Comments on: Maybe it wasn’t pretty all the way through, but that’s three straight for OKC

By: Crow

Crow — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:17:15 +0000

Turning the quality to low on the Flash might have helped.

By: Crow

Crow — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:06:51 +0000

Joe, it took a long time to load that stat charter for me but it eventually did. It is kinda busy, probably overkill but it is an interesting way to display the movement of data.

By: GAP

GAP — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:31:20 +0000

@The DON I love it when you come up with those...ROFL!

By: The DON

The DON — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:02:11 +0000

@f5alcon

Just thinking about that possibility has me….

http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/mogklav2/2cf7ezd.gif

By: Lefty

Lefty — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:58:48 +0000

@The DON This. I look for Harden to continue to be aggressive while he figures out justhow to do it. Then at some point, he'll learn when to drive and when to dish, and he'll be an amazing all around wing player.

By: f5alcon

f5alcon — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:52:54 +0000

Withe denvers skid we are only 3 games out of 1st place in the division, if we beat utah and win tonight, we will be tied with them for 3rd in the division, portland has a tough january schedule, we could conceivably be 2nd in the division in 2 weeks

By: The DON

The DON — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:38:46 +0000

Brooks has obviously instructed Harden to look for his offense first and foremost, and that is the reason his approach has changed the past few games. He didn’t all of a sudden change his offensive approach and start looking for his shot out of the blue on his own whim after being a distributor all his life, including the first portion of this season. He obviously himself is trying to adjust to this new role that has been forced on him by Brooks. And I am not against this decision by Brooks at all because the logic is crystal clear:

1) they are grooming RW as the distributor
2) now we got Maynor to do the same thing as well
3) we already get absolutely no offensive production from the SG spot due to Thabo

^^^ so with these factors in mind, Brooks is correct in making Harden understand that we need offense from him more than anything, and he will get it soon

By: Mike Mariano

Mike Mariano — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:36:06 +0000

Thanks for the love Kev. I don’t know if you’re from OKC or not, but I’m jealous of all you guys who get to go see them on a regular basis. I’m definitely going on March 30th when they come to Philly.

Some other game notes since the others were well received: It’s incredible to see how much Durant goes through to get the ball in the offense. Running through screen after screen and jostling for position it makes me wonder just how he manages to play 40+ minutes a game. Then again there are so many stoppages, he didn’t even look winded at the end of the game.

Seeing Thabo work in the flow of the defense was also a treat. Courtney managed to find a number of opportunities on loose balls and strange situations, but seeing Thabo rotate, collapse, and contest displayed a lot of the things he understands and if capable of defensively that others aren’t.

One final note, Collison is the perfect player for his role. He constantly looked to help and take charges on D, defering shots offensively that Nenad jacks up every time to find a better look for Russ or KD. Unselfish and pleasant to watch all-around.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:45:23 +0000

On the Harden thing… it seems to me that the addition of Maynor might have something to do with the change in his game.

Before Maynor joined the squad, Harden was the second best (maybe even first) distributor on the floor. And he was definitely doing a lot of point duty for the second unit.

With Harden’s ability to distribute the ball being less of a team need now, I think that Brooks is allowing him to find another role as a go-to type of player.

It may take a little time for him to adjust and remember that he still has to create shots for others, but I think it will come.

By: Kev

Kev — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:00:35 +0000

Mike Mariano :I’m from Jersey and I saw the Thunder in person for the first time ever last night. Obviously I was more than pleased to see a Thunder win and 40 from KD, but it was an odd night overall. I am impressed with the way the team survives on nights like this where they play far from great basketball. Especially Durant who had 30 before you even realized he was part of the offense despite the fact that he was basically starting Nets fastbreaks in the first half. I’m also impressed with the way the team does things right now just in the game, but before it and during time outs. The Thunder came out and were all business from warm-ups to the final whistle. Not too much goofing off, just guys seriously preparing for the game and listening attentively in the huddles. Conversely, the Nets were making jokes and playing around during warm-ups. Also, I don’t think they spent one time out drawing plays or talking match-ups. The team just hung out on the bench and/or watched the dance team. Not surprising to see why a team like the Thunder is soaring and the Nets are flopping (well that and the serious talent differential…)

truly an outstanding post . . . I love the "wired" segments they have on national NBA telecasts - this , of course, is similar (albeit more detailed) . . . thanks for the inside view!