Scott Brooks On The Brink Of Coaching West All-Stars
Thunder coach Scott Brooks (left) is one win away from coaching the Western Conference All-Star team. Will James Harden be selected as one of his reserves?
With the Los Angeles Clippers laying an egg at Cleveland last night, Thunder coach Scott Brooks moved one step closer to being named the coach of the Western Conference All-Star team, our man John Rohde notes.
With the Los Angeles Clippers losing 99-92 at Cleveland on Wednesday night, Scott Brooks’ magic number to become the Western Conference All-Star coach is down to one.
One more victory by the Thunder between Thursday and next Wednesday clinches the best record by the league’s Feb. 15 cutoff date. The coach with the best winning percentage in each conference at that time gets to coach his conference at the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando on Feb. 26.
The best record Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro can have is 19-8. (.704). The best record San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can have is 21-9 (.700). With one more victory, the worst record Brooks can have is 21-8 (.724).
Nothing is guaranteed, of course. But this is as close to a sure thing as you’ll find. The Thunder has three cracks at notching one more win before Feb.1 5, starting with tonight’s game at Sacramento. And Oklahoma City has had only one three-game losing streak in its past 107 games. Additionally, the Kings, at 9-16, are the second worst team in the Western Conference. Sacramento has given up 100.6 points per game, the third most in the league, and has been outscored by an average margin of 8.8 points, the NBA’s fourth worst discrepancy.
The next two games will be a home-and-home set against Utah, with the Thunder playing in Salt Lake City on Friday before hosting the Jazz on Tuesday. In that second meeting, the Thunder will be on three days rest, while the Utah will be playing its third game in three nights, all of them on the road.
While it’d be premature to pop the champagne and congratulate Brooks at this point, the mere fact that he’s on the brink of earning this honor is a testament to the job he’s done in OKC. He took a team that was 1-12 and headed nowhere fast and helped to turn it into a perennial 50-win club. He’s helped develop two All-Stars (and maybe three if James Harden joins Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Orlando as a reserve) . He’s won a Coach of the Year award. And he’s led his team to the Western Conference Finals.
Now, Oklahoma City has the best record in the league at 20-5. With that, central Florida is officially under a Thunderstorm watch for All-Star Weekend.
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Thunder still not best in West
NBA on TNT crew of Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
On Monday night on TNT, the Thunder beat the Boston Celtics for the third straight year inside TD Garden. For more than two hours, the telecast crew of Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Chris Webber and David Aldridge heaped praise upon the Thunder, which has the NBA’s best record at 12-2 after its 97-88 victory at Boston. But when TNT joined its studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal outside Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Thunder quickly played second fiddle again.
Johnson asked the panel to pick a series winner between the Los Angeles Lakers and Thunder right now and all three without hesitation picked LA. The Lakers are too big and Kobe Bryant is simply too good for OKC to win.
LA then went out and nipped Dallas 73-70 on a 3-pointer from Derek Fisher with 3.1 seconds left. The Lakers scored seven total points in the third quarter, shot 38.2 percent from the field, shot 10 percent from 3-point range (1 for 10) and Bryant went 7 for 22 from the field and finished with 14 points.
Some excerpts from the TNT experts:
Webber on Thunder forward Serge Ibaka: “He is athletic, smart defensively. He’s a great shot blocker and a great inside presence.”
Fratello on Thunder head coach Scott Brooks: “He really knows his players and he knows which guys to let grow and develop and which ones he can get on a little bit harder. He wants players to grow and experience this learning process and by the way, they’re winning a lot of games in this process.”
Webber on Thunder sixth man James Harden: “The best teams that I played against had role players that were superstars. They took their role seriously and they knew the importance of their role to the team. (Harden) has embraced his role (as sixth man) and has made sure that the bench is better for that.”
Smith on point guards Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and OKC’s Russell Westbrook: ”They are the only two teams that have guards, besides (Chicago’s) Derrick Rose, that consistently get into the paint.”
Fratello on Thunder forward Kevin Durant: “He is a very unselfish player. He has the God-given ability to score the basketball whenever he wants to. He understands the team aspect of the game and is a willing passer.”
Barkley’s predictions on the best teams in the Western Conference: “The Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets are the two best teams I have seen in the West.”
O’Neal on the Thunder being 12-2: “They’ve had an easy schedule.”
As you can see from ESPNstats, the Thunder ranks No. 1 in the NBA in RPI and No. 8 in strength of schedule. O’Neal is partically right in that OKC often has played teams not at full strength such as San Antonio (no Manu Ginobili), New York (Carmelo Anthony), Memphis (Zach Randolph, Darrell Arthur) and New Orleans (Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza), but other teams also have enjoyed the same benefit. In addition, the Thunder also swept its back-to-back-to-back, won five games in six days and is on a seven-game winning streak.
Nowitzki’s place in history secure, Haywood says
Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki already has proven himself as an NBA great.
Dallas Mavericks backup center Brendan Haywood said teammate Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t need to win a championship ring to justfied his worth as an NBA great.
“I’ve been in the league 10 years. this is my first time ever making it out of the second round,” said Haywood, who spent his first nine-plus seasons with the Washington Wizards. “A lot of guys don’t get rings. A lot of great players don’t have rings. I don’t want that to be the case with Dirk. I want to get one this year, but he doesn’t have to win a ring to validate himself. The work he’s put in over the years validates himself. This franchise wasn’t where it was until he got here. What’s he have, 10 straight 50-win seasons? (Actually 11.) That’s validation — MVP; 20,000 (career) points; the work that he puts in when no one is looking. That’s all you need.”
The Mavericks can advance to the NBA Finals with a victory at 8 tonight over the Oklahoma City Thunder inside American Airlines Center. Nowitzki is in 11th postseason and still looking for his first world championship, as is the Dallas franchise.
“In some people’s minds, that’ll stamp him as an all-time great,” Haywood said. “In my mind, it’s one of those things that he doesn’t need. It’s your effort and what you put into it. It’s so much more than that (winning a ring), man. Only one team wins the ring every year. To me, it’s about what you put in at such a high level for such a long period of time.
“People who want to justify his career by (him) winning a ring or not are just foolish.”
Thunder 110, Sixers 105 (OT)
Observations from the Thunder’s 110-105 overtime victory against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center:
– Don’t be stunned if center Kendrick Perkins is activated for the Thunder’s three-game road trip at Cleveland, Washington and Miami next week.
That doesn’t guarantee he’ll start or even play, but the 6-foot-10, 280-pound Perkins is expected to practice with his teammates for the first time Friday since being traded two weeks ago.
Presumably, the Thunder will try to let Perkins make his return on the road, where there is considerably less pressure than playing in front of your new fans at home after a trade.
Perkins has made steady progress rehabbing his sprained left knee and you can sense an excitement among Thunder personnel that he is close to returning.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks might share an official target date for Perkins’ return after today’s practice, but every player essentially is considered day-to-day until Brooks receives clearance from the team’s medical staff on an injury.
– The Thunder traded for Perkins and Nazr Mohammed to get bigger, but lately OKC has gone small to combat perimeter matchup problems while awaiting Perkins’ return.
At Memphis on Monday night, the Thunder lost 107-101 with a smaller lineup, but OKC was able to do a decent job containing the powerful inside duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who combined for 35 points, but just 12 rebounds. What killed the Thunder was poor decision-making on offense, plus being unable to stop the penetration of Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. Memphis also got clutch play from former Oklahoma State guard Tony Allen and the predictable hustle from reserve Shane Battier, who had seven points and seven rebounds (five offensive).
At Philly on Wednesday, the Thunder went with even a smaller, four-guard lineup at the start of the second and fourth quarters with James Harden, Eric Maynor, Thabo Sefolosha, Daequan Cook and power forward Nick Collison.
In the second quarter, that lineup came from six down to forge a tie at 41 before All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook re-entered. In the fourth quarter, though the lineup struggled to score early, it set the defensive tone that eventually resulted in victory.
So while some Thunder fans have questioned Brooks for going with a smaller lineup, these past two weeks actually should be viewed as a good sign that OKC has shown the capability to go small, which can still be used as an alternative even when the team gets bigger with Perkins.
- Serge Ibaka isn’t the only player to step in and replace Jeff Green at the stretch 4 spot. Durant and Thabo Sefolosha have, too.
Perhaps the best way to explain is to have somebody smart tell it. Therefore, here is Nick Collison explaining Wednesday’s success while going small:
“We’re having a tough time with pick-and-rolls, and when we play a perimeter guy at the 4, we can switch (on screens). I think that helps us at times, plus it gives the other team a different look they have to adjust to. Thaddeus Young (four points, five rebounds in 29 minutes) really didn’t hurt us a lot individually playing against a bigger guy (Ibaka). Initially you look at that matchup and say he’s a tough cover for a traditional big, but he wasn’t really killing us, which helped us with the pick-and-rolls. KD can play the 4. It’s actually similar to what Jeff did. They’re different players, but they kind of overlap a little bit. And when they’re playing a perimeter guy like Thaddeus Young, Thabo can play the 4, too.”
- Cook obviously likes the smaller lineup because he has a better chance of playing, but there are other reasons. “You get a lot of ball movement. You get a lot of quickness. If you’ve got KD at the 4, it’s a big mismatch for the other team, plus he’s able to distribute the ball the way he can. It makes the offense flow a lot better.”
- The most omnipresent question asked of Thunder players and coaches this season no doubt has been having someone explain the team’s slow starts defensively.
“Man, you always ask me that question,” Durant said Wednesday night.
Sorry. Just looking for an answer.
Cook: “We’ve got to fix that. The championship-caliber teams are not going to let us back in the game, so we’ve got to figure out a way to not start out games like that. It’s just a learning process, but we have found ways to better ourselves as a team.”
Collison: “We wish we could be more consistent and play good defense all the time, but it’s good to be able to it late, I guess. I could definitely tell a difference in how it felt that last stretch (against the Sixers). Everybody was more engaged, a lot tougher.”
Sefolosha: “I really can’t figure out why, but I guess better late than never …”
Brooks: “… Or not at all.”
- Two members of the maintenance crew were overheard inside the Wells Fargo Center around midnight.
Worker No. 1: “Man, we blew it tonight. We had ‘em. Oklahoma City was dead.”
Worker No. 2: “Hey, as long as they have Durant, those guys are never dead.”
Had the Thunder indeed lost, it would be 39-24 right now – the exact same record it had through 63 games last season.
Talkin’ Beards With Baron Davis
Next to Blake Griffin making his pro debut, the best thing about the L.A. Clippers coming to town was Baron Davis being in the building. Davis is like the Godfather of today’s players when it comes to big ol’ beards. His, you could say, set the standard.
So I spoke with B-Diddy about it before his Clippers played the Thunder. Here’s what he had to say.
DM: What were you doing to James Harden’s beard out in L.A., and what do you think of his beard?
BD: Man, I think it’s sharp. I think it’s sharp. That’s like my little brother so I was just teasing him about it. He’s young but he got a lot of beard hair. I told him I got to catch up to him again.
DM: Is his one of the better ones in the league?
BD: Yeah, definitely. He got that style.
DM: Are these beards sort of like an L.A. thing?
BD: Yeah it is. It’s an L.A. thing. It’s something that we’ve been doing in L.A. I think over the last four or five years. It’s just our own little style.
DM: Why did you trim yours?
BD: Because I couldn’t get it properly. It has to properly grow in the right way. So sometimes you have to trim it so it can grow faster.
DM: Any advice for James on his?
BD: Nah. He’s straight.
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Note To Thunder: Give Griffin His Moment
All eyes will be on Blake Griffin tonight.
Here’s some advice for the Thunder.
Let Blake Griffin have his moment tonight. Let the Oklahoma City crowd cheer and cheer till its collective hearts are content when Griffin’s name is announced during pre-game introductions. Let Griffin be the last Los Angeles Clippers starter announced and let some time pass before turning down the lights for the Thunder.
Griffin deserves it.
The team’s policy, though, is to “treat all visiting player introductions the same,” according to a Thunder official. The team doesn’t “do anything different for any one player.”
Here’s the thing. Griffin isn’t just any other player. Griffin grew up in Oklahoma City. He starred just down the road at OU. He’s become an All-Star and one of the league’s most electrifying players just 56 games into his career. And he’s well on his way to running away with the Rookie of the Year award.
The Thunder can’t turn a blind eye to all of that.
Since relocating from Seattle, the Thunder has been incredibly in tune to the ins and outs of the Oklahoma City community. Tonight’s highly anticipated game presents another opportunity for the franchise to demonstrate that awareness. Griffin holds a special place in people’s hearts. He might not play for the home team but he is the most acclaimed hometown kid the NBA has ever seen.
The Thunder has dared to be different in many ways. Game nights still begin with a prayer, continuing a tradition established by the Hornets, who are the only other franchise to honor His holiness before tip-off. Reserving a few extra seconds for this state’s newest NBA son isn’t in any way unreasonable. Not for this night.
This is Griffin’s pro debut in his hometown. He was hurt, nursing a season-long knee injury, when the Clippers came to town last year. The time to treat Griffin like any other player is when L.A. returns on April 2, not tonight.
Griffin has tried to deflect the attention. He says tonight is not about him. That, of course, is baloney. This game is all about Griffin. Fans have had Feb. 22 circled on their calendars since August. And now that it’s here, the roar that fills the arena formerly known as the Ford Center could likely be louder for Griffin than Thunder star Kevin Durant.
Griffin said throughout All-Star Weekend that he hasn’t thought much about the reception he’ll receive, saying “hopefully they’re welcoming.” On Tuesday morning at his team’s shoot-around, Griffin still wasn’t quite sure how he would show his appreciation for applause that is sure to be more than a little welcoming.
“Maybe a little wave,” Griffin said.
Here’s hoping the Thunder sets aside ample time during pre-game intros for more than a little wave. The moment is much too big for that.
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Kobe deserved MVP; Serge deserved better
I’m having trouble understanding the local disdain for Kobe Bryant winning the most valuable player award at Sunday night’s NBA All-Star Game.
Bryant was the obvious choice, the deserving choice. LeBron James was next in line with his triple-double (29 points, 12 rebounds; 10 assists). After that probably comes the Thunder’s Kevin Durant (34 points) or perhaps Amar’e Stoudemire (29 points; six rebounds). Chris Paul (10 points; seven assists; five steals) also had a nice game.
Bryant had 37 points and 14 rebounds — both game highs — and also had three assists and three steals. He shot 14 for 26 from the field and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line. That’s a pretty salty stat line in an All-Star Game. Doesn’t matter if the game is played on Bryant’s home court or in Salt Lake City.
There was no grand scheme for Bryant to win MVP, nor was there a conspiracy to prevent Durant from winning or keep Blake Griffin on the bench.
Keep in mind, Durant played more minutes (30) than any player on the West. He also took 23 shots despite having possession of the ball roughly one-10th as long as Bryant. That’s what you expect, given that Bryant is a combo guard and Durant is a forward.
Bryant had more style points. His degree of difficulty was far superior to anyone else, with James a distant second. This is just a guess, but Durant could have broken Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star scoring record (42), and he still might not have beaten out Bryant for MVP. Bryant was that good.
The West had three first-time All-Stars in Griffin, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, and Griffin played longer (15 minutes) than Westbrook (14) or Love (12). Griffin also played longer than Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki. The All-Star Game approach of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was pretty simple. Young reserves wait their turn and the old guys get some rest. Remember, Griffin had a busy weekend, playing all three days while being the center of attention and dealing with the death of close friend and former high school teammate Wilson Holloway. Pop probably didn’t want to burn out Griffin.
So all the locals can chill. There was no conspiracy against Durant or Griffin.
However, if you want to talk about somebody who got robbed over the weekend, feel free to discuss Serge Ibaka, who was given a 45 for the longest dunk in NBA All-Star history.
Now that warrants some explaining from the judges.
Griffin, Ibaka Talk Dunk Contest
No surprise in Saturday night’s slam dunk contest. Blake Griffin went home as the winner.
But the other three participants, Serge Ibaka, DeMar DeRozan and JaVale McGee, were strong dunkers and didn’t disappoint. They brought some excitement to the competition and pulled out a few things we hadn’t seen before. Griffin and Ibaka talked about their experiences immediately after the contest.
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Blake Griffin On Wilson Holloway
LOS ANGELES — Former OU star and Clippers rookie Blake Griffin during his media session at All-Star Weekend today spoke about the loss of friend and former teammate at Oklahoma Christian School Wilson Holloway.
Griffin grew emotional as he discussed Holloway’s passing and said he will dedicate all that he does here to Holloway.
Griffin also said Tuesday’s game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City will be “bittersweet” because he must now return to Oklahoma to attend Holloway’s funeral, which is scheduled for Monday. Griffin goes on to talk about Holloway’s spirit, and how he wouldn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him or upset because of his passing.
Said Griffin: “He’s better now. He’s not hurting.”
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Harden Added To Rookie Challenge Roster
Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden has been named as a replacement for Friday night’s Rookie Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend.
Harden will step in for Sacramento guard and reigning Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans on the Sophomore squad. Evans has battled plantar fasciitis for much of this season and missed Tuesday’s game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City because of the injury.
Harden was the next leading vote-getter by the league’s assistant coaches for the game’s 18-man roster. Each team was permitted to submit one ballot.
With his inclusion, Harden now becomes the fourth Thunder player scheduled to participate in events at All-Star Weekend.
Serge Ibaka is also a member of the Sophomore team. Ibaka will compete in Saturday night’s slam dunk contest as well. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were named to the Western Conference All-Star team. Durant, now a two-time All-Star, also is one of six participants in Saturday night’s 3-point contest. Westbrook, a first-time All-Star, will find out Thursday night if fans voted him among four other players that will compete alongside New Orleans guard Chris Paul in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night.
Evans is averaging 18.3 points this season, ranking second behind Golden State’s Stephen Curry’s 18.4-point average among second-year players. In last year’s Rookie Challenge, Evans scored a team-high 26 points and shared MVP honors with San Antonio’s DeJuan Blair after they led the Rookies to a 140-128 win over the Sophomores. It was the first time since 2002 that the Rookies defeated the Sophomores.
Harden, who scored 22 points off the bench for the Rookies in last year’s game, is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.7 minutes this season.
The rest of the Sophomore team includes Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan, Chicago’s Taj Gibson, Philadelphia’s Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings and Portland’s Wesley Matthews.
This year’s Rookie team will include L.A. Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Washington guard John Wall, the last two No. 1 overall selections. Griffin, the top pick in 2009, is considered a rookie this year after missing all of the 2009-10 season because of injury. Joining Griffin and Wall are Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, New Jersey forward Derrick Favors, New York guard Landry Fields, Minnesota guard Wesley Matthews, Detroit center Greg Monroe and San Antonio guard Gary Neal.
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