Daily Thunder.com

I’m on a flight early Monday from Los Angeles back to the promised land. Still, quite a weekend in LA. The Thunder had a monster presence and it’s almost easy to forget that there are still 28 really important games to go. A couple days off and then back at it though. Plus, it’s trade deadline week!

“From Elias: Kobe Bryant (37) and Kevin Durant (34) each score 30 points for the Western Conference. It’s just the second pair of teammates to score 30 points in a NBA All-Star Game. The others were Bob McAdoo (30 points) and Julius Erving (30 points) in 1977.” Read more…

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Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — In his first start as an All-Star, Kevin Durant came out looking a bit nervous. He didn’t flinch when he was introduced with Lenny Kravitz blaring behind him. No dancing. No smiling.

And when the game started, KD clanged his first two jumpers. Then, like the Durantula often does, he got cooking.

KD finished the game with 34 points, second only to Kobe Bryant’s 37, in which he took home MVP honors for. Durant was 11-23 and 4-11 from 3 and put up some nice highlight worthy plays. He had a pretty rip and dunk in the first quarter, then right before the half finished a nifty lob from Chris Paul. Durant played a Western-high 30 minutes and really looked to be in to the game in the second half.

Durant got going late in the game as the East closed in on the West’s lead, knocking down a silly step-back jumper which he followed up by draining a 3. Naturally, the next three possessions Kobe had the ball, with Durant going without a touch. No bother though, because we all get it. When Kobe’s on the floor in that situation, he’s not letting someone else get it.

You could tell Russell Westbrook had Staples on the edge of its seat at all times. When he had the ball, the arena just buzzed with anticipation. Russ had a nice fastbreak dunk and finished with 12 points on 6-12 shooting. He and Kevin Love were the last two to check into the game and in the end, Westbrook finished with just 14 minutes.

But not a bad showing by our Thunder representatives in this one. Being in Los Angeles, you’d be shocked at what a household name not only KD is, but Westbrook too. Everyone was talking about Durant and every All-Star billboard, poster or sign featured KD on it with LeBron, Wade and Kobe (and whoever else). Despite what Durant might say, he’s a big time star. Whether he likes it or not. Read more…

Recap

Have at it people. Talk about how tight the jerseys are, how skinny KD looks in them and how buff Russ is.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. CT.

Preview

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

At CBS Sports, I wrote a big long Kevin Durant feature talking to him about a number of different things. I spent a decent amount of time talking to KD, so I thought I’d transcribe some of it here as a Q&A too.

Two years ago, you said pretty emphatically that you were no star. After winning a scoring title, finishing runner-up for MVP and taking home a gold medal, how about now?

“Nah, I don’t”

What would it take then?

“I guess I just got to win a championship, I don’t know.”

What about an MVP or 10 straight scoring titles?

“I guess then you could say that, but right now, I haven’t really done too much. When I go to the other arenas and they call my name I kind of listen to the crowd. They don’t roar as much as they do for a Kobe or LeBron or Dwyane Wade or Carmelo. I’m not there. I’m happy with the progress I’m making as a player, I wouldn’t say I’m a star but I’m growing, I can tell you that.” Read more…

Commentary

The Thunder was well represented at All-Star Saturday night, but I’m not so sure they represented well.

Russell Westbrook made it to the finals of the Skill Competition, but couldn’t win it, losing to Stephen Curry. Westbrook’s first round 30-second run was second best overall, only to Curry’s 28.1-second finals time. Westbrook though couldn’t finish as he put up a 44.1-second run to finish. He struggled getting the bounce pass through, then missed his jumper and then couldn’t get the outlet pass. I will say his two dunks to finish were neato though.

Kevin Durant was a pretty big disappointment, only scoring six points in the 3-point competition. He never got going and didn’t seem comfortable with the pick-it-up-and-shoot-it rhythm. He finished with the lowest score of the evening, behind Daniel Gibson who had just seven and actually ran out of time leaving three balls on the rack.

Serge Ibaka though, showed up pretty big. Read more…

Recap

(Good day Thunder. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Happy All-Star Weekend.)

People still think James Harden can’t jump. They still think he’s slow. They still think he’s not athletic. Well, he tried to prove some people wrong Friday night in the Rookie/Sophomore game. Harden went flying through the air to drop a fancy windmill on a break and really left us asking the question: Is the right Thunder player in the dunk contest tonight?

Judging by Carmelo Anthony’s reaction, that might be a no.

Preview

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — The game itself was about what you might expect. The Rookies won 148-140 but really it felt more like 256-254.

In terms of Thunder related items, James Harden was great, scoring 30 points on 11-18 shooting (4-9 from 3). Obviously, this was against swiss cheese defense, but still, he was the second leading scorer in the game. That counts for something. It’s the third straight strong showing for a Thunder player in the game. Kevin Durant scored 46 in 2009, Russell Westbrook 40 last year in Dallas and now Harden with 30.

The bigger news is what Serge Ibaka did. He scored 14 points on 6-10, but the way he got six of those is notable. Ibaka dropped two 3-pointers, looking cool and confident as he stroked both. One was a swish from the corner and the other a smooth bomb from the top of the key. I’m trying to contain my excitement because this is probably just an exhibition aberration, but still, if that’s something Ibaka has in his pocket… wow.

Harden also busted out a smooth windmill, showing off the athleticism nobody thinks he has. Also, KD was courtside (of course he was), sporting some slick glasses.

Recap

Tom Donoghue/NBAE/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — I asked Chris Bosh today at All-Star availability if it’s been awkward seeing Kevin Durant this weekend and Bosh joked about the two getting together for an NBA Cares event, kind of rolling his eyes as he said it. But when I asked if things were smoothed over, Bosh kind of sidestepped that and took the high road.

“His comments after a game, I’ve made bad comments after a game before,” he said. “Or I’ve made comments that I wanted to take back or just something that I felt very strongly about and just said it the wrong way. Sometimes after a game, especially a close one, it can be the wrong time to ask a guy something like that but it’s the nature of the business.”

Interesting that Bosh called KD’s line a “bad comment.” But I actually thought he handled it rather diplomatically. Durant didn’t take it back when he was asked about it, but he also didn’t really feel the need to stand up and re-affirm it. All in all, probably something best to forget about.  Read more…

Commentary

Bill Simmons dropped his annual trade value column yesterday. Three Thunder players were in the top 50, but I liked what he said about Serge Ibaka: “Think how much better he’s gotten just in the past 12 months … then think about the fact that he’s only 21 … then remember that, by the time he turned 20, he had already survived a violent civil war in the Congo, been separated from his 18 siblings, survived on his own in Spain and Oklahoma City, learned his third and fourth languages and morphed into a playoff contender’s key shot-blocker/rebounder despite the fact that he started playing organized basketball only five years ago. I’m not betting against Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka.”

Bethlehem Shoals’ terrific GQ feature on the Thunder finally came out yesterday too: “For much of my time around the team, I wonder if the irreverent Westbrook isn’t the diametric opposite of Durant. The Los Angeles native tells me that the slower pace of Oklahoma City suits him because he’s “calm and low-key.” But I already suspect he’s bullshitting me. A day earlier, I watch Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks work with Westbrook and Maynor on threes. Cheeks spots up in the corner and heaves a shot; Westbrook pegs it with a nearby ball, sending it across the gym. Westbrook cackles and does it again. An amused Cheeks tries one more. Westbrook jumps straight up and peels this last attempt out of midair.” Read more…

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This beard is on the comeback trail.

There is going to be a lockout.

If the media has been adequate at all about reporting on the labor negotiations for the National Basketball Association, it has been in making that one point clear. While the owners and the Players Association (NBPA) haggle, the only thing most people care about is that a work stoppage is almost a certainty in the short term. However, what issues are being discussed, what the end resulting Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) might look like, and what those resulting changes could mean for—in our case—the Oklahoma City Thunder is hardly discussed.

My goal is to change that. In doing so, I have to assume that, as educated NBA fans that frequent a niche NBA team blog, most of you reading this are at least familiar with the current CBA. This is not to say you understand the intricacies of collectively bargained by laws, but at minimum, you understand that trading players has specific guidelines, player contracts have minimums and maximums, and that an intricate salary cap currently exists. For me to explain the entire minutia in this series of posts would make each posting way too long even on the Matthewsian scale. However, if there is something I mention and you feel some further background would help your understanding, feel free to drop me an email (clarkfnmatthews at gmail dot com) and I will be happy to discuss it with you.

Alright, now for the fun stuff. Read more…

Commentary

We were all a bit disappointed when James Harden missed the cut for the Rookie/Sophomore game. Well, now he’s in.

Tyreke Evans is a scratch as he’ll sit resting his left foot. Evans has been fighting plantar facitiis in the foot all season.

Harden makes it four Thunder players participating in All-Star Weekend. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are All-Stars and Serge Ibaka and Harden are in the Rookie Challenge. Durant and Ibaka of course will also take part in All-Star Saturday night as well, with KD in the 3-point contest and Ibaka in the dunk competition.

News

I’m en route to Los Angeles for All-Star Weekend today, so I’ll be out of pocket for a good portion of the day.

Sekou Smith of NBA.com says everyone will be talking KD in LA: “Kevin Durant was supposed to be a contender for the MVP award this season and was universally hailed as the player most ready to take that next step and join the league’s über elite as one of the global faces of the NBA game. Then the season started and it seemed like Durant wasn’t even generating the biggest headlines on his own team (fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook). But this Hollywood backdrop is the perfect setting for Durant to remind us all that he’s still the same guy that dominated the landscape in August. A 40-point outburst and MVP trophy Sunday ought to do the trick.” Read more…

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Matt Moore at HP expanding more on Westbrook: “Westbrook takes what’s his. It’s honestly the biggest difference between he and KD. Durant is always judging himself, the shot, the defense, the game, trying to find that equilibrium that allows him to do amazing things. He’s a kid searching through radio stations for that song he heard once. If he finds the right frequency, everything falls into place. Westbrook on the other hand is just going to run in and jump on the bed until it breaks and then run downstairs for his pudding pop. It’s not the best thing. But it’s the thing which hits you in the seratonin spots like chocolate.”

I don’t really get this paragraph from Ballin Europe: “It’s official: As though the Oklahoma City Thunder needed more cause to be anywhere from giddy to ecstatic about the immediate future, they’ll now be able to anticipate the addition of a talented multi-dimensional big man in a year or two in Jan Vesely.” Read more…

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Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

BOX SCORE

It was pretty obvious from the tip that this was going to be a good night for the Thunder. Tyreke Evans was a late scratch for the Kings, the first play of the game was a dunk for Russell Westbrook and within minutes, Oklahoma City led 17-4.

They were trying to wash their hands of Sunday’s game against the Warriors. I don’t know if all the dirt is off, but I certainly feel a bit cleaner.

The Thunder completely dominated from the start, blowing past the undermanned Kings 126-96. And what was kind of neat but at the same time sad, was that this was despite a horrid shooting night for Kevin Durant. KD was just 5-18 from the field for 17 points and don’t think for a second the Kings played some kind of fantastic defense on him. He just missed shots that he makes, well, almost all the time. Read more…

Recap

vs.

Sacramento Kings (13-38, 6-16 road) vs. OKC Thunder (34-19, 18-8 home)

TV: FSOK (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CT

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 110.3 (6th), Kings– 103.1 (26th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 108.5 (17th), Kings – 107.9 (16th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.9 (12th), Kings – 93.9 (8th)

View from the enemy: Cowbell Kingdom

There’s going to be a sense of urgency tonight with the Thunder. I can just feel it. With the loss to the Warriors where they turned it over a hefty amount and gave up 20 offensive boards, Oklahoma City feels the pressing need to get back on the right track before they get a week off. You don’t want to carry a 1-3 mark into the All-Star break. Going 2-2 over the past week isn’t horrible and with the Kings coming in, there’s a chance to get things righted. Read more…

Preview