The Rain Drops/Thunder Girls dance was really good, and I was like you– how long did it take those little girls (and boys) to learn that routine? It was long! Good but long (pause).

Did Russ not get it when you asked him about the cold one?

Oh, and I almost peed my pants when Russ went down. Scared the crap out of me.

Nate’s ovation was pretty awesome, as was the fact that nobody in the building sat down, even when it took 4 minutes (and a timeout) for the good guys to score. Oh, and when KD missed the first two of three free throws and the crowd cheered him wildly with encouragement before his third. The crowd is playoff ready as well.

You make a point of criticizing Westbrook often for his poor decision making and ball pounding tendencies. Yet, he clearly came out of the gate tonight (as he has other nights) and made an effort to get others involved. You lament that Westbrook does not involve his teammates like Derrick Rose does – perhaps tonight’s start (in the first and third quarters) can give you insight as to why. Three players in our starting unit who cannot create their own shot. When they get the ball, they are usually taking a low percentage shot (Thabo wide open three, missed layups, Ibaka contested jumper, Perkins anything more than two feet from the rim) or passing back out for a reset. The Bulls? Carlos Boozer is a very adept passing big, as is Joakim Noah. Deng can create his own offense. Bogans can at least hit a three pointer. Their offense has ball movers that will create something out of Rose’s initiation of an offense. The Thunder’s starting lineup doesn’t have it.

There’s a reason the offense takes off when the bench comes in. James Harden, Eric Maynor, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Daequan Cook, even Nazr Mohammed. Every one of those guys can either shoot or move the ball constructively – or both.