Lakers 99, Thunder 96
Nuggets from my notebook from Friday’s loss at Los Angeles.
- I originally predicted the Thunder to win in five.
- I still think it’s going five.
- Still, tough loss for the Thunder. OKC was right there and had the game in hand with less than three minutes to go. Close out this one, and it’s highly likely the Thunder would have finished off the Lakers on Saturday.
- OKC had a five-point lead after a fantastic steal by and breakaway dunk by Russell Westbrook. At that moment, it looked like this was going to be the Thunder’s night. But who knew what was about to unfold down the stretch?
- In the final 2:55, the Lakers got to the line 10 times. The Thunder got there zero. That was the story of the game. Those last 175 seconds were a microcosm of what ultimately made the Lakers victorious. And when studied closely, it’s a shame. Yeah, I’m going there, to that place you rarely ever will find me. The refs took this game out of the Thunder’s hands. Plain and simple.
- Final score. Lakers 42, Thunder 28. That’s the one that mattered. That was the free throw attempt count. Never mind the “99-96″ you saw on the scoreboard. (more…)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant defers
For Game 3 of the Thunder-Laker series, I wrote about Kevin Durant’s unselfishness – to a fault, at times. You can read my column here. I had to write that column before the post-game interview session. Game ends. Write. Then go talk to the ballplayers and coaches.
In the interview room, I asked Durant about his unselfishness. Told him I thought he might have passed a little much in a game in which no one on either team could be expected to make a shot except Durant (12 or 23) and inexplicable Laker point guards Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake (a combined nine for 13).
Twice in the last two minutes, Durant drove the lane and passed off. That’s after clearly displaying the ability to score in traffic – Durant made at least three shots that had one foot in the status of circus. One of the passes was a solid decision – a kickout to Serge Ibaka on the right baseline. Ibaka hesitated on an immediate 14-footer, made a fake and then launched a 16-footer that bounced off. Three possessions earlier, Durant drove and passed to Kendrick Perkins under the basket. Perk is a wonderful player and is invaluable in this series. But he’s got little chance with the ball in the lane in traffic. He can’t get off a shot over Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol. They’re just too tall.
Here was Durant’s response: “I trust my teammates, no matter if they miss 20 shots in a row. A few times, I threw the ball to Perk under the rim. I trust him. Serge, I trust him shooting that corner jump shot. And Russ, a few 3s that rimmed out for him.” With the Thunder up 88-85 and less than 41/2 minutes left, Durant drove and passed to Russell Westbrook for 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Both bounced off.
“I was just picking and choosing my spots,” Durant said. “I got into the paint and wanted to take a good shot. They were tough defensively, but I got to the spots that I wanted to get to. Sometimes I should’ve shot when I passed it, but like I said, I believe in my teammates, that they’re going to make shots inside. I’ll continue to make the right play.”
Well, there’s progress. Durant talked long enough to admit that he sometimes made the wrong decision in the name of unselfishness.
The truth is, sometimes James Harden is hot, sometimes not. Sometimes Westbrook is hot, sometimes not. Sometimes Derek Fisher is hot, sometimes not. Heck, sometimes Durant is hot, sometimes not.
Friday night was a sometimes-not night for every Boomer except Durant. In Game 3, the Thunder made just 21 of 60 shots aside from Durant. That’s 35 percent. (Not that it’s particularly relevant to this discussion, but Kobe Bryant made nine of 25 shots; the other Lakers made 18 of 45 combined, which is 40 percent).
Durant normally has a wonderful feel for the game. But sometimes, he has conflicting instincts. Sometimes, Durant’s basketball instincts are at odds with Durant’s leadership abilities. Sometimes, Durant defers in the name of team. It’s a laudable trait. Unfortunately, what’s good for morale and chemistry isn’t always good for the scoreboard. Game 3 was one of those nights.
OKC Thunder-Los Angeles Lakers Game 3 wrap up: in case you missed it
LAKERS 99, THUNDER 96 — Here’s our Game 3 coverage from the Thunder-Lakers series. Remember to follow us on Twitter at @NewsOKThunder and like us on Facebook to get all of this throughout the day. Looking for Game 1 coverage? It’s here. Need Game 2 stories? They’re here.
Game 3 via the lenses of The Oklahoman.
Pre-game:
OKC Thunder shatters local TV ratings record in Game 2 of Lakers series
Q&A with Lakers assistant coach Quin Snyder
Thunder wants to get back to triple digits
The Thunder’s versatility and variety of methods have been on display during its 6-0 playoff roll
James Harden, Russell Westbrook going back to Cali
Post-game:
Tramel: Kobe Bryant hogged the ball. Kevin Durant didn’t.
Free throws help Lakers hold off Thunder in Game 3
Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy shine during Game 3
World Peace in another skirmish
OKC Thunder Q&A: Kendrick Perkins says ‘I’m fine, but I ain’t fine’
Blogs:
Is Kevin Durant the new Closer King?
Checking in with Kendrick Perkins
Don’t believe everything you hear, fans
Photo/video:
Thunder Cover: The last minutes
Press Row: We Pick ‘Em – Thunder Fashions
Press Row: Barkley vs. the Thunder
Live chats:
Power Lunch Chat with Jenni Carlson
Power Lunch Chat with Mike Sherman
NBA Playoffs Live Chat: Thunder-Lakers Game 3
Oklahoma City Thunder: Is Kevin Durant the new Closer King?
Lost in the revelry of the Thunder’s comeback victory over the Lakers in Game 2 Wednesday night was this question: Did we see the passing of the mantle for the NBA’s Closer King? Did it go from Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant?
Kobe melted down in the final two minutes, then failed to get open with five seconds on an inbounds pass. When the Lakers called timeout and got another chance, Mike Brown changed the play, sending Kobe on a flare to the backside, which frankly is a gotcha play. Try to catch the Thunder in some kind of mixup. Didn’t happen, and Metta World Chaos instead inbounded to Steve Blake, who missed a good-look 3-pointer.
Meanwhile, Durant made the play of the night, with his drive to a running one-hander, a 7-foot shot that rolled around and in to give the Thunder a 76-75 lead with 18 seconds left. It wasn’t a last-second shot, ala his game-winner to beat Dallas in Game 1 three weeks ago, but still. Clutch city.
And with Kobe’s status as Mister Clutch taking a beating – the widely-reported 0-for-7 in shots that would give the Lakers the lead or a tie in the final 24 seconds of playoff games the last five years — Durant suddenly is ready to assume the role.
Here’s what Thunder fans have to love about Durant’s 2012 playoff heroics. Both have come via aggression. A pullup jumper against Dallas; a drive against LA.
Against the Lakers, Kendrick Perkins set a screen for Durant, 25 feet from the basket, and 7-foot center Andrew Bynum switched over to Durant. That was Durant’s signal to drive, and he went around Bynum rather easily and got to the baseline. Another 7-footer, Pau Gasol, awaited, and Durant lofted a soft shot that rolled around and fell in.
“Kevin made a great play,” said Scotty Brooks. “There’s a lot of growth in Kevin’s play. He’s attacking the basket and trying to get something going south instead of settling for a jumpshot.”
Brooks said the Thunder initially had a called play, but like so often in the NBA, “then it became a freelance, a random, just-attack play. I give him a lot of credit. We have some structure in the organized chaos. But the structure was, the big always runs into a screen quickly, try to get some separation, then our ballhandler attacks. And Kevin did a great job attacking, getting to the baseline. That was a terrific shot. That was not an easy shot, to get over his defender and shoot over Gasol.”
Not so long ago, the Thunder – not the Thunder, Durant – seemed to settle for 21-footers at the end of games.
“Twenty-one? I’ll take 21; 28, 30,” Brooks said of the deep shots. But that’s now changed. “I think it’s a collection of all of our work. Kevin, our coaches, myself, just talking, watching and understanding what late-game situations are all about. He’s a developing player. Sometimes I forget that he’s only 23, because he’s very mature, he plays at such a high level. But he’s still understanding the game.
“Not that I’m saying he’s never going to shoot a long jumpshot, because sometimes it might be there, and he’s such a great shooter and has a deep range, he can take that shot. But it’s always good to drive and explore that opportunity first, then rely on that (deep shot) next.”
Checking in with Perk
We haven’t heard much from Kendrick Perkins since the morning of May 5. Later that day, he suffered a right hip muscle strain in the first quarter of Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, Perkins has received daily treatment to stay in the starting lineup and has uttered nary a word.
Players are made available every practice day and game day during the postseason, but injured players are excused in order to receive treatment.
Perkins was available after Game 1 and Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Trouble is, Perkins and veteran guard Derek Fisher often soak in a cold tub and chat about what just transpired on the court. They routinely don’t return to their lockers and meet with reporters until roughly an hour after the game. With ridiculous 8:45 p.m. tipoffs, that means Perkins (and Fisher) don’t start fielding questions until 12:15-12:30 a.m.
Such was the case after Game 2 when Perkins chatted around 12:30 a.m. With Perkins likely to receive treatment every day until this season is over, media availability will continue to be limited, which is unfortunate because Perk is such a terrific, insightful interview.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he didn’t know until roughly 5:30 p.m. Wednesday that Perkins would be able to play in Game 2 against the Lakers. Not only did Perkins perform admirably in the Thunder’s 77-75 comeback victory, he played 31 minutes, 45 seconds with injury. “His toughness, what our players saw, inspired them also,” Brooks said of Perkins. “They saw how he was at shootaround (Wednesday morning). We didn’t know (if he would be able to play). That’s what he does. When you see that from a teammate, you understand what the game is about.”
We would have loved to share Perkins’ insight after Game 2, but he didn’t finish talking until 30 minutes past our newspaper’s deadline, and such will continue to be the case at least through Game 6, of the series goes that long. There’s a chance Perkins could be made available at this morning’s shoot-around at Santa Monica High School (10-10:45 a.m. PT).
Below, compliments of Nick Gallo at thunder.com, is a transcription of what Perkins said after Game 2:
On defending Andrew Bynum: “He’s a load down there. He is the biggest guy in the NBA and he’s skilled, so he can play. We just try to fight him, make all his catches tough, try not to let him catch it deep. His percentages are night and day when he catches it in the deep post in the paint and when he catches it off the block. So we just try to fight him, try to limit his touches. Overall we’re just doing a great job of team defense. Our guards are sinking in, digging, helping and I feel like we’re doing a great job of trying to make other guys try to beat us.”
On closing the game on a 9-0 run: “Being at home helped also, I think. Our fans pull us through a lot of games. We just kept pushing. We got a bucket, we were down five, we just kept getting stops, came up with some big plays. Kevin (Durant) had a big steal. Russ (Westbrook) made a good play on the ball, which ended up going out on Kobe (Bryant). We just took it up another notch and did what we had to do. I felt like our defense all night was pretty good. We struggled a little bit offensively, but we kept getting stops the whole game. That was the good thing about it.”
On the tempo of the game: “You have to expect that coming after Game 1 that the Lakers, led byKobe, are going to come out hard and aggressive and come out and compete at a different level. I thought we did a pretty good job of fighting through whatever we were going through. Whether it was us making fouls or missing shots, we just kept battling, kept sticking together. We never let the game get out of reach. We always kept it a one-point, two-point game the whole game. Except for the last two minutes when it went up to seven, but we just grinded it out.”
On his status: “I’m just taking it one day at a time. Every day is different so I’m just going to do my job and continue to take care of my body and ice and do what I need to do. Luckily we have a great training staff here, so I’ll just keep listening to them and will just take it one day and a time and take it from there.”
On how he feels right now: “I’m all right. (The win) definitely helped. If I lose, I’d probably walk out of here limping. But I’ll walk out of here with a little pep in my step tonight. I’m cool, though. We’re just going to keep grinding.”
On his toughness being praised by Brooks and Thabo Sefolosha: “One thing I know is that a lot of the guys on the team kind of look up to me as a big brother. I try to set an example. I may not be the leading scorer on the team, but I try to play in the right mindset and with the right toughness on the court every game and just encourage guys never to hang their heads when things are going bad for us. We could have shut it down with two minutes to go and thought the game was over, but we just kept competing. They never know, sometimes I always look up to them, too. Things don’t always go well for me so I try to look at them to get some inspiration.”
On what he said to Westbrook after Steve Blake missed the 3-pointer: ”I just told Russ he did his job on sagging in because I felt like which one would we rather have? Blake taking the 3 or Kobe taking the 3? I’d rather Blake take the last shot of the game and Russ did a good job of just trusting himself and getting a late contest. Even though he had a good look, I’d rather (have) that than Kobe (shoot it).”
Oklahoma City Thunder: Don’t believe everything you hear
It’s often interesting to talk to athletes and coaches about the games in which they just participated in. That doesn’t mean they know any more than you do about what went on. Case in point, the Thunder’s 77-75 victory over the Lakers on Wednesday night.
* Laker coach Mike Brown said that on the last play, in which Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the corner, Kobe Bryant was “wide open on the back side, but we told Metta (World Chaos) where other guys will be just in case Kobe was not open, and I think Metta saw Steve. Steve was open, and he passed it to him.”
Yes indeed, Chaos passed to Blake. For the best of reasons. Kobe wasn’t open. He wasn’t close to open. Kobe indeed flared around to the back side, but with Thabo Sefolosha hot on his tail, and a fellow named Serge Ibaka right in the middle of the lane. So to get the ball to Kobe, Chaos would have had to throw a delicate lob pass in rainbow fashion so that Ibaka couldn’t reach it, but then what about Thabo? Put that much air under it, and Sefolosha would have been in a jump-ball situation for an interception.
No way was Kobe open.
* Kobe said the Lakers’ two late turnovers were the result of “gambles. They jumped into the passing lane. That’s not something we’re accustomed to seeing. It was just flat out risk defensively, jumping in the passing lane to get the ball. Durant did it and got a steal. Westbrook did it and caused a turnover. It was unconventional.”
No, it was not gambling. It was not risky. The two turnovers in question came on these plays.
1. Kobe, guarded by Kevin Durant, was 30 feet from the basket and tried to throw a short lob pass to Pau Gasol. It was a lazy pass, and Durant speared it out of the air and was off to the races. Durant wasn’t jumping the passing lanes. He was playing position defense. Kobe just isn’t used to being guarded by a 6-foot-10 defender with superhero length arms.
“There’s not a lot of 6-10 guys you throw on Kobe,” said Thunder coach Scotty Brooks. “Most 6-10 guys are 260 and playing the four (power forward). He’s a guy that can guard multiple positions. It’s definitely a different look.”
If Thabo or James Harden are on Kobe on that play, or almost anyone else in the league who guards Kobe, that ball lands safely in Gasol’s hands. Kobe just didn’t adjust to the unique defender against him.
2. Blake made a pass to Kobe on the wing, and Westbrook jumped in front, seemed to block Kobe’s vision and the ball went through Kobe’s hands and out of bounds. So yes, Westbrook jumped that passing lane, but it was not a gamble. Westbrook has been doing that all series, when guarding Blake, because there is no chance that Blake is going to drive around him. If Blake decides to penetrate, Westbrook easily can recover. So that’s not unconventional. Watch any superior athlete playing defense; they will hedge all over the court against an outmanned foe.
Thunder: Party on Reno! Party on Reno!
Reno Avenue became party central after the Thunder’s Game 2 win over the Lakers.
More specifically, the tunnel leading into Bricktown turned into a dance floor.
It’s a little difficult to see in this smart-phone video from YouTube, but it looks like a couple guys parked their old-school convertible in the middle of the street under the tunnel, then turned up the music. Fans leaving the arena after the last-second, heart-pounding victory joined in the fun. They blocked traffic. They danced in the street. They went crazy.
And I mean that in the best possible way.
It sure looks like everyone’s just having a blast. Nothing ugly. Nothing bad. Just pure, unadulterated fun after the most improbable of playoff wins.
(The video is titled “OKC riot”, but it hardly seems like some of the sports riots we’ve seen in other cities. Far fewer couches being burned or police cars being overturned. If a dance party under the Reno Avenue tunnel is how Oklahoma City does riots, I’m all for it!)
Since I was covering Wednesday night’s game, I didn’t get to experience the euphoria firsthand, but two years ago when the Thunder played the Lakers in the first round, I was outside the arena after a big-time victory in Game 4. It was so much fun to see people high-fiving strangers and honking horns and frankly just enjoying themselves.
That’s what it looks like happened Wednesday night.
The way the Thunder Bandwagon is rolling, it seems like there may be more celebrations to come.
Party on, OKC.
Thunder: If Game 2 wasn’t enough fun …
Just something to make you smile this afternoon, Thunder fans.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Magic fears Lakers are finished
Mister Laker, Magic Johnson, doesn’t seem to think the Lakers can recover from their meltdown in the final two minutes Wednesday night. The Thunder outscored LA 9-0 in the final two minutes to beat the Lakers 77-75 and take a 2-0 series lead in their Western Conference semifinals.
“The Lakers should be kicking themselves,” Magic said Thursday morning on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show. “This is the worst loss you can have. Then you just give it away. When you control a game on the road in the playoffs, then you just give it away, you can’t recover from a game like this. It’s very tough to recover.
“We saw the same thing in the Dallas series. The Dallas Mavericks had the Thunder beat twice at home and couldn’t close the deal. Then the Thunder closed them out.”
Magic echoed TNT’s Charles Barkley, who after the game credited James Harden with igniting the comeback.
Harden played poorly, at least offensively, most of the game. But he had a great final two minutes.
* Harden started the comeback with a driving shot to make it 70-75 with 1:59 left.
* Harden stayed all over Kobe Bryant and coaxed a baseline air ball, then broke out in transition and dropped in a contested layup to get the Thunder within 74-75.
* Harden also stuck with Kobe, forcing a missed 24-foot shot with 36 seconds left and the shot clock running down, giving the Thunder a chance to go ahead on Kevin Durant’s shot.
“I tell you who really did a wonderful job for Oklahoma City, and that was James Harden,” Magic said. “When he put his head down two or three times and went all the way to the basket and scored, that got the crowd going, it got the guys going. So James Harden closed while Kobe came up a little short.”
Magic said Laker coach Mike Brown came up with a great gameplan: “Slow the game down. Play inside out. They executed that gameplan for 46 minutes and they had a seven-point lead. Then it seemed like the Lakers just forgot what they accomplished for 46 minutes. They turn the ball over. Bad turnover by Steve Blake. Bad turnover by Kobe. Three bad shots; Kobe took a couple of contested fadeaways.
“Then on the last play, Ron Artest throws it to Steve Blake. He was wide open. He shot the ball but missed. Yes, you want to have the ball in Kobe’s hands, because Kobe is used to taking the game-winning shot, and Steve Blake probably hasn’t been used to being in that situation.”
I can’t agree with Magic on that one. Blake got a really good look. Inbound the ball with five seconds left, and your chances of a good shot are minimal. Kobe had shown down the stretch that 1) he was going to be well-guarded, by Thabo Sefolosha or Harden or multiple players; and 2) Kobe wasn’t in a groove. And despite what everyone believes, his percentages are very poor in that last-second situation. All players’ are.
Anyway, it’s hard to believe that this series isn’t over.
“This is going to be sticking with the Lakers up until Friday night, when they play again,” Magic said. “But it’s tough, because the Lakers got back-to-back Friday and Saturday. The Thunder’s youth will take advantage of the back-to-back games.
“Look, they (the Lakers) were so good for 46 minutes and just to give it away like that and not execute in the final two minutes. And I guess we’ve got to give the Thunder some credit. They start making the Lakers turn the ball over and take bad shots.
“The Lakers forgot how they got the lead. The Lakers were throwing that ball inside a lot. Then the last two minutes, they didn’t throw it inside one time. And that’s how they lost the game.”
Magic was asked who was to blame?
“It’s a little bit on everybody,” he said. Starting with Brown. “When Oklahoma called the timeout, you gotta say, we gotta keep doing what we’re doing. Throw the ball inside. We have 1-on-1 with (Andrew) Bynum and (Pau) Gasol. Kobe is a leader, he’s gotta say, ‘keep doing what we’re doing.’ Didn’t happen. Then they broke down defensively.”
