Thunder: Heartsick after postgame shooting
Stepping out of The Peake and onto Reno Avenue after these late-night Thunder playoff games is usually an exhale moment for me.
The work night is done. The deadline is over. The adrenaline is dying down.
Whew.
When I hit the doors at the arena and cross Reno is when I feel it. It’s always dark. It’s usually quiet, save a few workers cleaning up the last remnants of Thunder Alley. It’s almost like I have a bit of the city all to myself, and it feels fantastic.
But last night, it felt the opposite of fantastic.
Leaving the arena around 1:15 a.m., the first thing I did was glance east down Reno Avenue. What I saw three blocks away was unlike anything I’d witnessed before. The street was awash in red and blue lights from what looked like a dozen police and emergency vehicles. They were still working a crime scene that was the result of a shooting right after the game.
Eight people were shot, one critically.
What an awful end to a glorious night.
The Thunder had just beaten the storied Lakers, bouncing Kobe and the boys, sending them home to L.A. after only five games. It was such a splendid moment, but not only for the franchise but also for the city. Oklahoma City besting Los Angeles? How often do we get to say that?
Then to have a few knuckleheads spoil our fun?
It breaks my heart.
Makes me mad, too.
Oklahoma City didn’t deserve this black eye. This city has worked too hard and come too far to have a couple numbskulls mess it up. Obviously, the vast, vast majority of fans who were downtown Monday night were on their best behavior, but that’s not what the national sports talk shows were jabbering about. That’s not what sports fans from all over the country were reading about; our story about the shootings had more hits on NewsOK.com than the rest of our Thunder content combined.
It boils my blood.
Listen, I understand that Oklahoma City is not immune to knuckleheadedness. No city is. But please, please, please tell me that this is a one-time thing. We haven’t seen such madness after Oklahoma football games or Oklahoma State basketball games. Heck, until Monday night, we hadn’t seen anything close to this after Thunder games.
I would prefer to go back to those dark, quiet streets that have always greeted me after Thunder games.
All of Oklahoma City should want that, too.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Missing the Lakers
Thunder-Spurs for the Western Conference Finals is going to be something. Most pundits already are proclaiming it the NBA Finals.
You’ve got the Thunder organization’s desire to be all things Spurs. You’ve got the Riverwalk copycatting. You’ve got the lovable, laudable superstars in Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant.
But before we focus on all things San Antonio, can I take this moment to say one thing. I’m going to miss the Lakers.
What a fun team to watch and a fun team to cover. Let us count the ways.
Metta World Chaos
At the very least, you have to admit, he was fun to beat. I think he was a blast to watch and a blast to talk to. Chaos always says interesting things.
Here was Chaos after Game 5 Monday night: “Let’s give Oklahoma some credit first. Let’s not complain about fouls. How many were called in the history of the NBA. One thousand? Two thousand? Let’s give Oklahoma credit. They were the better team.”
Chaos said he tried to put the elbowing of James Harden behind him. But Harden didn’t seem to have put it behind him, and who can blame him? And the referees didn’t put it behind them. I was waiting for the refs to have to make a decision on Chaos’ actions, and sure enough, it finally happened in Game 5. When Chaos fouled Thabo Sefolosha hard on breakaway layup, the refs were forced to decide. They decided on the side of law and order. The U.S. Constitution would have protected Chaos, but the bill of rights doesn’t hold water in an NBA game. Chaos was hit with a flagrant foul, then got a technical foul when he complained. Sometimes, your past does catch up to you.
“During the the playoffs, like I said on my website, it’s hard for me,” Chaos said. “I’ve got guys like Elton Brand and Al Harrington who are my best friends. I don’t talk to them in the game. Imagine guys I don’t even know.”
Chaos said he told Harden after the series, “great job … James is a really good player.”
Kobe Bryant
He’s a maddening player. For the series, Kobe averaged 31.2 points a game. But he shot just 42.6 percent from the field, and that’s with his 18-of-33 dynamic performance Monday night. Then after the game, Kobe speaks in this low, passionless voice. But his eyes are shooting arrows.
I don’t know how you build a team concept around Kobe. I also don’t know how the Lakers possibly could try to build without him. And you can’t take your eyes off him during the game. He makes it convenient for you by always having the ball. I do know this. Thabo Sefolosha is pleased to have Kobe in his rearview mirror.
Andrew Bynum
Speaking of which, Bynum is glad to be rid of Kendrick Perkins.The Laker 7-footer averaged 16.6 points a game in the series but made just 30 of 69 shots. Perkins took Bynum to the woodshed night after night.
After Game 5, Laker coach Mike Brown even admitted that Perkins outworked Bynum. “Obviously, this last game was the worst game I played in the playoffs,” Bynum said.
Bynum made the all-star team this season. That doesn’t mean you’d rather have him than Perkins on your team.
Pau Gasol
What a lovely man. He won that league citizenship award the other day. Might be the nicest guy in the NBA. And he’s won NBA titles being Kobe’s all-star sidekick, so we know he can play. But watching Gasol, you can tell frustration is building. How much longer will he be a Laker?
The Lakers are gone. The Spurs await the Thunder. The games might be better. No way will the Spurs be more interesting.
Thunder: You fans just keep impressing
The Thunder team plane returning from Los Angeles landed in Oklahoma City around 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
It would’ve touched down sooner but massive thunderstorms forced the plane to circle around the city for the better part of an hour.
But when the plane finally arrived, the team was greeted by a couple hundred fans. Thunder reserve big man Nazr Mohammed captured some video of the scene and posted it on his Twitter account. I posted it above. You’ll want to take a look.
Too bad you can’t see the faces of the fans because the folks who were out there deserve mad props.
First, it was 5:30 in the morning.
Second, because the plane was supposed to be in an hour or so earlier, you can guess that some of the folks had been out there for quite awhile.
And lastly, they were standing outside in the middle of a spring thunderstorm in Oklahoma. It was raining hard, and it was lightning like crazy. (And did we mention that these folks were crowded around a metal fence. Last I checked, Gary England did not approve of standing near a metal fence during a thunderstorm.)
This was a dedicated group of folks. Kudos to you, Thunder fans.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Who coaches the Lakers?
The Thunder-Laker series is four games old. Play four games in six days against the same opponent, and you find all kinds of trends and revelations and questions. Here are my Laker thoughts:
* Mike Brown is a good coach. He’s done a good job with this team, which has its star power but also has its limitations.
But Brown doesn’t coach Kobe Bryant. Kobe coaches Kobe. That’s a problem. Kobe popped Pau Gasol pretty good after Game 4, saying Gasol had to be more assertive. Maybe so. But Kobe has to be less assertive. Kobe has taken 96 shots in this series (and made 37, 38.5 percent), plus 44 foul shots and nine turnovers. So that’s the equivalent of 127 “usages,” the term to define the end of a possession, which by definition ends with a shot, foul shot or a turnover. To get the usage total, you cut the foul shots in half.
By comparison, Kevin Durant has taken 72 shots (and made 39, 54.1 percent) and 28 foul shots, plus 12 turnovers. So that’s 98 usages. Kobe has ended possessions 31 more times than has Durant in this series. And Kobe has outscored Durant 114-109.
* Gasol is not what he once was. He once was a wonderfully-skilled big man who could produce a huge game. But he’s deferred, and not so much to Kobe, but to Drew Bynum. Bynum is now the Lakers’ primary post scorer. And as good of a job as Kendrick Perkins has done on Bynum, Serge Ibaka has done on Gasol. Gasol was 18th in the NBA in field-goal percentage, .501, this season. In this series, Gasol has made 19 of 40 shots, 47.5 percent.
Gasol has become more of a classic power forward: strong rebounder (34 in the four games vs. the Thunder) and solid scorer (46 points) but no real threat to have a breakout game.
* Metta World Chaos is a weird ballplayer. He’s still an elite defender, able still to occasionally frustrate the likes of Durant. Chaos just isn’t as dominant defensively as he once was. But a guy that big and strong becomes the opposite on offense, where almost all of his value rests in his deep shooting. Chaos made four of his eight 3-point attempts in Game 4; the rest of the Lakers made just one of 10. Chaos on the dribble or in the paint is a total adventure; a turnover is as likely as a made shot. He once was a lot better than that. But Chaos remains a valuable player. In this series, Kobe has played 153 minutes, 25 seconds. Chaos has played 153 minutes, 41 seconds.
* Jordan Hill is a good ballplayer. Not as good as Lamar Odom was for the Lakers, but good. He’s been very active, particularly on the boards, for the Lakers, with 23 rebounds to go with 17 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant, Westbrook & Thabo most efficient
The Thunder-Laker series is four games old. Play four games in six days against the same opponent, and you find all kinds of trends and revelations and questions. Here are my Thunder thoughts:
* The most efficient players in this series have been Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. A good way to measure efficiency is usage rates – shots taken, plus half of the foul shots taken, plus turnovers. That gives you a good gauge on how many possessions a certain player used. In this series, the usage rates compared with points scored:
Thunder
Kevin Durant 98/109.
Russell Westbrook 92/100.
James Harden 70/63.
Serge Ibaka 38/36.
Thabo Sefolosha 16/18.
Derek Fisher 21/17.
Kendrick Perkins 20/14.
Nick Collison 10/12.
Daequan Cook 9/10.
Lakers
Kobe Bryant 127/114.
Andrew Bynum 79/73.
Pau Gasol 53/46.
Metta World Chaos 50/44.
Ramon Sessions 38/26.
Steve Blake 26/22.
Jordan Hill 17/17.
Matt Barnes 14/8.
So check those lists. The only players in this series with more points than possessions used are Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha.
* The most underrated stat in in the playoffs is minutes played. You learn a lot by studying how much coaches play their players.
In this series, Harden has played 113 minutes, 23 seconds. Perkins has played 112:09. Ibaka has played 116:01.
Think about that. Harden is a budding all-star. A wondrous offensive player who is turning into a solid defender, too. Scotty Brooks wouldn’t think of not using Harden down the stretch.
Yet Perk has played virtually the same amount of time as Harden, and Ibaka has played a little more.
Ibaka was superb in Game 4 – 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with a couple of timely offensive rebounds, plus five blocks. Ibaka has 17 blocked shots in the four games. He’s got 13 offensive rebounds. Two of Ibaka’s baskets in Game 4 came on follow shots.
And Perkins, well, I know everyone gets tired of me ranting about his value. But it can’t be overstated. Bynum is playing at the top of his game in this series. He’s engaged, he’s mobile, he’s skilled, he’s not being a knucklehead. Just a total dominant center, at least offensively. During the regular season, Bynum was third in NBA field-goal percentage, .558. In this series, Bynum has made 26 of 59 shots – a .441 percentage. Bynum had 18 points in Game 4, but six came in just four minutes against Nazr Mohammed.
Perk was good down the stretch, too. He had five rebounds in the fourth quarter, including a follow off Westbrook’s miss that gave the Thunder a 98-96 lead with 1:16 left.
* Do you suppose Russell Westbrook brings two changes of clothes to the arena? Westbrook has displayed two, shall we say, wardrobes with flair. The fishing shirt after Game 1, the plant-splotched shirt after Game 4. I think they’re sort of cool, myself, but I’m probably in the minority.
But think about it. Westbrook has worn the outrageous threads after his two monster games – 27 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, one turnover in Game 1; 37 points, five assists, one turnover in Game 4.
Would Westbrook dress like that after a loss? I don’t know. But it’s interesting.
* The Thunder has won seven games in these playoffs. They trailed by 13 points in the fourth quarter of two of them and trailed by seven points with 21/2 minutes left in two other games.
* In this series, the Thunder leader in assists is Westbrook, with 19. And it’s not close. Durant is next, with 12. The Lakers’ leader in assists is Kobe, and it’s not close. His 17 are well ahead of Sessions’ and Gasol’s 12 each.
So let me get this straight. This series’ leaders in assists are perhaps the two guys most scrutinized for the number of shots they take.
Westbrook has three turnovers in this series, in 139 minutes, 23 seconds. I know, the Lakers don’t exactly have Tony Allen hawking the ball, but still, that’s an incredible ratio.
* Durant’s rebounding has been a strength all season. On a team with Ibaka and Perkins, Durant led the Thunder in rebounding. And that hasn’t changed in this series. In this series, he has 33, including 13 in Game 4. Twelve were defensive rebounds. Some studies show that Durant rebounds more reboundable balls than any player in the NBA. Only three of his rebounds in this series are offensive. If Durant ever becomes an offensive rebounding force, he’ll be an even bigger force.
Lakers: Livin’ large at the line
Kobe Bryant went 18 for 18 at the free-throw line in Game 3 on Friday.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Thunder 99-96 in Game 3 on Friday night thanks to their near-perfection at the free-throw line.
The Lakers converted an astonishing 41 of 42 from the line (.976), the second-best percentage in NBA playoff history (30 or more attempts) to the Dallas Mavericks making 49 of 50 (.980) against the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.
During the regular season, the Lakers were a middle-of-the-road team from the line, ranking 16th in the NBA (.756). Had the Lakers shot their usual percentage at the line, they would have had scored nine fewer points (32 for 42).
The Thunder, which converted 26 of 28 (.929) in Game 3, led the league in three-throw percentage (.806) for the second straight year.
Here is what the Lakers shot on Friday compared to the regular season:
PLAYER; GAME 3; REGULAR SEASON
KobeBryant; 18-18 (1.000); .845
PauGasol; 4-4 (1.000); .782
Metta World Peace; 2-2 (1.000); .778
Steve Blake; 2-2 (1.000); .778
Ramon Sessions; 2-2 (1.000); .713
Andrew Bynum; 11-12 (.917); .692
Jordan Hill; 2-2 (1.000); .625
Lakers; .976; .756
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.
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.
