has lost on a buzzer-beater, gone into overtime twice (three times if you count double-OT) and hosted the Miami Heat.
Over that same span, Serge Ibaka has found the doghouse, Daequan Cook has found his stroke, Russell Westbrook registered his third triple-double of the year and Kevin Durant had a career night in the midst of averaging 35.5 points and 10.7 rebounds in four games.
Ready to do it all over again?
The Thunder has an abbreviated three-game schedule this week, hosting New Orleans on Wednesday before a road back-to-back set at Phoenix and Utah. It’ll be hard to top last week’s excitement. But with this team, you just never know.
Let’s get to the mailbag.
Where can we find stats/info on Pleiss? What team is he playing for and how is he playing? Are the Thunder keeping in touch with him and watching his development closely? – Daniel.
Eurobasket.com has stats that seem to be accurate and updated regularly. It looks like in 21 games Pleiss is averaging 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 20.6 minutes. The name of his team is Brose Baskets. And, yes, the Thunder’s front office keeps close tabs on him. Several front office executives have traveled across the water to check in with Pleiss and monitor his development. I hear he’s doing quite well. The Thunder has made it a point to maintain positive relationships with the international clubs that their draft picks play on. That was the case with Serge Ibaka and, to a lesser extent DeVon Hardin and Robert Vaden. It’s been no different with Pleiss.
This might be the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, and I don’t mean this as a slight against Westbrook (I think he is a great, explosive player). But do you think the fact that he is not a “true” point guard holds the team back at all? Sometimes he gets into hero mode which takes others out of rhythm and Maynor sometimes seems to do a better job of getting everyone involved. Is this an issue for the Thunder or am I overreacting? – Timothy.
You’re overreacting. Westbrook’s hero-mode mentality looks terrible at times. But no one has any complaints when that style takes over and wins games. Besides, how many “true” point guards are there in the league today? Three? Four? Maybe. The NBA has changed. John Stockton isn’t walking through that door. I will say that Westbrook has fallen in love with his pull-up jumper. I wrote last year that it was much better even though the stats didn’t indicate as much. But this year, Westbrook has become more consistent and the numbers bear out that fact. Now, he forces it too much at times and that does in fact hurt the team. But he’s not the only one who takes bad or rushed shots. The bottom line, though, is Westbrook helps this team much, much more than he hurts it. And he’s got to be on the floor, doing exactly what’s brought him this far.
Heat 108, Thunder 103
News, notes and observations from Sunday’s loss to Miami
- Rebounding. Rebounding. Rebounding. Got to close out possessions. The Thunder didn’t in the fourth quarter and it cost them the game.
- Because of that, it’s safe to say this is a game the Thunder should have won. It almost felt like watching the Heat do to the Thunder what the Thunder has done to about 17 other teams this season. The Thunder essentially found a way to lose this one by not corralling a rebound.
- Miami had eight offensive boards in the fourth quarter. It led to 15 second-chance points. The Heat had 18 total rebounds in the final period. That’s more than they had in the entire first half.
- What might have gotten lost in the battle for rebounds is how the offense bogged down again in the fourth quarter. The Thunder stopped running plays, stopped sharing the ball and stopping searching for quality shots. And it led to a 5-for-19 period.
- LeBron James just passed Derrick Rose in my eyes for MVP. But not by much. James is doing some incredible things for Miami. But because he plays alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, people automatically write him off. But the way he played point guard today, orchestrating the Heat’s offense and getting everyone involved was a thing of beauty. And then he threatened to take over the game with his scoring.
- I was impressed with how Kevin Durant competed against not just James but the entire Heat team. He didn’t back down from Bosh. He battled for rebounds. He was locked in defensively (save a few possessions). And he came out in attack mode offensively. Durant might have gone 2-for-10 in the second half, but I thought tonight was a big step forward in his evolution as a player. He hasn’t had much success on the big stage. But he was clearly ready to accept the challenge tonight. Could be a sign of things to come as we march toward April.
- Neither team played good defense in the first half. Some of it was great offense, though. But the two teams combined to make 20 of their first 27 shots. Miami led 64-61 at halftime. The Heat was shooting 62 percent. The Thunder was shooting 52 percent.
- Wade was ridiculous at times. His ability to hit difficult shots is something I don’t hear talked about much. He tossed in some high-arching layups in traffic with his left hand, and his baseline fadeaway is just nasty. When he has it going like he did today, there isn’t much anyone can do about it.
Kevin Durant Rips Chris Bosh
Five minutes, 14 seconds into Sunday’s showdown between the Thunder and Heat, two of the respective team’s big three got into a war of words. Tempers flared. But the fireworks flamed out after only a few dirty looks.
Kevin Durant and Chris Bosh were both slapped with technical fouls.
After the game, both elaborated on the incident, with Durant taking exception to Bosh’s antics.
The incident began after Bosh delivered a hard foul to prevent Thunder guard James Harden’s fast-break layup. Durant, after trailing the play, shouted to Harden. Bosh then chimed in.
“He was telling Harden to dunk on me,” Bosh said. “He said dunk the next one. I expressed that, no, he’s not going to dunk that. And he expressed, yes he is. We just kind of went back and forth. I don’t think it was anything to get a tech over. It was just talking.”
Video replay showed Durant starting to walk away before Bosh began talking. Durant then stopped and barked back.
“I was talking to my teammate and he decided he wanted to put his two cents into it,” Durant said. “I’m a quiet guy, a laid back guy. But I’m not going to let nobody talk trash to me. He’s on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. But it’s a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he’s one of them.”
Rarely has Durant gotten in an opponent’s face as he did Sunday. The fourth-year forward typically plays the role of peacemaker. But this time, Durant was sending a message to the suddenly star-studded Heat.
He wasn’t backing down.
“I’m no punk,” Durant said. “I wasn’t even talking to him, first-off. He decided to butt in. I’m not just going to let that slide, especially in our house. He’s not one of those guys that I look at and say he has a rep for talking back to guys or always getting into it. He’s a nice guy. He’s not one of those guys. So I’m not going to let that type of person say something to me like that.”
Durant said he and Bosh don’t have a history of bad blood, even calling the Heat forward a “cool dude.”
“But once I step on the floor, all that stuff goes out the door,” Durant said.
Bosh had no hard feelings.
“He stood his ground,” Bosh said. “I respect that.”
-DM-
Getting You Ready For Game Day
Even if Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are unavailable, Kevin Durant and LeBron James are worth the price of today's admission.
You’ve had Jan. 30 circled on your calendars since August.
And the day is finally here.
Thunder vs. Heat. LeBron vs. Durant.
Regular season matchups rarely get any better.
Today’s game is the first ESPN on ABC telecast this season, and it promises to be one of the most exciting dates on the docket for the Thunder.
Thunder forward Kevin Durant was as eager as you. Now, in the first meeting between these two teams, Durant & Co. can send a message to the rest of the league with a statement performance today.
In the end, much will be said and written following the final buzzer. But we suggest you just sit back and enjoy the show.
In the meantime, here are a few links from around the Web to get you ready for the game.
In the Miami Herald, Joseph Goodman wrote about the unique atmosphere inside Oklahoma City Arena. “Welcome to Oklahoma City Arena, a place like no other in the world of the hip-hop cool NBA. The Heat (32-14) makes its only appearance of the season in Oklahoma City at 1 p.m. Sunday. The nationally televised game will showcase this far-flung basketball outpost, an atmosphere unlike anything else on the NBA schedule.”
In the Palm Beach Post, Ethan J. Skolnick laid out the differences between Miami and Oklahoma City, the Thunder and the Heat. “The differences in team approaches? The Heat threw a WWF-style signing celebration for their three stars. In the Thunder’s practice facility, there are no photos of players’ faces, just of “themes,” such as teamwork, with a hand reaching out to pick up a teammate off the floor.”
In the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Ira Winderman reports that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are progressing from injuries. “The good news for the Miami Heat is that the MRI taken on the bruised right wrist of guard Dwyane Wade came back negative Saturday, leaving the status of Miami Heat guard as day-to-day. The not-so-good news is that the Heat remain hobbled as they head into Sunday’s nationally televised road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wade’s injury was reclassified Saturday from a sprain to a bruise. Both he and power forward Chris Bosh, who has missed the past four games with a sprained left ankle, were on the team flight to Oklahoma City. The Heat nonetheless again could be limited to LeBron James and a bunch of supporting parts.”
Thunder 124, Wizards 117
Nuggets from my notebook from Friday’s win over Washington.
- There might not be such a thing as a bad win. But this one sure as heck wasn’t a good one.
- The Thunder’s defense is gone. The team can never admit that, and they certainly can’t change gears now. But maybe it’s time fans forget about it returning this season.
- The Wizards scored 29 points in the opening period, shot 52 percent and didn’t have a single turnover.
- Here are the two most telling things about the Thunder’s defense tonight. The Thunder didn’t register a steal through three quarters. Not one! OKC finished with three, one more than its season low, and didn’t get its first until Nick Collison collected a deflection with 10:49 left in the fourth. The second thing. The Wizards had just eight turnovers. Washington came in as the third worst team taking care of the ball, giving it away 16 times a game.
- The Wizards had 19 more shot attempts than the Thunder. The offensive rebounding was the same, at 13 apiece. But the Thunder’s 16 turnovers gave the Wizards more opportunities.
- But, hey, the Thunder is 30-16. The team is 17-5 in games decided by six points or less and 5-0 in overtime. I’m sure there are some that say I’m being too critical. But at this point, whether the Thunder is winning or not, the performances are unacceptable.
- Maybe it would be better if the Thunder wasn’t winning. I’ve got a funny feeling that the mounting wins are creating a big ol’ pot of fool’s gold. For the coaches and the players. The close wins could be creating an entirely different set of false confidence. After winning in this fashion for the better part of 46 games, it’s not out of the question to think that maybe this young team believes it can win like this on any given night. Or worse, in the playoffs. But again, the Thunder is 17-5 in close games, right? So maybe I’m wrong.
Kevin Durant’s Greatest Achievement
What's next for No. 35?
On Wednesday, Kevin Durant had a career night with 47 points and 18 rebounds.
On Thursday, he was named an All-Star starter for the first time.
The awards and accolades just keep pouring in for the Thunder’s fourth-year star. Since being drafted second overall in 2007, Durant has won Rookie of the Year, led the league in scoring, earned All-NBA First Team honors, carried his team to the playoffs, finished as runner-up in MVP voting, carried Team USA to a gold medal in the FIBA World Championship and, last but not least, won back-to-back H-O-R-S-E competitions.
What’s been the most impressive? Our panel tackles that topic in today’s question of the day.
What has been the most impressive achievement in Kevin Durant’s career?
JENNI CARLSON
Making Oklahoma City forget about Chris Paul. Folks here loved that guy when the Hornets were in town. Could they ever be so smitten with another? Um, yes. Kevin Durant has won people over with his game and his personality. He has that hard-working, credit-deferring style that is beloved here. That he was able to come in and capture hearts in Oklahoma City so quickly speaks to his talent and his persona.
BERRY TRAMEL
Kevin Durant’s most impressive achievement thus far has been his acceleration into the NBA’s holy of holies. Think about it. When it comes to NBA superstardom, Durant ranks only behind LeBron and Kobe. Durant already has passed Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, all those Celtics, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and whoever else I’m leaving out. I would say Durant, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard are about even at No. 3 on the list. And Durant is just in his fourth season and hasn’t even won a playoff series yet. Amazing. But that’s a testament to his skill, his demeanor and his attitude. He’s what everyone is looking for.
JOHN ROHDE
Kevin Durant is a franchise’s dream, not only for what he does on the court but for what he doesn’t do off it. This guy doesn’t mess up. Ever. He doesn’t even mis-tweet. There isn’t an athlete out there who hasn’t messed up at least once on Twitter — except Kevin Durant. This kid has the entire state of Oklahoma in the palm of his hand, and he went to the University of Texas. This is bordering on ridiculous.
MIKE SHERMAN
Leading his team to the playoffs at age 21 brands Kevin Durant as a winner, the most coveted distinction for any athlete. It’s the mark of an elite player. It puts him in the same club as Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett. And it sets him apart from other young stars. Isiah Thomas didn’t do it. Dirk Nowitzki didn’t do it. Paul Pierce didn’t do it. Kevin Durant did, and proving himself as a leader and a winner before his 22nd birthday is clearly his most impressive accomplishment.
DARNELL MAYBERRY
Cue Frank Sinatra because Durant’s biggest achievement to date isn’t anything he’s done on a basketball court. Durant’s most impressive feat is how he’s done it his way. Durant has dared to be different and been unafraid to step away from the status quo. That’s no simple task when you walk into the big business world of professional basketball as an 18-year-old pup. Durant has remained true to himself, his family and his friends. The glitz and glamour of the NBA has not changed him. He loves the game, not the lifestyle, and remains as gentile a superstar as you will ever meet. Everyone, from fans, to media members, to arena employees, to teammates to coaches and front office staffers, seemingly can tell a heartwarming story about something gracious and genuine Durant has done for them. That’s who he is. And none of the awards or accolades has tarnished that tremendous trait. Like Sinatra, Durant has faced it all and stood tall and done it his way.
-DM-
Kevin Durant marvels at Jimmer Fredette
Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant tied a career-high with 47 points and set a career-high with 18 rebounds in a 118-117 overtime victory at Minnesota on Wednesday night. He was on the team bus and headed to the airport when he checked a boxscore on his cellphone and immediately wrote the following to his 455,224 followers on Twitter: “Jimmer Fredette is the best scorer in the world!!”
High praise, coming from the youngest scoring champ in NBA history.
Fredette, a BYU guard and the leading scorer in Division I at 27.4 ppg, was in the process of scoring 43 points in a home victory against previously undefeated San Diego State. 
“He had 34 points with 10 minutes left,” explained Durant, who is at 28.6 ppg. “That’s something I never could do in college or the NBA. That’s very impressive.”
As usual, the self-effacing Durant was being modest, apparently forgetting he had 40 points through three quarters with 12 minutes left to play against Denver on Christmas Day.
“I had a chance to play against him this summer at my basketball camp, and he’s as good as advertised, especially against some of the top guys in the country,” Durant said of Fredette. “He also played with us in USA Basketball (against the FIBA World Championship gold medal team in Las Vegas) and held his own. I’m a big fan.”
Asked if he was going to whisper Fredette’s name in the ear of Thunder general manager Sam Presti come draft day in June, Durant smiled and said, “Nah, that’s not my style, but I’m sure he’ll make the right decision.”
What To Make Of These Close Wins
Scott Brooks (left) insists close games are more stressful on a coach than a player.
The Thunder notched yet another close victory last night.
A one-point overtime win at Minnesota bumped Oklahoma City to 17-6 in games decided by seven points or less.
What does that record mean? Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Or does it not matter at all. Our panel offers their take in today’s question of the day.
What do you make of the Thunder’s 17-6record in games decided by seven points or less?
JENNI CARLSON
It’s good and bad in my book. It’s good from the standpoint that these guys know how to win close games. They don’t get nervous. They don’t get out of sorts. They know that if it’s close, they can win. But there’s a bad side to this, too. Wednesday night’s one-point overtime win at Minnesota is a prime example. The Timberwolves are a 10-win team. Why in the world is the Thunder in such a close game with them? Yes, the win is great. Yes, the entertainment was grand. But the Timberwolves are a team the Thunder should have been able to beat going away. It goes back to this team’s struggles on defense. If you don’t defend well, Kevin Love and Michael Beasley are going to have big nights, the Timberwolves are going to take you to overtime and you’re going to have another victory in a close game. For the Thunder, it’s great to get a win, but should it have been so close? They have to figure out a way to put away inferior opponents so that they don’t have so many close games. The best way? Play better defense.
BERRY TRAMEL
The Thunder’s great record in close games is part fluke and part skill. And it’s a great skill to have, the ability to play well late in close games. It starts with foul shooting. If you rank the reasons why the Thunder beat Minnesota last night, foul shooting is No. 1. Keep the game close, and the Thunder has a huge edge. And the Thunder is young, which would seem to be a negative in close games, but close games are decided at the end of 48 minutes, so fresh legs are a wonderful attribute. But of course, sometimes it’s just dumb luck. Luke Ridnour misses a foul shot last night. Who was it a few games ago, missed a bunch of late foul shots? That’s just fortune. The Thunder has its share of that, too.
JOHN ROHDE
It’s kind of a good news/bad news answer. The good news is the Thunder is finding a way to win close games. The bad news is a lot of those games probably shouldn’t be that close. The Thunder is 4-0 in overtime, but continues to struggle with teams lower in the standings. Against sub-.500 teams this season, the Thunder has edged Detroit (105-104); Philadelphia (109-103); Milwaukee (82-81); Indiana (110-106 in OT); Houston (99-98); New Jersey (123-120 3OT); Golden State (114-109); Houston (118-112); and Minnesota (118-117 OT). There have been sub-.500 losses at the LA Clippers (107-92); at Toronto (111-99); against depleted Phoenix (113-110) in OKC; at Memphis (110-105); and the Thunder trailed Charlotte going into the fourth quarter before closing with a 31-12 final period. Obviously, a 17-6 (.739) record is impressive, but there shouldn’t have been so many. By the way, who decided the cut-off was seven points or less? That’s a three-possession game (barring a four-point play). I could go along with a two-possession game (six points) being a better cut-off, which would make the Thunder’s record even better at 16-5 (.762).
DARNELL MAYBERRY
As Kevin Durant said after the Wolves thriller, the Thunder is going through these close games for a reason. And that reason will reveal itself in late April. When the playoffs roll around, we’ll see how much better the Thunder is because of these regular season experiences. Playoff games, for the most part, are close contests. The Thunder is still young and still not supposed to be able to defeat the elite teams in a seven-game series. But with the help of these close games now, the Thunder might be able to steal a few more win they really matter.
-DM-
