Thunder 107, Suns 97
Nuggets from my notebook from Saturday’s 107-97 win over Phoenix
- Serge Ibaka looks to be picking it up. His last two games have been filled with energy and effort. He had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting tonight and swatted two shots. He didn’t get major minutes because of the Suns’ lack of size. But Ibaka looks to be putting it together.
- The Thunder went up 17-5 in the first quarter and, really, never looked back. Great starts like the Thunder had tonight seem rare.
- Russell Westbrook was good tonight. He finished with one of his best games of the season, scoring 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting with four assists and a season-low two turnovers. He was attacking the rim aggressively early and was back to his normal self putting pressure on the defense and being a pest in the passing lanes.
- After one quarter, seven Thunder players had scored 11 baskets. That became the theme of the night. OKC racked up 25 assists and shot 53.2 percent largely because of its unselfishness.
- The bench is great again. And it never gets old seeing how successful the second unit is. They went on a 27-12 run in the second quarter to turn a five-point lead at the start of the period into a 19-point advantage. During that spurt, four players scored and eight of the 10 made shots were assisted.
- Daequan Cook was key to the surge, scoring 12 points, all on 3s. He later left the game feeling ill. He was said to have flu-like symptoms.
- Don’t underestimate the game James Harden had tonight. He made only one of six shots but still flirted with a triple double with 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Harden had five of the eight assists during that second quarter 27-12 run.
- Not sure why Scott Brooks took out the B team in the last four minutes of the second quarter. Eric Maynor wasn’t either. As Westbrook replaced him, Maynor walked toward the bench and asked “Why?” That’s the same thing I want to know. The bench built the lead, and the starters almost gave it back. The Suns got within 14 at the half.
Thunder 104, Mavs 102
Nuggets from my notebook from Thursday’s win over Dallas.
- Absolutely amazing display by Thunder fans with 3:17 left to play. When a struggling Russell Westbrook stepped to the free throw line looking to complete a three-point play, the entire arena erupted in a chant of “Russ-ell, Russ-ell, Russ-ell.” Everyone knew Westbrook needed a boost. And the home crowd gave it to him. The standing ovation following the final buzzer of the Game 6 loss to the Lakers in the 2010 playoffs is far and away the most memorable show of appreciation by Thunder fans to date. But tonight’s surprising show of support for Westbrook immediately slid into second place.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks on the chant: “I’ve never seen, in my 20-something years of being in the NBA, what the crowd did. They knew he was struggling. They watched our game last night. He struggled. But when he made the layup and the free throw and they were chanting his name out, that’s special. This is a special place to play.”
- Westbrook on the chant: “It’s amazing what these fans will do for you, man. I love this city and my teammates. I’m just thankful.”
- Kevin Durant on the chant: “The crowd was unbelievable tonight in encouraging him, and I think that gave him an extra push. We can do so much. We’re always on top of him and encouraging him. But for the fans to do that meant a lot.”
- Here’s what made the chant so special. It was genuine. It was organic. It was heartfelt. It was the type of showing that sets fans apart. Never before, aside from trite “M-V-P” chants for Durant, has the OKC crowd showered a player with such support. For three years, I’ve hoped the Thunder’s in-game production staff would get rid of all the prompting and prodding by the PA guy to get the crowd to “make 15 seconds of noise for defense.” Quite frankly, it’s pathetic. True fans know when and how to make noise. Tonight, Thunder fans proved why they are among the best in the league.
- Durant’s game-winner overshadowed a helluva final three minutes for Westbrook. After an 0-for-13 performance at Memphis, Westbrook was borderline awful again tonight. Through three quarters, he had nine points on 3-for-11 shooting with four assists and six turnovers. But he came alive and provided five huge plays that saved this game for the Thunder. The first was the fast-break dunk and foul that sparked the chant. It put the Thunder up three. The second was a rebound off KD’s missed 3 that Westbrook flew in and pulled down in traffic before canning a jumper over Shawn Marion. The third was a stolen inbounds pass. The fourth was a offensive foul he drew on Dirk Nowitzki, causing Dirk to pick up a tech in protest. And the fifth was a pull-up jumper Westbrook hit over Dirk that gave the Thunder a 101-96 lead with 46 seconds left.
- The final 3 1/2 minutes tonight could turn Westbrook’s slow start completely around. He desperately needed something like this to happen for him tonight. Through three quarters, Westbrook was clearly not himself. He wasn’t playing with passion. The fire in his belly was absent. He was deffering. And he made tons of mistakes, including passing up opportunities, as he tried too hard to play more under control. Only in the final 3 1/2 did we see the real Westbrook.
- Durant’s game-winner was an incredible shot. That’s the best thing you can say about it, because by no means was it a high-percentage hoist. In fact, it looked the exact same as all the others we’ve seen over the past three seasons that have clanged off the rim or ended up sailing through nothing but air. Only difference this time is that it went in.
- The Thunder does, however, deserve credit for some nice execution on the final play. Westbrook made a hard cut to through the lane to occupy his man. Kendrick Perkinsset a tremendously effective screen on Shawn Marion to take him out of the play. Thabo Sefolosha made a pinpoint entry pass. And Durant did the rest.
- Brooks on the final play: “I drew it up that way, but everybody knows special players make decent coaches. That was a big play.”
- Westbrook: “He lives for shots like that. He’s come such a long way. I’m happy for him.”
- It was Durant’s third career buzzer-beating game winner and his first since a January game against the Knicks last year. His other one came at Atlanta in his rookie season.
- Durant finished with 30 points, the fourth straight game that Durant has scored at least 30. He added 11 rebounds and six assists. His six turnovers marked the first time he hasn’t finished a game this season with more assists than turnovers.
- Mavs coach Rick Carlisle on KD: “Right now, he’s probably the best player in the league with what he has been doing in the first four games.”
Kevin Durant Talks About Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant sat down for an interview with NBA TV less than three minutes after I asked him about Wednesday night’s incident with Russell Westbrook. Durant diffused the situation in his response to me, and in the below video he again reiterates his appreciation for Westbrook as a teammate.
-DM-
Thunder 98, Grizzlies 95
Nuggets from my notebook from Wednesday’s win at Memphis.
- I imagine there will be plenty of talk about Russell Westbrook’s performance tonight. And rightfully so. He went 0-for-13 with only four points and six assists against four turnovers in 31 minutes. It was a performance that rivaled the worst of any in his career to date. But there was a reason for the struggles. As I wrote for Thursday’s paper, Westbrook let his emotions get the best of him. It was clear as day and once he got heated there was no putting out that fire.
- As I laid out in the above link, Westbrook and Kevin Durant got into a heated exchange on the bench during a second quarter timeout. It was as fierce as anything I’ve ever seen from the two publicly and the kind of scene that lends credence to the alleged beef between the two. It didn’t appear to have anything AT ALL to do with the rumored rift that so many seemingly wants to be true. But they had to be separated more than once as they lashed out at each other. Fans in the first few rows behind the bench even came to their feet as if a fight was breaking out. The two eventually sat at opposite ends of the five-man unit that was sitting while waiting on Thunder coach Scott Brooks to enter the huddle. But when Durant and Westbrook took the court, Durant walked over and patted Westbrook on the back of the head.
- Durant on the altercation: “We’re going to disagree sometimes, like I’ve always been saying. But I’m behind him 110 percent, and he’s the same way with me. And you seen when we came on the floor we clicked and everything started to work from there.”
- Brooks on the altercation: “When you have an intense game, you’re going to have arguments. I have no problem with it. I think it’s healthy. I think you learn from it and you get better with it. That’s just part of an NBA game. We have it and other teams have it. Good teams, bad teams and average teams. I have no issues with how our guys compete. At times they get frustrated. But it’s always about the team.”
- Westbrook did not address the media after the game. He wasn’t seen by reporters in the locker room when the media was permitted to enter. It’s not uncommon of Westbrook, though, to dart out of the dressing room. He typically is one of the first out after every game.
- Once again, the altercation did not start between Durant and Westbrook. It simply happened to boil over to them. The frustration started when Westbrook attacked the paint on a drive with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter and kicked it out to a wide open Thabo Sefolosha in the corner. Sefolosha pump faked and passed up the shot, prompting Westbrook to scream at him to “shoot the (expletive) ball.” Sefolosha immediately told Westbrook to relax while acknowledging his mistake. But Westbrook was still steaming as Durant stepped to the free throw line at the end of the sequence. Durant tried to calm Westbrook down, and Kendrick Perkins chimed in with a few words as well while standing at the opposite side of the court from Westbrook. The bench incident took place during a timeout a minute later.
- Westbrook was actually right when he demanded Thabo shoot. Westbrook just handled it the wrong way. Although Westbrook chose his words poorly, his reaction was no different than things I’ve seen from Chris Paul when demanding his teammates do something. Initially, I viewed it as a sign of Westbrook’s growing leadership and improved confidence in communicating, even if it means getting on someone. He was holding his teammate accountable, something he is obligated to do as the Thunder’s floor general. But it looked like he just didn’t know when to let it go.
- If you want my opinion, Durant and Westbrook are fine. There is nothing to worry about between the two. I don’t pretend to know if things will remain that way.
Power Lunch chat recap: John Rohde
Where to next for Nate Robinson?
Guard Nate Robinson cleared waivers Tuesday, which means anyone can claim the 5-foot-9, 27-year-old, three-time NBA slam dunk champion.
It was no surprise OKC and Robinson parted ways at the outset of training camp earlier this month. Robinson’s me-first attitude didn’t mesh at all with the Thunder. What’s surprising is there has been little, if any, interest in Robinson’s explosive offensive game.
Sam Amick of SI.com tracked down Robinson a few hours after he was waived by the Thunder. Robinson insists he has matured and would not be a headache for the team that took a chance on him.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News didn’t think the Knicks will be offering Robinson a return trip to their roster, which turned out to be true. The Knicks signed Jeremy Lin on Tuesday to replace injured rookie Iman Shumpert.
The condensed 66-game schedule figures to take its physical toll, so don’t be surprised if someone eventually offers a roster spot to Robinson to replace an injured player. But under no circumstance will that team be the Thunder.
Thunder 104, Wolves 100
Nuggets from my notebook from Monday’s 104-100 win at Minnesota.
- Kendrick Perkins stole the show. That was hard to do tonight for anyone on the Thunder not named Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden. But Perk again made his presence felt in ways that showed up in the stat sheet and in ways that didn’t. His defense on Darko Milicic was outstanding and his rebounding helped the Thunder control the glass against a tremendous offensive rebounding team. And of course the free throws at the end were what iced this one.
- Three things you need to know about Perk’s game-clinching foul shots. 1) He intentionally didn’t pass to Durant after grabbing the defensive rebound with 3.8 seconds left because he wanted to seal the win. 2) He made the shots with a sprained right wrist he sustained in the first quarter. 3) He stepped to the line thinking of the post-practice free throw game the Thunder plays at the end of each session.
- Perk told me his wrist is fine. He should be a go at Memphis on Wednesday. But the way he sprained it is worth noting. It happened when Perk and Wolves center Darko Milicic mixed it up and Darko pushed Perk to the floor. Perk injured the wrist while bracing his fall. The most interesting part of that exchange came when Perk stared up at Darko and nodded his head like ‘Bring it.’ Darko stood his ground and nodded right back with a smile. And then Darko had the nerve to walk up on Perk and keep it going. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had no idea Darko had a little crazy in him.
- I don’t care what the Wolves’ record shows at the end of the season. This was a heck of a road win. Wolves fans were loud and into the game the entire night. And they know their basketball. For the Thunder to come into a hostile environment and knock off a team playing passionately in their home opener says two things: the Thunder is road tough, and OKC again knows it needs to beat the teams its supposed to beat.
- Make what you will of the offense tonight. Three players scored 74 percent of the Thunder’s points. I’m going to take the glass half full approach and say it’s a good thing when the Thunder can do that and still walk out of somebody else’s building with a win. Not sure that’ll fly in, say, San Antonio. But for tonight, it worked.
- Durant, Westbrook and Harden were 27-for-53 from the field with 12 assists. The rest of the team was 8-for-25 with five assists. When I look at it like that, I want to change my mind to the glass half empty viewpoint.
- Westbrook was up and down again. And after only two games, I’m ready to say that’s what we’ll see for the next 64. It’s just who he is at this point. Key words being at this point. He’s still only 23. His jumper has clearly improved, but his decision-making and point guard instincts are still lacking. Tonight was the same script as Sunday’s opener. Westbrook had great attacks on the rim on one possession and reckless attacks that ended in charges on the next. He made great passes at times but then followed those with forces on others. I don’t know if those problems are correctable in mid-season. I doubt it. But I know there are 18,000 fans in 28 other NBA arenas that are dying to have a talent like Westbrook. (more…)
Ricky Rubio To Debut Against Thunder
After two topsy-turvy years, Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio will finally make his NBA debut tonight at 7 against the Thunder. There was a time when Rubio was an international sensation, a can’t-miss prospect. But the NBA lockout has overshadowed Rubio’s arrival. Recent Blockbuster trades and on-going trade speculation, coupled with the continued love-’em-or-hate-’em obsession with the Miami Heat, have pushed Rubio further out of the NBA limelight. It also doesn’t help that he plays for the Wolves. But starting with tonight’s game, we’ll soon find out whether Rubio has been all hype all these years or is a legit addition to a league filled with extremely talented point guards.
As you prepare for tip-off, here’s a piece I wrote on Rubio back in 2009 leading up to the draft. The Thunder, if you remember, had Rubio on its radar as he began sliding down draft boards and ultimately became the biggest mystery in that year’s draft class.
There was a time when Ricky Rubio was considered a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick whenever the teen-age Spanish point guard sensation decided to cross the waters.
A can’t-miss prospect, they said. A future NBA star.
Twelve months later, Rubio has made his long-awaited jump, only to land in the U.S. as the most puzzling player in this year’s NBA Draft. You’d have a better chance solving a Rubik’s Cube than cracking the complex Rubio case.
No longer is Rubio, 18, perched comfortably atop draft boards as the consensus No. 1 prospect. Blake Griffin tugged at that crown with each rim-rattling dunk and 20-rebound performance he registered during his sophomore season at Oklahoma. Rubio has been meeting with teams like the Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder, teams with the third and fourth picks of the draft. Thunder officials reportedly flew to Los Angeles to meet with Rubio on Saturday.
Still, Rubio enters Thursday’s draft widely regarded as the second best prospect behind Griffin and the only other player regarded as a franchise-changing talent.
So how is it that in a weak draft the mop-haired playmaker who has drawn comparisons to Pete Maravich could fall as low as fifth to Washington?
It’s a phenomenon best explained by a wacky finish to last month’s NBA Draft Lottery, an ugly and pricey buyout with his Spanish club team that only a lawsuit can settle now, stringent demands from his representatives and lingering questions about how good the kid really is.
“All of that is sort of the perfect storm to say we don’t know where Ricky Rubio’s going to go,” said Chad Ford, who covers the NBA Draft for ESPN.com. (more…)
David Stern Drops Bombshell On OKC
I had an interesting five-minute chat with NBA commissioner David Stern last night.
With just minutes to spare before tip-off between the Thunder and Magic following his 25-minute pre-game press conference with reporters, Stern stuck around after I snagged him off to the side for a couple of quick follow-ups. There were two topics I wanted to inquire about: the so-called Derrick Rose rule and the more punitive luxury tax. More specifically, I wanted to know from the commissioner how he felt the presence of those two issues in the new collective bargaining agreement would impact Oklahoma City and markets like it.
It doesn’t take a salary cap expert to figure out that rising salaries (the Derrick Rose rule) coupled with stiffer penalties (a more punitive tax) is a mix that ultimately will put pressure on teams and perhaps might soon limit their ability to retain their stars and remain competitive. But Stern stood behind both rules and others, leading to my story today in which Stern admitted the Thunder would eventually have to be a taxpayer if it had any intentions on winning big with its current talented core. In my humble opinion, it was by far the most interesting thing that came out of opening night in Oklahoma City.
For years we’ve wondered how will the Thunder keep its core intact. And on opening night, Christmas night, the commissioner came to town and confirmed it can’t.
“People are saying to Miami, ‘Well, you’re going to have a decision to make with respect to one of your big three,’” Stern said. “And they may say the same thing to Oklahoma City, and that’s a good thing. That means you’ve arrived and you’re out there being competitive.”
Translation: you can have two stars, but you can’t have three. Not in the new NBA. Not unless you want to pay big bucks.
In other words, bye, bye James Harden. So long, Serge Ibaka. (more…)
Thunder 97, Magic 89
Nuggets from my notebook from Sunday’s 97-89 win over Orlando.
- This one had ups and downs throughout. It felt like the Thunder was absolutely dominant at times and at others OKC looked like downright sloppy.
- The Thunder watched Orlando make eight of its first nine, then miss 14 of its next 15. The Thunder also closed the third on 17-9 run but then watched Orlando claw back and make it interesting late with a 24-10 spurt. All that says is there’s still a ways to go with the consistency. Nothing we didn’t already know.
- Says a lot about the Thunder when you think its playing sloppy and you look up and it is ahead 14.
- Scott Brooks played a bonafide 10-man rotation tonight. It happened when Daequan Cook checked in with about a minute left in the first quarter. I think what we saw tonight with the rotation is what we can expect for the first 15-20 games.
- Of course, that means no Reggie Jackson and Cole Aldrich for now. That’s not a bad thing. It’s actually a luxury. If they’re as talented as some think, this team is in a great spot.
- The writing was on the wall all throughout camp, but Brooks made it official tonight when he started his season-ending first five. Not much more to be said about that. Kind of just have to live with it for now. But James Harden was terrific off the bench. At one point, Harden had nine points, four rebounds and two assists and hadn’t even made a shot from the field.
- The bench in general was amazing tonight. The second unit combined to score 39 points with 18 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks, two steals and only three turnovers. They turned a 21-18 deficit into a 27-22 lead by the end of the first quarter. They doubled an 11-point third-quarter lead to give the Thunder its largest advantage of the night. Said Brooks: “It’s important for us to continue to build that everybody-has-a-role type of mentality, and they have.”
- Only three starters had impressive debuts. They were Kevin Durant, Thabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins. Durant scored a game-high 30 and dished six assists, Perk’s defense was at times dominant and Sefolosha showed some much-needed offense, canning two 3s.
- Our man Berry Tramel pointed out to me that Dwight Howard had three field goals in the first 4 1/2 minutes and had just one the rest of the way. That one came with Perk on the bench. Otherwise, Perk had roughly 26 minutes where he held Howard scoreless.
- KD had a nightmare night at the foul line going 6-for-11. Doubt you see that for another four seasons. Said Durant: “I felt like Shaq out there tonight.”
