Thunder: No new playoff shoe design for KD
No new shoes for KD
A photo of some black-and-gold Nikes with Kevin Durant’s KD insignia on them got us believing that the Thunder star might be debuting some new shoes during the playoffs.
I asked him about it today after the Thunder’s morning shoot around.
He told me that he’ll be wearing no new designs during the playoffs.
Bummer.
KD was quite the trendsetter during last year’s playoffs, most notably with the backpacks in the post-game press conferences. This year, there’s been no backpack. No unexpected twist. No new fashion statement of any kind.
I told Durant that I was disappointed about that.
While he made no promise, he said he might bring something out soon.
I’ve got my fingers crossed.
***
If you need a Durant-related fashion fix, check this out. You can go to Nike.com and design your own look for the Nike Zoom KD IV iD. Now, granted, Nike wants you to actually buy the shoes after you design them, but there’s no rule that says you have to do that.
So, just go and have some fun.
Fast Facts About Playoff Sweeps
With a 3-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder is now on the brink of its first playoff sweep in the franchise’s Oklahoma City era. And if the Thunder is able to finish of the Mavs on Saturday night, it would put OKC in some pretty rare company. It would mark just the fifth time in NBA history that a defending champion did not win a playoff game and just the second time a defending champ has been swept in the first round. Here are a few more nuggets on playoff sweeps.
- There have been 151 sweeps in NBA playoff history.
- There have been 59 sweeps in best-of-seven series.
- There have been 54 sweeps in best-of-five series.
- There have been 38 sweeps in best-of-three series.
- Since the playoff field expanded to 16 teams in 1984, there have been 90 sweeps.
- Since each round of the playoffs went to a best-of-seven series in 2003, there have been 22 sweeps out of 135 series, a 16.3-percent sweep rate.
- Only two defending champions have been swept out of the first round. Only one of those teams, the Miami Heat, lost in a best-of-seven series.
- Five defending champions have been swept in the second round or later. It happened to the Lakers three times (1983, 1989 and 2011), Detroit once (1991) and Houston once (1996).
- The Thunder has never been swept and has yet to sweep a team in the franchise’s Oklahoma City era. The franchise got swept three times (1983, 1987 and 1989) while in Seattle and notched its only sweep against Houston in the second round in 1996.
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Why Nazr Mohammed Isn’t Playing
When he was playing, everybody wanted him benched.
Now that he’s been squeezed out of the rotation, more than a few folks are wondering where is Nazr Mohammed?
“That’s coaching in a nutshell right there,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “You play a guy, ‘Why are you playing him?’ You’re not playing him, ‘Why are you not playing him?’”
Mohammed hasn’t played so far in this series with the Mavs. And at the current rate, he doesn’t figure to anytime soon.
“It’s just the matchups,” Brooks explained. “They have (Brendan) Haywood as their big center, their legitimate 5, and he played eight minutes yesterday. So they’re playing really a 4 as their center in (Ian) Mahinmi and (Brandan) Wright. So really there was no spot for him last night or even in Game 1.”
Mohammed saw his minutes slashed throughout the season, taking a dip from just under 18 a night a year ago to a mere 11 per game this season. Much of that had to do with Serge Ibaka’s continued emergence and Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison’s improved health and nightly availability.
But Mohammed also is getting the short in because of small ball.
“Kevin (Durant) plays that 4 with Serge and Nick,” Brooks said. “And then you have the dilemma of if you play Kevin at the 4, who are you going to play at the 5? If you play Perk, then you don’t have Serge. And if you play Serge, you don’t have Perk and then Nick is out.”
Should the Thunder advance past these pesky Mavericks and meet the Lakers in the semifinals, Mohammed likely would return to the rotation to help battle L.A.’s big men. But if OKC does get past Dallas and meets Denver in the next round, Mohammed could continue to be squeezed out.
It’s one of the many tough calls Brooks has to make. And it’s why he constantly stresses the point about not being able to play everyone.
“That’s a good problem to have,” Brooks said, “because we have really good players. But it’s also a tough problem to manage because they’re really good players.”
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Thunder 102, Mavs 99
Nuggets from my notebook from Monday’s win over Dallas.
- Two games. Two Thunder wins. Both decided by a combined four points. Tells you exactly how even this matchup is.
- No surprise that a light skirmish broke out midway through the first quarter. The Thunder has been playing Dirk Nowitzki extremely physically and, more importantly, extremely effectively. The Mavs aren’t used to either of those things. And tonight, Dirk had enough. After taking a shot to the head by Serge Ibaka, Nowitzki decided to take matters into his own hands. First, he gave Ibaka a little shove along with a few words as they ran back on D. And then Kendrick Perkins delivered an elbow while trying to back down Dirk in the post. At the end of that possession, Dirk and Perk got tangled up going for a rebound and that’s when all hell damn near broke loose.
- Perk walked up on Dirk. Then Dirk shoved Perk. And Perk “shoved” back. The two had to be separated as they proceeded to call each other everything but a child of God. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle got in the middle of it all, exchanging words with Perk and eventually having to be separated from Perk, too. Both Nowitzki and Perkins were hit with double technical fouls before we finally got back to basketball.
- The last thing we needed tonight was Carlisle dangling from Perk’s leg a la Jeff Van Gundy.
- I actually thought Perk got off light. That “shove” he delivered looked a lot like a punch to me. He’s lucky it wasn’t ruled as such, which would have resulted in an automatic ejection and a suspension.
- There were some questions about Perk’s technical foul count. For those who don’t know, the count resets for the playoffs. So that’s officially his first one of the postseason. The magic number is seven to get suspended. After seven it’s every other tech, so nine, 11, 13, etc.
- Carlisle on the skirmish: “The dirty bull**** has got to stop. We don’t want anybody to get hurt out there either way.”
- Major credit goes to Thunder coach Scott Brooks tonight. He made the most important adjustment he needed to make tonight. When he inserted James Harden at his usual four-minute mark, he subbed Harden in for Ibaka as opposed to Thabo Sefolosha. That allowed Sefolosha to remain in the game and take the assignment on Jason Terry. Sefolosha didn’t come out for the first time until 1:34 was left in the first quarter.
- As a result of that altered substitution pattern, Terry never got it going and finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
- Harden did a great job on Terry, too, I thought. In that final minute and a half once Sefolosha went to sit, Harden accepted the challenge and continued to hold Terry in check.
- The bench was absolutely terrific tonight. The second unit spurred the Thunder on a 9-0 run to end the first period and helped it balloon in the second quarter to a 19-3 spurt that led to a 42-27 Thunder lead.
- The bench unit’s ball movement was key. Those guy’s had four of the team’s seven first-quarter assists and got back to playing off each other, running equal-opportunity offense and making everyone a threat as opposed to watching Harden do the heavy lifting. After getting outscored 39-19 in Game 1, the Thunder’s bench outscored Dallas’ 32-28.
- Derek Fisher came alive tonight and provided a glimpse of what he was expected to bring in the playoffs. He scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a couple of big shots at big moments. He had a buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter to give the Thunder a 32-24 lead after the first period, and he hit a huge corner 3 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining to push the Thunder’s lead to four.
- At one point midway through the second quarter, Fisher was leading the Thunder in scoring with eight points. (more…)
Serge Ibaka’s Significance In This Series
Dirk Nowitzki is a nightmare matchup for the Thunder.
That much we know.
But the biggest threat the Mavericks forward poses in this opening round series might not be his scoring ability. It just might be his mere presence eliminating the Thunder’s best defensive strength — Serge Ibaka’s shot-blocking.
Ibaka will get the start defensively on Dirk. That means Ibaka must spend his time shadowing Nowitzki along the perimeter rather than patrolling the paint. As a result, the Thunder naturally will become susceptible to allowing paint points, as Ibaka no longer will be allowed to roam and reject shots in help defense.
Ibaka, of course, led the league in blocks at 3.65 per game. His 241 total swats were more than 100 more than any other player. He can be a game-changer with his rim protection, and has garnered recognition as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate because of his shot-blocking.
But against the Mavericks, Ibaka could be in great risk of having a reduced effect on the series. His man defense is suspect, his discipline on pump fakes is sub par and his propensity to pick up fouls is sizable.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks will have to game plan for this.
There are three ways Brooks can adapt. (more…)
Derek Fisher Talks Lamar Odom
Derek Fisher tried to reach out to Lamar Odom during his time of need.
“Several times,” Fisher said.
But with Odom inexplicably struggling all season to adapt following a trade from the Lakers to the Mavs, there seemed to be little anyone could do or say to help Odom before it was too late. The Mavs severed ties with Odom on April 9. Dallas placed the 13-year veteran on the inactive list for the remainder of the season rather than releasing. But the two sides have officially gone their separate ways.
With Odom no longer with Dallas, Fisher’s last correspondence with his former Lakers teammate took on a slightly different tone.
“I sent him a message actually last night and told him how much fun it was going to be to play against these guys,” Fisher said Friday on the eve of the Thunder’s opening-round rematch of the Western Conference Finals.
Dallas, of course, ousted Odom, Fisher and the Lakers in a clean sweep in the second round of last year’s playoffs. It’s an experience Fisher clearly hasn’t forgotten. The 16-year veteran didn’t say what Odom’s response was in Thursday’s communication.
But Fisher admitted that the Mavs no longer having Odom is an advantage for the Thunder.
“Having played with him, yeah, it’s definitely much better for us that he’s not there,” Fisher said.
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Thunder-Mavs Schedule
Here it is. The first-round schedule for the Thunder and Mavericks.
Game 1: Sat April 28 Dallas at Oklahoma City 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Game 2: Mon April 30 Dallas at Oklahoma City 8:30 p.m. TNT
Game 3: Thu May 3 Oklahoma City at Dallas 8:30 p.m. TNT
Game 4: Sat May 5 Oklahoma City at Dallas 6:30 p.m. TNT
Game 5: Mon May 7 Dallas at Oklahoma City TBD TBD
Game 6: Thu May 10 Oklahoma City at Dallas TBD TBD
Game 7: Sat May 12 Dallas at Oklahoma City TBD TNT
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Nuggets 106, Thunder 101
Nuggets from my notebook from Wednesday’s loss to Denver.
- Again, I’ll start with the biggest news of the night. James Harden has been cleared to play after passing all league-mandated protocol to return from a concussion. He’ll be back for the opening round of the playoffs. He again did not join the team tonight at the arena for precautionary reasons due to bright lights and such.
- Coach Scott Brooks said Harden will go through practice Friday and will not have a minute restriction upon his return. “I’m excited,” Brooks said. “I’m thankful that James is healthy. That’s the bottom line. I’m worried about James, and he’s back.”
- We don’t know yet when the Thunder will play its first game. It’ll either be Saturday or Sunday. We’ll find out late, late Thursday night.
- We do have a pretty good idea who the Thunder’s first round opponent will be. Are you ready for a Western Conference Finals rematch? Because it’s looking like Dallas will be the No. 7 seed. All Denver has to do is win at Minnesota on Thursday night, or get a Dallas loss.
- That’s what has got to make this loss sting a tad bit. The Thunder had a chance to sort of control its destiny with its first-round matchup but couldn’t seal the deal. A win over Denver would have increased the chances that the Thunder avoided the defending champions. Instead, it now appears that the Thunder will draw its least favorable matchup. And that marks the latest time the this team has displayed a disturbing trend. Every time the Thunder has a chance to control its destiny by winning, it seems the team doesn’t do it.
- Despite saying for weeks that matchups didn’t matter, it certainly looked like Brooks was playing for a win tonight, probably to keep Denver down and help Dallas move up. When Brooks brought back KD and Russell Westbrook inside the nine-minute mark, it certainly looked fishy just one night after allowing the bench unit to close out the game against Sacramento. Four starters played at least eight minutes in the fourth quarter tonight. But Brooks said he wasn’t trying to impact the standings. “I’m not one to manipulate who we play and who we don’t play,” Brooks said. “You play who you play. If you’re going to win a championship, you’ve got to go through four very, very good teams. And you’re going to have to play them all. The strategy was I wanted Kevin and Russell (Westbrook) to get in the mid-30s (minutes). I probably played Kevin maybe two or three minutes longer than I wanted. But the game was close and he wanted to stay in.”
- There was more injury news tonight in addition to Harden. Westbrook looked to have hurt his left wrist pretty badly late in the fourth quarter after landing on it awkwardly following an attempted blocked shot against Corey Brewer. Westbrook was holding his wrist and wincing as if he was in severe pain. But just like the warrior he’s proven to be, Westbrook stayed in the game and played through it. After the game, Westbrook said his wrist was “a little sore” but it’s all right. He said he doesn’t anticipate it affecting him going forward.
- Serge Ibaka also sent a scare through the entire arena with just less than five minutes remaining in the third when he collapsed to the floor after Andre Miller appeared to elbow him in the back. Ibaka remained on the floor while play continued at the other end before getting up and checking out of the game. He was said to have a hip contusion and later returned. Like Westbrook, Ibaka didn’t just come back, but he came back and played well. Ibaka had a filthy stuff on a dunk Brewer dunk attempt, meeting him at the rim and rejecting a potentially powerful tomahawk.
- Ibaka finished with four blocks tonight, giving him 241 for the season, good enough to give him a league-leading 3.65 average. It’s the first time Ibaka has lead the league in both total blocks and blocks per game. Last year, he just led the league in total blocks.
- Kevin Durant said before the game that Ibaka’s shot-blocking makes him Defensive Player of the Year material. “I think he is,” Durant said. “If you look at the guys that block shots, Dwight Howard, he got Defensive Player of the Year for blocking shots three years in a row. But some of that stuff is sometimes reputation and name. It’s sad to say those awards and stuff is like that but, hopefully, I think he deserves it. How many shots he’s blocked and double-digit shot blocks he had in the season and how he changes every shot for us. If people really watch our games they’ll really know how much of a defensive force he is. But like I said, that stuff goes down to popular names or stuff like that. But I hope he’s (among) the top two voted.” (more…)
Second Round Ripe For Retaliation
If the Thunder and Lakers make it to the second round, James Harden and Metta World Peace will once again share the court. Could tempers flare?
With Metta World Peace receiving a seven-game game suspension for his vicious elbow to the head of James Harden, the Lakers forward could be back in time for a potential second-round series against the Thunder.
And that could be a problem.
No one on the Thunder will forget what World Peace did to Harden. And by allowing World Peace to return for what already would be an intense playoff series, the league is risking emotions rising and retaliation being served up.
World Peace will begin serving his suspension Thursday in the Lakers’ season finale at Sacramento. He must then sit out the next six games in which he is eligible and physically able to play. So if the Lakers get swept in the first round, World Peace must sit out the first two regular season games next season. Should the Lakers get knocked out in the first round, crisis averted.
But all signs point to the Thunder and Lakers being on a collision course to meet in the semifinals. OKC is locked into the 2-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. L.A. is locked into the 3-spot. Both teams are widely believed to be able to beat whichever first-round opponent they draw between Dallas, Denver and Utah. If they do, we’re looking at a second round series that will be filled with story lines and possible some good old fashion get back.
NBA Commissioner David Stern said on his annual pre-playoff conference call today that the league has “reason to believe that James will be available for the playoffs.” Of course, Stern and his staff would know. The Thunder must consult with the league and its appointed doctor who oversees the NBA’s concussion program before Harden can be cleared to return. Thus, the villain and the victim could soon be reunited on a court near you. (more…)
Thunder 118, Kings 110
Nuggets from my notebook from Tuesday’s win over Sacramento.
- First, the most significant news of the night. James Harden did not play as expected as he continues recovering from a concussion. He continues to be day-to-day like the rest of us. Harden wasn’t even in the arena tonight, likely to avoid the bright lights for precautionary reasons. He must continue to go through the league-mandated protocol before being cleared to play. It’s unlikely that he’ll play Wednesday against Denver.
- By now you know Metta World Peace got a seven-game suspension for the elbow that took out Harden. I think that’s fair. In fact, I thought five games would have been fair. Obviously, most Thunder heads feel that’s far too lenient.
- World Peace apologized again Sunday on his website to Thunder fans and the Thunder organization.
- Kendrick Perkins probably thinks World Peace can take his apology and stick it somewhere. Before the game, Perk changed his tune from Sunday, when he was the only Thunder player to stick up for World Peace immediately after the game. “During the game, I didn’t really get a chance to see the play until I got home that night,” Perkins said. “And that was just uncalled for. So I really don’t have any sympathy for a guy that does something like that. He could have really hurt James in a serious way. Anytime you do an intentional blow like that to the head it’s just uncalled for.”
- For what it’s worth, Kevin Durant said he’s confident Harden will be back in time for the first round. Royal Ivey said Harden is in “good spirits”
- As for this game. It was unfortunate, but the Thunder took the Kings lightly early and let them erupt offensively in the first period. And at least from my vantage point, it seemed to stem from Durant’s chase for the scoring title. Durant’s not at fault for the Thunder’s lousy defense, which allowed the Kings to light up the scoreboard early. But it definitely didn’t look like his pursuit helped the Thunder come out with a defensive disposition. And Durant definitely was gunning for a good amount of points from the start.
- Durant started 3-of-3 for eight points and was in rhythm from the start. He didn’t force shots, but he had more of a pep in his step than we’ve seen lately and he certainly didn’t pass up many looks. At the end of the opening quarter, he 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and was well on his way to a nice 32 point night in 32 minutes. Neither Durant nor any other starter played a single second in the fourth quarter.
- With his point total tonight, Durant bumped his narrow lead over Kobe Bryant in the scoring race to .11 points. The official averages are 27.97 points for Durant to Bryant’s 27.86 points. Here’s my story on the final showdown to decide it all.
- Food for thought: If Durant scores 20 or less Wednesday against Denver, Kobe doesn’t have to play Thursday and Bryant will win the scoring title. If Durant doesn’t play Wednesday (not happening), Bryant would need to score 35 to take over the lead and win the scoring title.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti, in a very Presti-like manner, said he hopes the scoring race doesn’t become a focal point for his team. “I hope we’re not that focused on scoring titles,” Presti said. “And I don’t believe that Kevin is laying awake at night trying to ensure that he’s on that list. I think he’s developed to a point, and organizationally we’re at a point, where those are great if it’s a byproduct of the games themselves and the work themselves like anything else. I hope we are focused on quality of play and not production and I believe we are. And that’s a compliment to Kevin and the things that are important to him and how they align with the things that are important to our organization.”
- Back to that first quarter. The Kings scored 40 points in the period, setting an opponent high against the Thunder in any quarter this season. Sacramento shot an incredible 18-of-22 from the field in the opening quarter. Somewhere, that’s a record, I’m sure.
- Fittingly, Isaiah Thomas buried a buzzer-beating 3 at the end of the period to put Sacramento up five.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks on his team’s defense: “Our defense was playing in spurts tonight and it wasn’t good enough like we’ve been all season.” (more…)
