Thunder a popular distraction at Final Four
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook dunks over Chicago center Omer Asik during Sunday's 92-78 home victory over the Bulls.
To say Sunday’s game between the Thunder and Chicago created a buzz at the Final Four in New Orleans would be vastly overstating it, but there was at least a murmur.
Fans who attend the Final Four have such tunnel vision toward college hoops that the rest of the sports world pretty much ceases to exist until their champion is crowned. Nothing is more important than the event they’re at. Major league baseball’s opening day doesn’t register. The Masters will have to wait until later in the week. As for the NBA, that championship won’t be determined until June.
But several fans opened their minds on Sunday. Around 5 p.m., a bar called “The Beach” on Bourbon Street was packed with college hoop fans. The music was loud. The drinks were flowing. Didn’t matter it was an off day before Monday night’s title game between Kentucky and Kansas. In addition to Final Four supporters from UK, KU, Ohio State and Louisville, there were fans from various participants in this year’s bracket — North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, Florida, Florida State, even Ohio.
Everything in sight and everything within ear shot was about college hoops. Then flat-screen televisions above the bar area started showing a recap of the Thunder’s 92-78 victory over the Bulls at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Five Louisville students decked out in Final Four gear suddenly stopped sipping their drinks and bouncing to the beat as they watched a package of Thunder highlights. First came Kevin Durant raining in jumpers. Then came Russell Westbrook scoring inside and out. That was followed by Westbrook’s perfectly thrown two-hand flick pass from halfcourt on an ally-oop to Durant.
The Louisville Five shook their heads on the ally-oop, but when Westbrook threw down a dunk over 7-foot, 280-pound Chicago center Omer Asik, those fans simultaneously turned and looked at each other while screaming their delight. Two guys got so excited, their lost their hats. High-fives quickly ensued. Others watching the highlights pretty much had the same reaction, as did the bartender when he stopped serving, looked over shoulder and saw several slow-motion replays of Westbrook’s dunk.
New Orleans is a town filled with, shall we say, distractions. Sunday afternoon on Bourbon Street, one of the bigger distrations were Thunder highlights.
Thunder players familiar with the Final Four squads
Several Thunder players are familiar with this year’s Final Four participants, having actually competed against them during the NBA lockout last summer.
Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich spent the offseason in Lawrence and frequently played in pickup games with Kansas players.
Nazr Mohammed played at Kentucky and set up one of the Thunder’s voluntary mini-camps this summer on the campus in Lexington.
Kansas, Kentucky, OhioState and Louisville are in this weekend’s Final Four at New Orleans. Kentucky and Louisville meet in Saturday’s first national semifinal at the Superdome, while Kansas and Ohio State meet in the other semifinal. The winners will play for the title on Monday night.
Daequan Cook attended Ohio State for one season before going pro, but rather than spending last summer in Ohio, Cook spent much of his time working out in Oklahoma City to show his desire to re-sign with the Thunder as a restricted free agent.
More than half the OKC roster participated at the Kentuckycamp. The Wildcats are 36-2 and spent much of the season ranked No. 1. For them to advance to the Final Four came as no surprise to Thunder players.
“We were all thinking, ‘They’re pretty good,’ ” said two-time All-Star Russell Westbrook. “All of ‘em are going to be pros. They’re a good team, so they’re going to be all right (at the Final Four). … It was no mystery they were going to be good.”
Mohammed envisioned a big season for his alma mater. “Oh, definitely,” Mohammed said.
NBA two-time scoring champ Kevin Durant saw the same. “Oh, yeah. I did,” Durant said. “I called it. Everybody on our team said they’re the best team in the country. They have five pros on their team. Their sixth man is a pro also. They’re really, really good, man. Being there for a week, we got close to those guys. You talk to them and you pull for them that hopefully they win the championship. Coach Cal (John Calipari) is a great guy. Their whole staff is good. Hopefully they win. They respected us. They came out and competed against us. You could tell they were going to be really good this year.”
Every Thunder player who discussed the Wildcats was quick to mention national player-of-the-year candidate Anthony Davis, who is a lock for the Wayman Tisdale Award as the nation’s top freshman. “Anthony Davis stood out,” Mohammed said. “He’s just such a good kid, worked hard, was trying to find as much knowledge as he could. Terrence Jones, all the guys were good. The surprising part was they were such a tight-knit group for guys who just had met, so that definitely was a good sign.”
It was never the Thunder vs. Kentucky in Lexington. It was always mix and match. Mohammed said at one point there were two courts of 5-on-5 going on side-by-side. “I was really impressed with their talent,” Collison said of Kentucky. “Anthony Davis, when I saw him, I knew he was going to be really good. Yeah, they’ve got a ton of talent, for sure. They were really talented and that was their first couple weeks on campus, too. I’m sure they’ve gotten a lot better since then.”
The same success wasn’t envisioned for Collison’s alma mater, which lost roughly 70 percent of its scoring, rebounding and assists and nearly 80 percent of its 3-pointers off the previous year’s team and still managed to win its eighth straight Big 12 regular-season title.
“Honestly, they’ve really impressed me, man. They’ve overachieved a lot,” Collison said. “This is probably one of the least-talented teams they’ve had in a long time in terms of depth, the number of guys, but the players have done a great job. Guys who didn’t much at all last year really stepped up. … I’m really impressed. They’ve had an unbelievable year. They’ve got a lot of walk-ons playing quality minutes. That’s not always the case atKansas, but those guys have really stepped up and played great. It’s been fun to watch.”
Aldrich smiled and shook his head when asked how he thought this year’s Jayhawks would fare after facing them throughout the summer. “Nick and I kind of joke about it,” Aldrich said. “We were like, ‘Uh, I don’t know about this.’ We thought they’d make the (NCAA) tournament, but we were unsure of how far they would go. To see them in the Final Four, I think huge credit goes out to coach (Bill) Self, not only for getting those guys prepared for the season, but for the guys themselves, for working hard and getting better throughout the season. It shows that a team you think may not have a good year has a great year.”
Mohammed advanced to the national championship game all three seasons atUK, winning the title as a freshman in 1996 and as a junior in 1998, after which he turned pro. Collison made it to the 2002 and 2003 Final Fours, losing the national title game to Syracuse and freshman Carmelo Anthony in 2003, when Collision had 19 points and 21 rebounds. Aldrich was a freshman on the 2008 national championship team at Kansas. Cook and fellow OSU freshmen Greg Oden and Michael Conley turned pro after losing in the 2007 national championship game against Florida.
Thunder 102, Lakers 93
Observations from the Thunder’s 102-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Thursday night:
- Russell Westbrook once again ruled the roost for the Thunder. So this doesn’t sound like a broken record, I try to ask a different teammate to share their thoughts on Westbrook whenever he turns in a superb performance, and Thursday night definitely qualified with 36 points, six assists, two steals and only one turnover. Tonight’s guest speaker on Westbrook is reserve center Nazr Mohammed: “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Russ. He’s been doing an unbelievable job trying to get the ball to guys, taking over the game. His pace of play, his leadership in the huddle, he’s just been off the charts these last 5-6 games.”
- Don’t look now, but Kendrick Perkins has scored in double-digits three of the last four games. He had 12 points (5 for 9 from the field), eight rebounds and two blocked shots against the Lakers. “They’re doing a good job of finding me,” Perkins said of his teammates. “I’m just finishing, doing what I need to do. We’re playing good team ball. I think Kevin and Russ are doing a great job of getting everybody involved early.”
- Oops, one more teammate on Westbrook. Here’s Perk: “Russ came out and had a monster second half and I knew he was because he was mad at himself in the first half (nine points; 3-for-10 shooting). I already know how Russ is – seriously. He came out and did what he needed to do.”
- After starting out the game 0 for 8 from the field, Kevin Durant hit 10 of his last 14 shots. By the way, 10 of 14 is what Durant shot atPortlandin Tuesday night’s win. Take away the first quarter tonight and Durant is 20 of 28 (.714) from the floor. “I’m growing as a player. I started off 0-of-8, I think – all good shots. I just stayed confident, though. My teammates encouraged me every time down and I just told myself to take good shots within the flow, and just tried to do anything to help us win.”
- OK, one more teammate on Westbrook. Here’s Durant: “He was seeing that we weren’t making any shots. Russell is an aggressive player and that’s his game. He came out making shots and we all rallied behind him and we got a good win.”
- The Thunder is 5-0 since Derek Fisher joined the team March 21. Almost every question about Fisher has been about his leadership in the locker room. Nick Collison said there is much more to Fisher. “Everybody’s talking about what he brings to the locker room,” Collison said. “I think he can really help us as a player, too. He gives us stability in that second unit running the team. … It’s great that we got him.”
- Pre-game and post-game were absolute zoos. There were 23 media types on hand to hear Fisher essentially make a two-minute statement after the Thunder’s morning shoot-around. Roughly 50 media members surrounded Fisher for a pre-game Q&A at Staples Center. After the game, 44 media folk swarmed the Durant-Westbrook corner in a pint-sized visitor’s locker room. OKC went through the same interview routine when it played the LA Clippers here on Jan. 30 and I believe there were three reporters at shoot-around and roughly a half-dozen reporters during pre-game and post-game.
- After Thunder coach Scott Brooks addressed the media, he went back into the coaches’ dressing room. It was there where Brooks and Fisher chatted for roughly 10 minutes alone, sitting on chairs. No clue what was said, but when they were done talking, Brooks and Fisher stood, slapped hands and hugged it out. Thursday was important to Fisher. No doubt about it.
- Just in case there was any doubt, Perkins can’t stand Pau Gasol. Perk has said as much, which is why Perk was booed louder than any Thunder player all night, including pre-game introductions. Perk was called for his 12th technical foul of the season after he flared his elbows and was fouled by Gasol. The tech has a good chance of being rescinded. Remember, 13 techs bring a one-game suspension, as does every other tech thereafter.
- Time for a little quoteboard:
- Lakers center Andrew Bynum on the Thunder’s second-half performance: “Everybody on their team played decent amounts offensively to get it done. They turned it up, and they beat us in transitions and loose balls.”
- Lakers starting point guard Ramon Sessions, the man who replaced Fisher, on the Thunder’s second-half performance: “They just got up a little more. They got a couple more loose balls offensively, and they kind of sucked our defense away from us. They came out, they played hard, they played a good game.”
- Gasol on seeing Fisher: “I told him it was great to see him. As a teammate, as a friend, as a person who we shared so many battles with, I told him it’s weird not to have him around. But obviously, (I) wish him the best.”
- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on their loss tonight: “Tonight, the offensive rebounds killed us (19 for OKC, resulting in 23 second-chance points), the transition killed us (25-8 in favor of the Thunder), those 50-50 balls killed us. That’s what cost us the game.”
- Westbrook on Westbrook: “Kevin and I started a little slow and the game got kind of out of whack and my job is to pick us up wherever we need to do to win.”
- Don’t forget OKC still played defense tonight. If it didn’t slow the Lakers’ quick start with the some stops thereafter, no way the Thunder wins. “We always rely on our defense,” Durant said. “I think tonight our defense was pretty good. We made those guys shoot tough shots. They got a lot of weapons, but I think we just stuck with our concepts. Luckily they missed a few and we did a great job of contesting.”
- And on Derek Fisher night, we close with Derek Fisher:
- (On if he was asked to scout the Lakers): “Nowadays with advanced scouting and technology, when teams call the play, the opposing team’s coaches know the plays as well as the players on the floor do, so I just tried to add some information about tendencies, what guys like to do in certain situations. I’m on the other team now, so it was definitely my job to help us as much as I could.”
- (On his emotions of coming back to LA): “Overall, my emotions were in a very good place the entire time. I think due to the circumstances and how fast things have happened in the last couple weeks, the best way for me to show up here is to have been focused on what I could do to help my team win. I think the door was shut pretty hard in terms of how it happened. Obviously the team felt that they needed to move on. I have as well. I came in tonight pretty much with the similar mindset I have going into every road game – focused and trying to help my team win.”
- (On receiving a standing ovation before the game): “The fans here and the people here in this city and the community – regardless of where I play – will always hold a very special place in my heart. Regardless of whether they applaud me or boo me because I’m on the other team. But moving here in 1996 and experiencing what I have in 13 years as a member of the team – just great, great memories and a lot of great moments that without them wouldn’t be as special.”
- Up Next: Mighty Chicago(41-11) at noon Sunday at The Peake.
Derek Fisher’s statement to LA media
Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, traded away two weeks ago after 12 1/2 seasons with the Lakers, spoke for a little more than two minutes after the Thunder’s morning shootaround at Santa Monica High School on Thursday.
He took no questions from the 23 media members who were on hand, but is scheduled to field questions 90 minutes prior to tonight’s 9:40 p.m. game between the Thunder and Lakers at Staples Center.
Here is what Fisher said:
“First and foremost, I’m excited to be back in the city, excited to see my friends and brothers that I consider teammates from when I was here. I’m excited to see those guys. I’m excited to see my extended type of friends sitting courtside, ticket holders, people I grew close to over the years when I was here. It’s only been a couple weeks, but it seems like so much longer, so I’m excited to get back and see everyone.
“Like I said last week, the place that this city and these fans and everyone I grew close to over the years, they and this place will always, always hold a very special place in my heart. That will never change, but due to a number of different circumstances, I’m in Oklahoma City now and I’m extremely happy to be (in OKC). This is a very special situation, just a great group of players, a great group of guys, the staff, the community, just the right fit at the right time coming off what took place and I’m just as happy as I can be in Oklahoma City and everything that’s gone on. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and playing some basketball tonight in front of what used to be the home crowd. Coming in individually, I’m sure it will be a lot of fun. There’s a lot on the line in terms of the two teams, but it’s just exciting.
“I’m thankful to you guys for the support you showed me over the years, even in good words and sometimes critical words. It was always with respect and appreciation for what I brought to my teams as best I could. I will always be thankful for the support in the media as we spend time at the court just like this over the years. So I’ll see you all tonight when I get a chance to speak in a little bit more detail. I’m trying to get back (on the court) and get some shots, and make a few later on tonight.”
Thunder 109, Trail Blazers 95
Observations from the Thunder’s 109-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on Tuesday night:
- This was one of the best all-around games Russell Westbrook has had. He finished with 32 points and could have threatened 50 had he come down with a case of tunnel vision. He was 16 for 26 from the field and easily could have taken a half-dozen more shots had he not looked for open teammates. Westbrook blew past defenders, but studied the entire court rather than focusing solely on the rim. This truly was one of the more enjoyable performances out of the 23-year-old.
- He had eight assists, three rebounds, three steals and two measly turnovers. Imagine him with a 4-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in every game. Scary.
- Westbrook had eight points, four assists and two steals in a breathtaking first-quarter performance. He would have had five assists had Serge Ibaka not missed a bunny.
- The Thunder is 8-0 when three players score at least 20 points, as was the case Tuesday with Westbrook (32), Kevin Durant (25) and James Harden (21).
- During a first-quarter steal and breakaway, Westbrook was ahead of the pack, but slowed to deliver an assist to a trailing Durant for a dunk, just as he did two days earlier in a convincing win against the Miami Heat. This is becoming a habit for Westbrook, who did the same for Ibaka in the second quarter Tuesday. Presumably, this will diminish Westbrook’s reputation for being selfish and also will help extinguish the alleged rivalry between Westbrook and Durant that is often portrayed among national media. Then again, probably not.
- Beautiful town Portland, even when it’s cloudy, drizzling and in the low 50s.
- Durant constantly speaks of not forcing anything, picking his spots, making quick decisions and doing so with confidence – whether it’s shooting, passing, rebounding, defending, whatever. No matter what aspect Durant is concentrating on, it all seems to be reflected in his shooting. On Tuesday, his velvet shooting touch was there from the outset. When Durant’s shooting stroke is in rhythm, everything else seems to flow smoothly. Against the Blazers, Durant shot 10 for 14 from the field, had six rebounds and two steals.
- Westbrook and Durant weren’t flawless. Westbrook went 0 for 3 from the free-throw line and 0 for 3 from 3-point range and Durant had five turnovers.
- Before Tuesday’s game, Durant spoke of how confident he and his teammates have felt lately. “Just have fun, man. Just have fun,” Durant said. “We lost a few games there after the All-Star break and we were panicking just a tiny bit, but the important thing is to relax, have fun and that’s what we’ve been doing lately.”
- Ibaka had six blocks, many coming at clutch moments. He’s drawing “oohs” and “aahs” on the road in the same manner of the Big Three.
- Even though the 20-minute limit has been lifted on Thabo Sefolosha, he played 22 minutes, 12 seconds after early foul trouble. Truthfully, he didn’t need to play any more minutes given OKC’s domination. And if the guy isn’t needed, rest is always the best alternative.
- OKC led 32-18 after the first quarter, during which it shot 65 percent (13 for 20) from the field, outrebounded the Blazers 14-9, had seven assists, three blocks, two steals and held Portland to 26.1-percent shooting from the floor. Not much more you could ask for to start a game – especially on the road in a tough arena.
- With 35 seconds left in the first half and the Blazers trailing 65-44 after another open jumper from Durant, a noticeable chorus of boos came from the sellout crowd of 20,626. It’s no easy feat to make the crowd boo the home team in the Rose Garden.
- The Thunder is now 4-0 with Derek Fisher, with a homecoming against the Lakers up next on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on TNT. Portland fans are well-acquainted with Fisher, who was booed with authority when he entered the game with 4:13 left in the first quarter.
- Fisher rattled in his first 3-point attempt of the night, but three more shots rattled in and out. The 16-year veteran is shooting just 22.7 percent (5 for 22) from the field with OKC. His misses againstMinnesotaweren’t even close, but now at least have a chance to go in. The more comfortable Fisher becomes, the better his shooting touch appears to be getting.
- A Royal Ivey sighting tonight. He played 12 minutes, five seconds. Ivey deserves more minutes. At the moment, I like him more than Fisher. Perhaps in time, Fisher will clearly be the obvious choice off the bench – but not right now. Not to me, anyway.
- At halftime of Sunday night’s game against Miami, a couple’s quick-change act received a standing ovation at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The same act played Tuesday night in Portland and received another warm reception. Evidently this condensed season of back-to-backs includes halftime shows.
- Up next: at LA Lakers on Thursday.
Thunder ages before our eyes
When the Oklahoma City Thunder was born in July of 2008, the franchise had the youngest roster in the NBA.
Before this season began, OKC had the sixth-youngest roster.
With Wednesday’s free agent acquisition of 37-year-old point guard Derek Fisher and the waiving of 25-year-old forward Ryan Reid, the Thunder roster now ranks as the 15th youngest, according to the Elias Sports Bureau:
(Average roster age as of March 23)
1. Sacramento Kings 25.277 (14 players)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves 25.494 (15)
3. Golden State Warriors 25.736 (14)
4. Philadelphia 76ers 25.842 (13)
5. New Orleans Hornets 25.973 (14)
6. Memphis Grizzlies 26.010 (14)
7. New Jersey Nets 26.100 (15)
8. Milwaukee Bucks 26.193 (15)
9. Charlotte Bobcats 26.212 (14)
10. Washington Wizards 26.215 (14)
11. Denver Nuggets 26.279 (15)
12. Cleveland Cavaliers 26.389 (14)
13. Houston Rockets 26.625 (13)
14. Indiana Pacers 26.637 (13)
15. OKC Thunder 26.757 (15)
16. Toronto Raptors 26.781 (13)
17. Portland Trail Blazers 26.831 (15)
18. Orlando Magic 26.846 (15)
19. Utah Jazz 26.854 (14)
20. New York Knicks 27.148 (15)
21. Los Angeles Lakers 27.386 (14)
22. Los Angeles Clippers 27.670 (14)
23. Detroit Pistons 27.750 (14)
23. San Antonio Spurs 27.750 (13)
25. Chicago Bulls 28.783 (14)
26. Boston Celtics 29.093 (15)
27. Phoenix Suns 29.283 (13)
28. Miami Heat 29.299 (15)
29. Atlanta Hawks 30.286 (15)
30. Dallas Mavericks 30.307 (15)
League average: 27.170
Thunder 103, Nuggets 90
Observations from the Thunder’s 103-90 victory Thursday night at Denver:
- Tuesday’s 104-103 setback to Houston unquestionably was the Thunder’s worst loss of the season. OKC blew an 11-point lead in the final 2½ minutes, and blew it at home. The manner in which the Thunder lost and the place it lost, it couldn’t have been much worse. That being said, not only was it imperative that OKC beat Denver on Thursday night, it was important how the Thunder looked doing it. OKC’s 103-90 victory indeed was impressive. Tuesday night’s loss is not forgotten, but at least it’s in the rearview window and could become a fleeting memory if OKC can sweep San Antonio and Portland in The Peake on Friday and Sunday night.
- Ignore Thabo Sefolosha’s stat line Thursday night (three points and one assist in 12 minutes, 27 seconds). His presence was undeniably huge. The Thunder had its identity back. Remember, OKC is 17-2 with Sefolosha in the starting lineup and 16-8 without him. “The chemistry is going to get back to what it was before,” Kevin Durant said.
- Daequan Cook isn’t going to say anything about preferring to not start, but he immediately seemed at ease coming off the bench and getting into the flow, scoring 11 points in 16 minutes.
- At 11:15 a.m., Denver coach George Karl spoke of how much better his team would match up defensively with Danilo Gallinari and Nene’ Hilario back in the lineup after missing the season’s previous meeting against OKC. Less than two hours later, Nene’ had been dealt to the Washington Wizards before the NBA trade deadline. Why would Karl bring up Nene’ if he knew he wouldn’t be playing? Maybe Karl didn’t think the trade would go through. Denver media expressed shock at the trade.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he doesn’t believe a shortened season and limited practice time necessarily led to fewer trades. “There’s not a lot of practices, you can say that, but you can blend it in,” Brooks said. “NBA players and coaches, they figure it out and teach on the fly. … You have to deal with it and integrate it as quickly as possible. It’s tough, but there’s enough time to work it out.”
- The best thing about Nick Collison, and there are many things, is he’s a straight shooter. When the Thunder stinks, Collison will tell it to you straight. And when OKC excels, Collison will do the same. Keeping that in mind, here is what Collison thought of Russell Westbrook’s performance against Denver: “Russell deserves a lot of credit. He defended really well. He got over every screen. I thought he was great tonight. He set the tone. So much of it was at the point of the ball. If we can avoid having to help so much (defensively) and avoid breakdowns at the point of the ball, we’re a lot better, especially against a team like Denver. He’s still playing on a sore ankle and he showed a lot tonight. He was great, and (Nuggets point guard Ty) Lawson is tough, man. He’s one of the toughest to keep out of the lane. I was impressed with Russell.”
- Speaking of Westbrook, he is starting to suffer the consequences for constantly whining for fouls and flashing his six-shooters when making 3-pointers. Denver fans started booing Westbrook the first time he touched the ball. Those boos quickly turned to groans as Westbrook buried his first three jump shots, but he made just 4 of his final 14 attempts to finish 7 for 17. With 7½ minutes left in the game, Westbrook was booed loudly when he did a double-clutch reverse dunk well after a whistle had stopped play. One section in the stands started chanting “over-rated,” which quickly fizzled out. Fans even booed when Westbrook was shaken up after being fouled with 2:41 remaining. With 2:25 left in the contest, Westbrook had a breakaway, but laid in the ball and placed it on the floor, drawing more boos.
- I’ve never heard fans boo more than in Denver. They spend much more energy booing than they do cheering for the Nuggets.
- The Thunder had a lengthy film session prior to the Thursday morning’s shoot-around, during which the normally mild-mannered Brooks wasn’t particularly kind. “We watched a lot of film and saw how bad we were,” Collison said. “Defensively, we’ve been really bad. We were a different team tonight. So now the key for us is that needs to become a habit. It can’t be just because we got embarrassed. Hopefully guys will see how fun it is to play like that and hopefully we’ll keep it up.”
- Speaking of the mild-mannered Brooks, he was slapped for a technical foul with 1:45 left in the second quarter when Ibaka was whistled for his third foul. Brooks was right. It was an atrocious call. Two trips before that was a delayed foul called on James Harden after the Thunder had gotten the ball back and was headed the other direction. It was Brooks’ second technical of the season.
- Brooks understandably had been frustrated with his team’s lackluster play as of late. He was particularly dejected after Tuesday night’s loss. “Didn’t get much sleep that night,” Brooks admitted during Thursday morning’s shoot-around.
- Man, there’s a lot of ice being used inside the OKC locker room. Lots of aches and pains. These truly are the dog days of the season.
- Thunder rookie Reggie Jackson never became a fan of the Denver Nuggets after moving to Colorado Springs in the sixth grade – he liked the Chicago Bulls and Portland TrailBlazers – but he performed extremely well in his home state, finishing with five points, a career-high five rebounds and four assists. “Reggie played phenomenal basketball tonight,” Durant said.
- The biggest individual stat difference from the first meeting between OKC and Denver to the second meeting obviously involved Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. Durant scored 51, Westbrook scored 40 and Ibaka had a triple-double in a 124-118 victory in OKC. Playfully asked if he had the same plan for Thursday, Brooks said during the morning shoot-around: “That was a good game plan. It worked last game. It’s going to be tough to pull that one out again. That was a spectacular game. One of those games no one deserved to lose.”
- The biggest team stat difference from the first meeting to the second meeting was the Nuggets scored 20 fewer points in the paint thanks to the Thunder taking better care of the ball (13 turnovers; just five in the second half) and not allowing Denver to get easy baskets off OKC’s carelessness. The Nuggets also had 15 second-chance points, 10 fewer than the previous meeting.
- The sequence of the game came with 3:41 left in the third quarter: An Ibaka block into the waiting hands of Durant, who fed Westbrook, who fed Harden for an ally-oop to make the score 70-57. Breathtaking.
- The Thunder might have struggled a bit lately, but there has hardly been a significant demise in its stature. Despite being just 4-3 in its last seven starts, OKC still has the best record in Western Conference at 33-10 (second-best in the NBA to Chicago’s 36-9) and leads second-place San Antonio by four games heading into Friday night’s game at The Peake. The Thunder is 15-7 on the road (easily the best record in the West) and is 18-3 at home (second-best to the 18-2 Los Angeles Lakers).
Trade deadline much more quiet this year
Last year's trade deadline brought Kendrick Perkins from the Boston Celtics.
Last year’s trade deadline brought a seismic shift in size and attitude to the Thunder with the acquisitions of centers Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed.
Thursday’s trade deadline brought no new personnel, though there was the feel of a new acquisition with guard Thabo Sefolosha returning to the starting lineup for that night’s game at Denver.
Sefolosha had missed the last 23 games with an injured right foot. Including a start he missed earlier in the season because of the flu, the Thunder was 16-8 without Sefolosha and 16-2 with him.
OKC coach Scott Brooks said his locker room had a welcome lift with the return of the 27-year-old from Switzerland.
“There’s no question everybody’s excited to have him back,” Brooks said. “He’s one of the premier defenders in the league. He loves to defend. He can defend 1s, 2s and 3s, so we have options on who we can put him on, who has the hot hand. He just has the knack for getting after it every time down on the defensive end. That’s a great asset to have.”
Brooks said he will slowly build Sefolosha’s playing minutes.
“(We’ve) done everything we can do other than put him in a game situation,” Brooks said. “There’s always a difference between practice shape and game shape. It’s going to take some time, but that’s expected for any player that’s been out close to seven weeks.”
Sefolosha said the most difficult part of sitting out since Jan. 27 was “knowing I couldn’t help.”
The fact the Thunder went 3-3 in its last six games made Sefolosha want to come back even sooner. “It’s never fun to see your team lose … even though (overall) we’re in a great spot, in a great situation right now.”
Daequan Cook started 22 games in place of Sefolosha and will return to his role as a backup shooting guard.
“I think it’s great to have him back,” Cook said. “The last few games, the defense hasn’t been there. When you have Thabo out there, it makes a big difference for us, knowing what he’s capable of doing and how it impacts our team.”
A long-range specialist, Cook is shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range as a reserve, but shot just 28.4 percent as a starter. Cook admitted there is a comfort level to playing with the second unit.
“That’s the good thing about it,” Cook said. “We know what our job is when we come in and most of the time we get it done. We’re comfortable. Most of the time when we’re out there, we know where we’re going to be on the floor, we know each other’s spot. We know each other, period.”
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said there is a comfort level for all players, no matter if it’s first team or second team.
“Oh, all the time,” Perkins said. “You have a certain type of chemistry, guys know where each other is and what each other brings to the table.”
If the Thunder is going to win the Western Conference and advance to the NBA Final, it will do so with the same roster.
“We’re good. There’s no reason (to make a trade),” Brooks said before Thursday night’s game against the Nuggets. “(General Manager) Sam (Presti) does a great job of putting this team together. He’s the reason we didn’t have to worry about making a trade today. We have a good team. Our guys are getting better. They should continue to get better if I don’t mess things up. I was never worried. I’ve always felt we have a good enough team. I love coaching these guys and we have enough in our room to win a lot of games.”
Sefolosha returns tonight against Denver
Guard Thabo Sefolosha will return to the Thunder lineup tonight at Denver.
Guard Thabo Sefolosha will return to the starting lineup tonight for the Thunder’s game at Denver. He has missed the last 23 games due to an injured right foot.
“We’re going to slowly integrate him like we do with all players who have been out for six or seven weeks,” OKC coach Scott Brooks said after Thursday morning’s shoot-around session at the Pepsi Center. “I don’t know how many minutes (he will play). We’ll just slowly work him in, but he will start tonight.”
Sefolosha was replaced in the starting lineup by James Harden for two games and for 22 games by Daequan Cook. The Thunder is 16-8 without Sefolosha this season. He missed one game earlier in the season with the flu, which was a loss at home to Portland.
“He just brings a pure heart to the team,” Brooks said of Sefolosha, who last played Jan. 27 at Golden State. “He just wants to defend and do the right things on both ends of the floor. You can never have enough guys on the court like that. He’s a defending guy. He’s a serious competitor. We miss his toughness. We miss his length on the defensive end. He’s 6-(foot)-7 with long arms ( a 7-foot wingspan) and he loves to defend. It’s going to take him some time. … Thabo’s been working. He’s been waiting for this opportunity again. We’re excited to have him back.”
Kendrick Perkins’ perimeter prowess
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, left, defends Dallas guard Jason Terry late in the fourth quarter during OKC's 95-91 victory Monday night at Chesapeake Arena.
When Thunder center Kendrick Perkins lost 32 pounds last off-season, the primary purpose was to take a load off his recently damaged knees. An added benefit was it made it easier for the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Perkins to defend on the perimeter.
Perkins is a rare bird, a big guy who prides himself on defense, no matter where on the court. He’ll defend monsters like 7-foot, 285-pound Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum. In Monday night’s 95-91 home victory over the world champion Dallas Mavericks, Perkins twice showed he’ll also do all he can to contain assassins like 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooting guard Jason Terry.
The Thunder put the defensive clamps on the Mavericks, holding them scoreless for the final 2:46 while going on an 8-0 run to seal the deal. Leading up to that moment, 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki had caught fire and hit all four of his 3-point attempts. Dallas predictably ran ball-screens in an effort to free up Nowitzki. Rather than help-and-recover, OKC defenders instead switched on screens, which teams frequently do in late-game situations. That left Perkins guarding Terry during two key possessions.
The first sequence had Perkins forcing Terry to drive to his left rather than his preferred right. Terry attempted a hurried, leaning, 15-footer prayer from the left wing than wound up being an airball for a shot-clock violation. The other sequence was along the right baseline, where Terry’s 12-footer barely got to the rim.
Even though Perkins didn’t score a point or grab a rebound in the fourth quarter (he did have one block), his presence was undeniable. Perkins is deceptively quick side-to-side with his feet, which is imperative for anyone who gives a hoot about playing defense.
It often takes all five players to make one player look good on defense. Perkins preaches that defensive stops come far more frequently when five guys are busting their hump rather than just one.
Everyone from Thunder coach Scott Brooks to general manager Sam Presti to the last guy on the OKC bench continually stresses Perkins’ importance despite his modest numbers on the stat sheet. Monday night might have been Exhibit A.
