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.
Thunder 101, Jazz 87
Scott Brooks will coach the Western Conference All-Stars.
Observations from the Thunder’s 101-87 victory at Utah on Friday night. Forgive the delay in posting. Massive wireless issues for me in the Great Salt Lake:
- The Thunder’s victory clinched Scott Brooks becoming the Western Conference coach at the Feb. 26 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, but director of team operations Marc St. Yves was the only person to shake Brooks’ hand on the court afterward. Why? Russell Westbrook didn’t know the win sealed the deal. Nick Collison knew, but forgot, same goes for Kevin Durant and Nazr Mohammed. It wasn’t that no one cared. It’s just their minds didn’t refocus immediately after the game.
- Durant playfully suggested Brooks’ first duty as All-Star coach might be to start Westbrook, even though fans voted for Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant as the starting guards. “Yeah, yeah,” a smiling Durant said when asked if Brooks should wield his power. “He might tell CP to sit down for a little bit to start.”
- Brooks’ effectiveness as the Thunder’s coach was clearly evident Friday. Based on answers given by several players that day, Brooks is dealing with the team’s turnover issue the right way – not with humiliation and threats but rather with calm concern. In addition, roughly three hours before the game at Utah, Brooks and Durant sat and chatted one-on-one for 20 minutes in the front row along the baseline. Judging from Brooks’ hand gestures, he appeared to be sharing advice on options Durant might have coming off the dribble and how a play could develop. The 46-year-old Brooks has the perfect temperament to handle a young and extremely competitive group like the Thunder. Brooks doesn’t get near enough credit. Perhaps his appearance at the All-Star Game will change that.
- Westbrook said Brooks becoming an All-Star coach is far-reaching. “It’s great for the organization, the city, the community. It’s truly a blessing to see what’s going on around here (OKC),” Westbrook said. “We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, but at the same time, we’ve got to be coached. He’s a guy who keeps us steady and keeps our head above water.”
- You must check out Nick Collison’s appearance with Dan LeBatard in “Highly Questionable.” With seven minutes left Friday against the Jazz, Collison drove hard to the basket and converted an acrobatic scoop layup with the shot clock winding down. At that exact moment, I thought, “Shooter!” Listen to the interview and you’ll understand.
- EnergySolutions Arena was another tough venue for the Thunder, just like the four previous stops during the road trip at San Antonio, Portland, Golden State and Sacramento. However, I’ve never heard the Jazz’ building so quiet. The Thunder did a superb job of not allowing the sellout crowd of 19,911 to take control. Winning helps, of course, but other than going on a scoring spurt, what’s the best way to take the home crowd out of a game? “Get fouls called, get some steals, get to the free-throw line,” Westbrook explained. By the way, all five arenas were sold out for the Thunder’s visits.
- Westbrook isn’t crazy about doing interviews, but one of his favorite subjects is discussing the Thunder’s ability to bounce back after a loss. “Oh, definitely,” Westbrook said after OKC upped its bounce-back record to 25-7 the past two seasons. “In this league, you can’t afford to lose three or four in a row and be an elite team. We know that and we’re getting better each and every season, and in every game. When we lose one, we take it personal coming back the next day to be ready to play.”
- The Thunder is now 34-10 in the regular season since center Kendrick Perkins joined the starting lineup last March. “Pretty impressive,” Perkins said, eyebrows raised. “I’ll take 24 games over .500 any day.”
- Perkins won the 2008 world championship with the Boston Celtics, who went 66-16 (.805) that season. The Thunder is 21-6 and has a similar winning percentage (.778). Perkins said even great teams still lose games. The trick is letting the losses go while not forgetting what happened. “Obviously, we’ve let a few slip away this year that we still think about, but we know what to do about it now,” Perkins said.
- An .800 winning percentage is truly impressive. Look at it this way: For every game that team loses, it must immediately go on a four-game winning streak to make up lost ground. The Thunder would have to finish 53-13 this season to reach .800 or higher.
- On Thursday, OKC had 23 turnovers. On Friday, it had 17, which is still about four or five too many, but it’s far better than 23. Pointing out the obvious, the Thunder sure looks much prettier when it’s collecting steals and not handing over the ball. “Oh, gosh,” reserve guard James Harden said with a smile. “It’s always such a relief when you get easy buckets on the road. It calms the crowd down. They’re game-changers.”
- Rookie guard Reggie Jackson missed his first five shots Friday and attacked the basket with 10 seconds left in the third quarter rather than playing for one last shot. He’s a rookie and has a long ways to go. Better decisions and less hesitation running the half-court offense are Jackson’s biggest challenges.
- I miss watching Eric Maynor play. Then again, I knew I would.
Darnell Mayberry returns in this slot on Tuesday. Commence cheering.
- JOHN ROHDE
What Happens When George Karl Goes Down 0-1
This is George Karl’s 20th appearance as a coach in the NBA playoffs.
He’s taken five teams this far.
But the Denver skipper isn’t so successful when staring at an 0-1 hole.
Karl-coached teams are 2-13 when losing the first game of a series.
The Thunder currently has a 1-0 lead on Karl’s Denver Nuggets. Game 2 is Wednesday night inside Oklahoma City Arena.
Karl hasn’t coached a team out of an 0-1 hole since the 1997 playoffs, when his Seattle SuperSonics defeated Phoenix in three of the next four games to take the best-of-five series. Karl’s only other climb out of an 0-1 deficit came in 1987, when his Golden State squad staved off elimination against Utah by winning three straight after falling down 0-2.
Karl teams are 0-4 in their attempts to recover from an 0-1 deficit since the NBA went to a best-of-seven series in the first round in 2003.
What does this all mean? Nothing if you aren’t a believer in history repeating itself. But there are some who believe Karl simply isn’t a great playoff coach. And the numbers appear to certainly back their claims.
GEORGE KARL’S FIRST-ROUND PERFORMANCE WHEN LOSING GAME 1
SEASON TEAM OPPONENT ROUND RESULT
1984-85 Cleveland Boston First round Lost, 3-1
1986-87 Golden State Utah First round Won, 3-2
1986-87 Golden State L.A. Lakers Conference Semis Lost, 4-1
1991-92 Seattle Utah Conference Semis Lost, 4-1
1992-93 Seattle Phoenix Conference Finals Lost, 4-3
1995-96 Seattle Chicago NBA Finals Lost, 4-2
1996-97 Seattle Phoenix First round Won, 3-2
1996-97 Seattle Houston Conference Semis Lost, 4-3
1998-99 Milwaukee Indiana First round Lost, 0-3
1999-00 Milwaukee Indiana First round Lost, 3-2
2000-01 Milwaukee Philadelphia Conference Finals Lost, 4-3
2002-03 Milwaukee New Jersey First round Lost, 4-2
2005-06 Denver L.A. Clippers First round Lost, 4-1
2007-08 Denver L.A. Lakers First round Lost, 4-0
2008-09 Denver L.A. Lakers Conference Finals Lost, 4-2
2010-11 Denver Oklahoma City First round ??????????
-DM-
