Wizards 105, Thunder 102
Nuggets from my notebook from Wednesday’s loss at Washington.
- Calm down. It’s just one game. Forget for a second who it was against. It was only one game, and only one ‘L’ will go down in the loss column. Don’t lose sight of that.
- Having said that, it’s not good to get swept by the Wizards in the season series.
- One thing snapped the Thunder’s seven-game winning streak — apathy. A few tried to deny that fact. They should have instead done themselves a favor and admitted it. Frankly, the Thunder took the Wizards lightly. It was as simple as that. To deny it only opens the possibility of it happening again.
- Once the Thunder came out careless, it gave the Wizards a chance to keep it close. That gave Washington all the confidence it needed to continue to hang around and make things interesting. Bad, bad decision on the Thunder’s part. OKC should have approached this one like it did at least four others in the past: jump out to a big lead, keep the foot on the gas and rest up in the fourth quarter.
- I thought that’s what would happen tonight. I thought the Thunder would come out focused and ready to put a hurtin’ on the Wizards. Silly me. But I blame Kevin Durant. Not for the loss, of course, but for duping me into believing the Thunder would bring the right level intensity. It was at Tuesday’s practice that Durant was asked about how the best team in the league could get up for the worst team in the league. “We greedy,” Durant said. “We want to win every game we play.”
- The moment you knew the Thunder wasn’t all there tonight is when Kendrick Perkinsbacked down from Wizards forward Andray Blatche.As Perk was making an offensive move midway through the second quarter, his elbows made contact with Blatche twice, once in the chest and once in the face. Blatche had grown tired of it and got in Perkins’ face. Perk didn’t do a thing, which some might say is the smart thing to do. But we all know that’s not Perk. He’s the instigator, the bully, the enforcer. This time, he allowed Blatche to get in his face, chest to chest, and never responded. He actually waited for Blatche to finish and walk away.
- The battle between Perk and Blatche actually began on the previous possession. Durant was trying to inbound the ball to Perk (seemed backwards to me), and Blatche was bodying up on Perk to prevent a clean inbounds pass. Perk flashed a smirk, scrunching up his face to show the universal sign for disrespect when a player thinks he can’t be guarded. But Blatche stole the ball on the inbounds pass and it led to a one-man fast break that Blatche finished with a layup. Had this been playground ball, after the ensuing mix-up one could say that Blatche got into Perk’s head then stole his heart.
- If you’re griping about the last-second shot KD took and, more specifically, Thunder coach Scott Brooks’ play-calling, do yourself a favor and stop. It was the exact same play Brooks drew up that won the game against Dallas. Only difference is the Wizards played it tougher by fighting over the double screen, and KD missed the shot.
- Rebounding is a problem. It didn’t take all 15 of these games to realize that. But after tonight, it certainly looks like the Thunder is now in serious trouble. The Wizards, the 2-12 couldn’t beat a bowl of eggs Wizards, out-rebounded the Thunder 52-43 and 19-6 on the offensive end, tying an opponent high for offensive boards. The Thunder has now given up at least 10 offensive boards in each of its 15 games. Worse yet, the Thunder is yielding 13.3 offensive boards a night, the most in the league.
- All these opponent rebounds are killing the Thunder’s defense, which generally has been solid prior to the shots going up. They’re giving teams second chance scoring opportunities and putting them on the foul line additional times. They’re also hurting the Thunder’s offense, as teams prevent easy run-out opportunities which the Thunder destroys opponents with.
- Washington previously had out-rebounded only one opponent all season.
- Before the game, Wizards coach Flip Saunders called the Thunder’s four-man post rotation of Perk, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed the best in the league. Then Saunders watched his duo of Blatche and McGee out-rebound the Thunder’s foursome 21-18. Blatche and McGee combined for more offensive rebounds (nine) than the Thunder did as a team (six).
- Shooting guard Daequan Cook got a team-leading two offensive boards. Enough said.
- The offense ain’t working either. Not in the sense of the entire season, but more so in the sense of stretches of every game and, at times, entire games. For the fifth time, the Thunder finished with more turnovers (21) than assists (15). And the imbalanced scoring is becoming more and more alarming. Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 68 percent of the Thunder scoring. Nothing good can come from that. Defenses that can design their game plan around stopping two guys have a relatively easy assignment. Slowing the Thunder’s two All-Stars is still a challenge. But if it’s essentially a game of 2-on-10, who you taking?
- Consider this. KD and Russ combined to score 69 points on 25-of-50 shooting. The remaining three starters scored eight points on 4-for-8 shooting. Something’s wrong with that picture, because 50-percent shooting is 50-percent shooting, no matter who’s an All-Star and who’s not.
- James Harden stunk it up again on the road. I pointed it out in my nuggets after the Boston game, and mentioned it in my notebook in Wednesday’s paper. It. Is. An Issue. Whatever Harden is doing on the road, he needs to stop. Whatever routine he has, he needs to change it. It sounds strange, but on most nights Harden is the most important Thunder player on the roster. When he scores and scores efficiently, the Thunder has a three-headed monster with him, Westbrook and Durant. When he doesn’t, well, the Thunder loses to the Wizards. Harden is now barely shooting 38 percent on the road.
(more…)
Thunder 109, Rockets 94
Nuggets from my notebook from Friday’s win over Houston.
- Best part of this win? No Thunder player logged more than Kevin Durant’s 27 minutes, 55 seconds. James Harden was the only other Thunder player to play more than 25 minutes. And no starter played a single second in the final frame. That could be huge going into the next two games of this back-to-back-to-back.
- The Thunder was able to rest up because it took care of business early and, finally, didn’t mess around. OKC led by as many as 27 and never trailed after taking a 3-2 lead 1 1/2 minutes into the game.
- A 16-5 run in the first 4:32 of the second quarter put this one away. Once again, it was the bench that provided the spark. And, again, Harden led the charge. Harden scored or assisted on 11 points during the run, which put the Thunder ahead 46-25. The Rockets never got closer than 15.
- Could Harden be the Thunder’s best player at drawing free throws? I know that might sound a little far-fetched considering Durant averaged 10.2 attempts two years ago. But when you watch Harden, as soon as he starts his attack you almost know he’s going to either score or get fouled once at the rim.
- Harden finished with 23 points for the second time in as many games. But what I love most about it is the efficiency with which he scores. Harden was 8-for-11 tonight and made all five of his foul shots. He also had three assists against one turnover. Through seven games, Harden is now averaging 17.8 points on 48.7 percent shooting.
- Do you realize Harden is now second on the team in scoring? Could we again have the whole Batman and Robin thing twisted? First, we thought it was Durant and Jeff Green. Then we realized it was Durant and Russell Westbrook. Could we be wrong again? Is it Durant and Harden?
- Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry missed this one with an injured foot. Goran Dragic replaced him and was a non-factor. With Jonny Flynn moving up to serve as Dragic’s backup, the Rockets’ guards were no match for the Thunder.
- Dragic did do some damage, actually, finishing with 10 points and 11 assists without a single turnover. But, really, in the context of this blowout, how important was he? Nice player, though.
- Thabo Sefolosha returned to the lineup and his resumed his starting role. There are some who might want to blame the two-game skid on Thabo’s absence for a game and a half. I’m not in that camp. I consider it a coincidence that the Thunder won upon Sefolosha’s return. He didn’t have much of an impact tonight. The Thunder just played much better. Thabo told me after the game that he’s feeling much better.
- Nick Collison did say it was pretty important to get the rotation back. “With Thabo back, it allowed us to get our normal rotation back. It was a little bit off the last couple of games.”
- Durant bounced back from an 8-for-26 shooting performance with an extremely impressive 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting. In his previous three games, Durant shot just 37.9 percent.
- As much as it was good to see KD’s shot return, it was just as nice to see him rebounding again. After averaging seven rebounds in his first five games, Durant had pulled down a total of seven in his last two. Tonight, he had five boards in the first quarter and finished with seven.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks called this one of KD’s “best all-around games on both ends of the court.” Durant finished with three assists and just one turnover and, in the second half, just began toying with the Rockets. He made some incredibly slick passes, several of them no-look, thread-the-needle dishes. But for as pretty as they were, they were the right pass as well.
- The Thunder came into this one looking to control the boards better. For a quarter, things weren’t working out so well. The Rockets had five offensive boards in the first quarter but finished with 11 for the game. In the middle two quarters, the Rockets had just two offensive rebounds. And the boards that Houston did get weren’t much of an issue since Houston had trouble converting its second chances, finishing 4-for-7 on second-chance opportunities for 11 put-back points.
Scott Brooks Statement On Jeff Green
Former Thunder forward Jeff Green will miss the 2011-12 season after an examination detected an aortic aneurysm.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks spoke briefly about Green following the team’s practice Saturday morning.
I heard the news before practice. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff and his family. That’s a tough situation. But knowing Jeff, he will handle it very well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him.”
-DM-
Wanna Spend Christmas With The Thunder?
Could Oklahoma City get a Christmas game?
Before we explore that question, allow me to ask another. Do you even want a Christmas game?
If so, would you prefer it to be at home, where you can attend it, or on the road so you can watch from the comfort of your couch with your family?
Last season, the Thunder played its first ever Christmas game and everything worked out quite well. OKC beat Denver 114-106, Kevin Durant scored a game-high 44 points and a sold out crowd of 18,203 showed up and enjoyed a great night.
It’s possible that we could be in for a repeat performance.
The NBA will expand its Christmas lineup from three games to five, and the Thunder could be one of the four teams added to the slate. The league is expected to announce the Christmas schedule Friday and release the entire 66-game 2011-12 schedule next week.
But the scuttlebutt is the Thunder will host the Grizzlies at 7 p.m. inside The Peake. It would be the fourth game in the lineup, following Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas and Chicago at the L.A. Lakers. A fifth game would be played at 9:30 p.m. central time.
So who are the best possibilities for the Thunder? (more…)
The Anatomy Of A Ridiculous Trade Rumor
Under league rules, there is no way a reported trade offer that would have had Rusell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo swap uniforms would have even legally been permitted.
Everyone seems to love a good trade rumor.
They can all be so enticing that many of us tend to ignore whether the rumors are even possible, let alone factual.
Such was the case Tuesday night, when ESPN’s Chris Broussard via Twitter reported that Boston recently offered Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo to the Thunder for Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins.
Boston offered Rondo & Jeff Green to OKC for Westbrook & KPerkins after last season’s playoffs. OKC was not interested, sources say.”
Sounds like a juicy one, right?
Two of the leagues elite teams. Two top five point guards (arguably). The game’s best low-post man defender (arguably). And, well, Jeff Green, who many Thunder fans still love and hope will someday return.
Here’s the problem.
Under league rules, this trade scenario is utterly impossible. It couldn’t happen, not even if the Thunder had interest in essentially erasing perhaps the best trade in the franchise’s short time in OKC.
Here’s why.
League rule prohibit teams from reacquiring a player they traded away during that season unless the player has been waived. The duration of a season is July 1 to June 30. For Boston to have made its pitch to OKC after the playoffs, the call would have had to have been made prior to July 1.Teams could not discuss players, trades or contract negotiations from July 1 until today. If the pitch was made prior to July 1, the trade couldn’t have gone through.
There’s more.
Because Green was set to be a restricted free agent on July 1, Boston could not have traded him without his consent. Had Green agreed, he would have lost his Bird rights and essentially forfeited millions by going back to a team that just shipped him out because it didn’t deem him worthy of the millions he wanted to begin with.
Interesting, eh?
With all that said, it doesn’t mean the trade wasn’t indeed offered. It very well could have been.
There was just no way it would have ever been granted approval.
-DM-
Why Kevin Durant Is Sick Of Pro-Am Games
Kevin Durant (left) drives past former Thunder teammate Jeff Green during a pro-am pickup game.
When Kevin Durant made an impromptu trip to New York and took the court at Rucker Park, it suddenly became cool for NBA players to search for a game by any means necessary.
That was Aug. 1.
Two months later, the trend already has lost its luster — at least to Durant it has.
The two-time scoring champ on Tuesday briefly shared his thoughts via Twitter on the stream of streetball games that have swept the country and quickly become the biggest fad in this NBA lockout. It all started when Milwaukee point guard Brandon Jennings asked Durant if he was ready for a rematch between the D.C.-based Goodman League and the Los Angeles-based Drew League. Durant fired back a candid response.
yea I am, but on da real..all these game starting to get played out..but I’m ready for the rematch”
Jennings immediately agreed, responding “you ain’t never lie.”
It’s important to note here that Durant hasn’t let his feelings stop him from taking the court in these exhibitions. After all, basketball never stops. Durant’s scheduled to appear in Chris Paul’s charity game on Saturday on the campus of Winston Salem State University. Durant (as well as teammate Russell Westbrook) also is scheduled to play in a charity game in Miami hosted by the Heat’s All-Star trio on Oct. 8. Durant originally was scheduled to take part in the “Battle for I-95″ between Philadelphia and Baltimore, as well as the Goodman versus Knox Indy Pro Am in Indianapolis, but had to back out of both because of a previous commitment with filming his movie “Switch” in Baton Rouge, La.
But is it true? Have these pickup games — which started in earnest on July 23 with a showcase in the Philippines — become trite?
The competitiveness of these exhibitions has always been in question. No one, not even for a second, believed these barnstorming games could ever come close to replacing NBA action. But for the player who helped pioneer the movement to deem it “played out” after 60 days is a bit of an eye-opener.
So why would Durant deem it so?
The answer is authenticity.
At some point over the last three months, some games stopped being played for genuine reasons. It stopped being about the love and started being about the money. Somewhere along the line, a few savvy promoters saw a means to make a buck. As a result, some exhibitions stopped focusing as much on fans and charities and instead sought to fatten a few pockets.
That’s one reason attendance has tapered off in various cities. A game two Saturdays ago at Coolidge High in D.C., for example, drew a meager crowd despite players like Durant, John Wall, Michael Beasley, Jeff Green and DeMarcus Cousins serving as headliners.
Durant started randomly showing up to parks and gyms this summer for two reasons: he loves to play and he loves giving fans who otherwise couldn’t afford to see him a glimpse of his skills. Now that it’s no longer completely about that, Durant’s not with it. He’s lost his desire. Better yet, he never had that desire.
Should this lockout linger, Durant will look to host a charity game in the Oklahoma City area. He’ll do it for the right reasons. For the fans. He wants to invite stars from other teams. And he knows it’ll be packed.
And nothing about that is played out.
-DM-
Thunder Takes Out Denver, Moves Closer To Northwest Division Crown
News, notes and observations from Tuesday’s 101-94 win over the Denver Nuggets.
- With this win, the Thunder’s magic number for home court advantage is now one. That means a win Wednesday night against the Clippers will clinch it. Or, a loss by Denver on Wednesday at Dallas will suffice. I’d rather see the Thunder control its own destiny.
- The Thunder’s victory also snapped a 10-game Nuggets home winning streak, the last nine of their victories coming without Carmelo Anthony. It also was the franchise’s first win at Denver since March 2007, a streak of seven losses. The franchise lost those seven games by an average of 19.2 points.
- I really liked what Brooks said about the franchise’s recent history inside the Pepsi Center. “The way I look at, we lost to them in the first game here by five and we played a good game. Carmelo was on fire,” Brooks said. “Who cares what we did two year ago, three years ago and in Seattle? We’re focused on what we’re doing now.”
- Give Eric Maynor the game ball. He was the player of the game tonight. In a nine-minute stretch from the end of the third quarter until late in the fourth, he saved the Thunder from another second-half letdown. His decision-making, poise and control turned a three-point deficit into an nine-point lead by the time he sat. Maynor had seven points and three assists in that stretch. Brooks said he thought Maynor was “flawless” during that stretch. That is of course an overstatement, but Maynor wasn’t far from it.
- The most encouraging aspect of tonight’s game has to be how the Thunder controlled the pace. OKC didn’t let Denver turn this into a track meet and it didn’t get have to win a shootout. If the Thunder can do this in the playoffs, advantage Thunder.
- Denver had just eight fast break points. The Nuggets are capable of getting that many in a quarter. One thing that helped the Thunder was that it didn’t have a lot of bad turnovers that led to run out opportunities.
- Another thing the Thunder deserves credit for is controlling the glass. OKC out-rebounded Denver 50-41. Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins combined for 25 boards. Ahem, did Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic ever do that? Did they ever come close?
Monday Morning Mailbag
It's plays like this one by Russell Westbrook, surrounded by four Raptors defenders, that have fans calling him a ball hog.
Good Monday, Thunder heads.
Much has happened since our last mailbag. Kendrick Perkins made his Thunder debut. The Thunder went on a season-long six-game winning streak…then saw it snapped by Toronto, which swept the season series. And James Harden has become a player.
In this week’s mailbag, we discuss ball-hogs, buried assets and Byron Mullens’ future.
And as always, join the conversation if you’d like. Our mailbag is always open.
Enjoy!
How do you think the Rockets are finishing up the season? – Myron M.
Resiliently. After all they’ve been through they’re still in the hunt for a playoff spot. And they might actually make it! Five of their final 11 games are against teams below .500. And six of their final 11 come at home. Of their remaining road games – Miami, New Jersey, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Minnesota – only the Heat game looks like a guaranteed loss. The Rockets are only a game and a half behind Memphis for the eighth seed and the Grizzlies have a tougher home stretch with road games at Boston, Chicago, Portland and home dates with Utah, San Antonio and New Orleans remaining. I suspect it will come down to the wire between the Rockets and Grizzlies, maybe even the final day of the regular season.
Hey Darnell. Not to be overly critical because RW is clearly awesome and a work in progress. But clearly someone has not told this guy that he is incredible when he gets his teammates involved. I understand the need for him to be aggressive, but it seems like he can get his whenever and he doesn’t really need to “look for his offense.” Anyway, hopefully he can figure it out because I don’t think it bodes well for the playoffs for Russ to ball hog (a la Kobe) down the stretch. What do you think? – Marc.
We give players so much attention and adoration for scoring that few want to do anything else. Westbrook has proven he can be a great playmaker. But it always seems like there is a moment in every game when he’s just like, ‘Forget this. I’m scoring.’ You’re right, he’s awesome. But he’d be great if he was a threat to both score as well as make his teammates better at all times. It’d keep the defense off balance and improve everyone’s efficiency. Finding the right balance and consistently being able to play with it should be Westbrook’s focus this summer. His takeover-ability, however, actually should help the Thunder in the playoffs. It did last year. And if things get bogged down this postseason, it’s great to have an option that can create something in a hurry.
Hey Darnell. I’m a huge Thunder fan. Watched every game the past two years. Regarding this year’s draft, if Kawhi Leonard is still there when the Thunder picks, which is 50/50, we need to take him. He’s very athletic. A great rebounder and ball-handler. Solid defender, passer and shooter. He was a double-double machine all year. Please tell Presti or Scotty or anyone really about this kid. – Jeff S.
Sorry, Jeff. I highly doubt he’ll be around. I haven’t watched a second of San Diego State this season so I’m honestly not familiar with his game. I’ll have to take your word for it. But the Thunder is on pace to pick in the mid-20s. Leonard is projected to be a lottery pick. With Presti running the show, there’s always a chance of the Thunder trading on draft night, perhaps even trying to move up to get him or someone else. But if Leonard is as good as the scouts and so-called draft experts say he is, it’d be hard for the Thunder to get its hands on him.
Thunder Tames Bobcats, Wins Sixth Straight
Nuggets from my notebook from Friday’s 99-82 win over Charlotte.
- Kevin Durant sustained a shoulder injury late in this one when he ran into teammate James Harden. Durant said he’s OK. The team is calling it a shoulder bruise. “It was a quick stinger,” Durant said. “I could have stayed in the game, but I just wanted to be cautious about it. I’ll be all right by tomorrow.”
- As for the game, it was pretty open and shut. The Thunder let the Bobcats hang around a little longer than they probably should have. But in the end, OKC had one of its most impressive stretches of D that we’ve seen all season. It just won’t raise many eyebrows because it came against the Bobcats. Still, the Thunder closed out Charlotte by holding it to empty possessions on 13 of its final 15 possessions. The Bobcats had five turnovers in that eight-minute stretch. Those are really impressive figures, and only now is it becoming commonplace to see the Thunder on the right end of them.
- Serge Ibaka played his tail off doing what he does best — being an energy guy — from start to finish. He had three blocks in the first eight minutes and was an animal on the boards (game-high 13). He added 12 points to secure his ninth double-double of the year. Ibaka finished with five blocks, giving him 23 in his last four games.
- I guess I have to say Ibaka’s man defense on Boris Diaw was awful. Ibaka single-handedly allowed Diaw to join the list of players who’d be All-Stars if they played the Thunder every night. To my knowledge, it includes Tony Allen, Trevor Booker and Matt Bonner. Am I missing anyone?
- On a serious note, I had visions of Jeff Green being out there as I watched Diaw light up Ibaka. Green could have defended Diaw much better on the perimeter and perhaps not have gotten beat off the dribble as easily as Ibaka. Granted, Diaw could have made Green his…in the painted area. Still. Green is gone and it’s all water under the bridge, I know. But that little game within the game illustrated the benefits of having a 4-man as versatile as Green was. It’s not all gravy having Ibaka in that spot.
Monday Morning Mailbag
How will Kendrick Perkins change the Oklahoma City Thunder's rotation?
It’s that time again.
Our Monday morning mailbag is back.
Kendrick Perkins has yet to play a game for the Thunder after his trade from Boston. But questions about how his presence might impact the rotation are already prevalent. We also get a little history lesson on the dunk contest and some surprise talk of vuvuzelas.
Let’s get to it. And as always, feel free to join the discussion next week if you like.
Hey Darnell- With M. Daniels out indefinitely and P. Pierce getting an MRI for his foot injury today, rookie L. Harangody is the only thing resembling a SF left on the Celtics roster. Don’t the Cs NEED somebody like Jeff Green now? His salary is almost exact match with Perkins’, they have 2 O’Neals and Semih Erden under contract thru 2012, and Big Baby can play the 5 in need be. Am I crazy, or would this be a perfect trade for both squads? – Steve H.
Major props to you Steve. You sent this e-mail on Feb. 14. And you absolutely nailed it! Remind me to get you on speed dial next February.
Has a rookie ever won the dunk contest, and if so what year and who won it if you know? —- Jamie C.
Yes. Blake Griffin became the 11th rookie to win the dunk contest. Spud Webb won it as a rookie with Atlanta in 1986. Dee Brown won it as a rookie with the Celtics in 1991. Harold Miner won it as a rookie with Miami in 1993. Isaiah Rider won it as a rookie with Minnesota in 1994. Brent Barry won it as a rookie with the L.A. Clippers in 1996. Kobe Bryant won it as a rookie with the L.A. Lakers in 1997. Desmond Mason won it as a rookie with Seattle in 2001. Jason Richardson won it as a rookie with Golden State in 2002. Josh Smith won it as a rookie with Atlanta in 2005. Nate Robinson won it as a rookie with New York in 2006.
After the Boston trade went down there were some quotes from Rivers about how he and Ainge agonized over it. It makes me wonder how involved Brooks is with the FO decisions, especially since he had been playing Green so much, nearly to a fault. Insight? — Steven R.
I know that Brooks and Sam Presti talk about possible player acquisitions, whether they’re potential free agent pick-ups or trades, regularly. But at the end of the day, the Bull’s eye is on Presti for all roster moves. He’s the one who’s held accountable for player movement, so the final call is his. Brooks isn’t going to persuade or dissuade Presti from making a move if he feels it’s best for the team and its long term prospects.
