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Joshua G :@humbert
humbert
He definitely did play nice defense, but that won’t get him the starting job. But he certainly earned his minutes tonight.

I'd rather have Serge at PF not shooting a mid range jumper every time he touches the ball and playing solid defense / rebounding than Jeff Green who thinks he's Dirk Nowitzki down the stretch and not Robert Horry.

@humbert humbert

He definitely did play nice defense, but that won't get him the starting job. But he certainly earned his minutes tonight.

We probably lose this game if Serge was thrown out for the elbows. Score one for instant replay.

@Joshua G

he was +17 tonight. played nice d.

Greg :
Green having more games like this could be a blessing in disguise. Serge Ibaka putting it all together would couple that well.

I agree. Too bad 0-5 won't cut it for Serge.

Greg :
Green having more games like this could be a blessing in disguise. Serge Ibaka putting it all together would couple that well.

Brooks does everything to keep Green playing big minutes...

Looks like I was off about Demarcus Cousins. He's been a head case for Sacramento. I don't think that environment is good for a guy like him though, I think everyone could have seen that coming.

Green having more games like this could be a blessing in disguise. Serge Ibaka putting it all together would couple that well.

@Joshua G

We did play better defense after that time out, but the team struggles to keep focused on the little things. When we get into the game and everyone gets fired up they seem to do better and really get dug in.

green really should be traded before the deadline. unlikely okc will match a high offer after the season. could get some good value for him as he is perceived to be a good player around the league. thunder has lots of frontcourt depth. move aldrich from tulsa. I like what I have seen from dj white. plays within himself, good rebounder. money on the jumper. green should take some notes from him.

I just realized we shot 38% tonight. Yikes. Thank God for defense and rebounding.

justin :@Keith

Feels like they just have to put it all together, but I think that’s where the coaching for the group might fall short. We seem to do well at certain things only in spurts.

I did like how we also played good defense for most of the first quarter. I'd chalk that up to good coaching. After NOLA scored 10 points in about 3 minutes, Brooks called timeout. For the rest of the quarter New Orleans only scored 9. I'm fine with criticizing him when his coaching falls short (like against Dallas), but let's give him credit when he deserves it too.

Kevin Durant's missing a lot of shots inside of 18 feet that he hits at a very high percentage usually. He's missing open three pointers in rhythm (and ones not in rhythm). Considering the fact he started last year slow as well, I think he gets a pass on his poor shooting.

Tonight he did contribute well in other areas even though his offense wasn't going, he was great on the boards the whole way and of course his defense in the 4th quarter.

I'm not real worried about his shot unless he's hurt.

@Keith
Ok ok, that wasn't really what I meant. Just an example of the fact that he really can shoot the ball. He's even been missing good looks recently. How about if I say if he gets back to shooting the way he did last year? Point still stands. He's putting up decent numbers despite clearly not playing up to his potential currently, so he could put up awesome numbers if (when) he gets it together. I suppose that's not particularly newsworthy though.

@Keith

Yeah the general media perception is always a ways behind.

It's nice to see the defense play the way they did to end the game, though. We played decent defense before, but they seemed to play with good fundamentals down the stretch too.

Feels like they just have to put it all together, but I think that's where the coaching for the group might fall short. We seem to do well at certain things only in spurts.

@Keith
I agree that Westbrook is amazing! And the defense part isn't TOTALLY wrong, since we really CAN play defense. Showed it tonight. We've just chosen not to much of the year. Man, I so badly hope our defense tonight (especially the second half) is the start of something. Might be wishful thinking, but that would be awesome if we could build on this.

@nick
Shooting like he did in Turkey is unrealistic. Besides the obvious 3pt line distance change, the defense against him was atrocious and he had no trouble dribbling around the court without losing the ball. The things he did there (get open easy, actually use screens, and not have to try hard to be a good defender) simply don't translate.

@justin
Its too bad, because he was sticking those spot up 3s in the first half. I was momentarily excited. Our shot selection is terrible, but that's what you get when you just have players taking turns isolating.

I refuse to be too negative tonight though. Our defense was terrific, and if we can make that a trend then we're in great shape.

I just saw Sportscenter and they were talking about the game. I guarantee none of the guys who spent 5 minutes talking about the Thunder have seen a single full game we've played. Talk about media misconceptions and rose colored glasses, here are the points they wanted to highlight:

This team is all about each other, about growing together.

Brooks is the perfect coach for these guys.

KD was forcing things earlier in the year, but not anymore.

Westbrook is amazing.

This team is going places because they play defense.

Serge Ibaka is one of the most underrated centers in the league.

Jeff Green is just bad when he's taking jumpers on the move. He's shooting more because he's in a contract year...

Also, if KD can get 26 points on nights like this, I'd really like to see his numbers when he figures it out this season. As horrible as he's been shooting, he still has a decent 55 TS% (before tonight, so it'll drop a little, but not too much thanks to all the free throws). If he starts hitting shots like he was in Turkey his numbers could be scary.

I blame brooks for that. Thats another thing we never keep what working going as much. Thabo was hot but he never got any touches later. If Ray Allen is shooting the lights out. You get the ball to him. Kind of a no brainer. I commend Sef for improving on his offense. Iam the first to say it. I was a Sef offensive hater last year.

I wish Harden had gotten more minutes in the 2nd half. I did like how Thabo was playing, so I kind of understand not giving Harden minutes at his expense, but we didn't need to run Green at the 2. Its not like JG did anything particularly useful in the 2nd half. I liked how Harden played in the 1st half, would have like to see more of him tonight.

7 straight missed shots from Green to close out the game (the entire 2nd half); only 2 of them came from within 15 ft. His disappearance was his fault.

I can't tell who's to blame for Thabo's disappearance: him not taking shots or his teammates/Brooks not getting the ball to him.

Playing with Deron Williams is what made Boozer look so good. Same goes for West playing with Paul.

justin :@andrew

Boozer would kill him.

LA owns Boozer with their length. KD's standing reach has to be within an inch or two of Gasols.

Boozer is overrated imo. Gasol, Garnett, Amar'e, Griffin, Bosh, Dirk, Love, and Odom are all better than him. Millsap, David Lee, and Aldridge are about in the same tier as him.

I liked the balanced offense early. At one point in the game (at the beginning of the 3rd), Thabo, Green, Westbrook, and Durant all had 11 points.

But how in the world did it fall apart? Green's and Thabo's only points for the rest of the game (2 each) were on free throws, with Thabo's coming in the last minute. Thabo shot perfect everywhere on the floor. How does he not take a shot the rest of the game?

I like westbrook. He just needs to play smarter and in control. Harness his speed better. Can be clumsy at times and take stupid shots. Like that three. Hes a hero because it went in but not a good shot. Like that first game KD was out and he put up like 8 bricks in a roll. Once he learns to balance scoring, distributing the ball. And he cant play shooting guard. He has to be PG to play well.

I am not really advocating a move to PF for KD, but we should continue to use it against certain teams.

Ibaka starting at PF is what actually needs to happen.

@Joshua G
My problem with that logic is that I think teams are wearing KD out by making him defend guys running off screens. I'm not sure he'd expend any more energy defensively playing guys in the post than he currently is chasing guys off screens. I do think the idea is best used in spurts though.

justin :@andrew

Boozer would kill him.

Millsap would too, without mentioning the obvious suspects, like Dirk and KG.

what happens though, is that Boozer and Millsap already kill Jeff Green, so why not try something different, considering that Brooks will never give JG less than 39, 38 minutes?

@andrew
Zach Randolph

@andrew

Boozer would kill him.

If Durant ever did move to PF he would certainly need a good rebounding/defensive center next to him, that is certain.

@Joshua G
Oh wow thats really good for us. Could be the difference maker

Pau Gasol is the only PF that I think Durant would have trouble with defensively... Unless he really got pushed around by PF's like Love and Blair.

To more adequately answer the Durant to PF idea: I think he can be good in short spurts, but putting him there all the time is going to wear him out. He can work hard on defense on almost anybody (see his effort against Kobe last year). But if he has to expend too much of that energy guarding someone he either can't keep up with (guard) or can't overpower (PF/C), he'd probably be even less efficient than he already has been this season.

nick :@Bruno

Oh, no, I don’t think Jeff is better. I think Serge is though. While JG and KD are both undersized in the post, at least KD has the length to contest and bother shots.

then we both agree that Ibaka should be starting and Green should be thr 6th man :p

@okc baby
Yeah, I shouldn't be talking trash at the end of things. I'm just unable to post while watching games, too distracting. You should really get on the Westbrook bandwagon, though. It's pretty fun.

Zackery :@justin

Durant is also a great perimeter defender. He does a great job of staying if front of small and quick PGs when we switch on pick and rolls. He showed some of that tonight on Paul. His only weakness on defense is off the ball when he has to run around the court and find his man.

which is perfectly understandable for a guy that's 6'10" and isn't very strong.

as maddening as the start was, it was refreshing to watch that defense again on the 2nd half... now we've just gotta find a way to do that the entire game, and things will look up again.

@Bruno
Oh, no, I don't think Jeff is better. I think Serge is though. While JG and KD are both undersized in the post, at least KD has the length to contest and bother shots.

We actually did something other then iso's at the end of the 4th. Time to celebrate!!!!! Wooohooo

@justin
Durant is also a great perimeter defender. He does a great job of staying if front of small and quick PGs when we switch on pick and rolls. He showed some of that tonight on Paul. His only weakness on defense is off the ball when he has to run around the court and find his man.

@Nullum

I'm not sure that says anything except that Green is a rag doll.

Iam always happy with a win.

nick :@andrew

Eh, West isn’t the kind of banger that makes me concerned about such a move. It doesn’t surprise me that KD could handle West, who isn’t very physical. Its the more physical 4′s that make me question that idea.

I agree that KD might struggle against more physical PFs, but is Green any better?

I think it's a nice option to have.

@okc baby

+9 on rebounds; +11 on offensive rebounds

@Joshua G
West pushed Green around like a ragdoll though.

West isn't physical but he sure pushes Jeff Green around like a rag doll.

@nick
I think it depends on the matchup is what I'm saying. justin brought up LMA, that's another guy KD could handle. I suppose there aren't that many PF's that would really beat on KD? Maybe he could do it more consistently that I'm giving him credit for.