A lot was made of Kevin Durant’s seemingly slow start where he still led the NBA in scoring, but his percentages were a little lower than the ridiculous numbers we’re accustomed to seeing. I tried to make the point that his start to this season was very similar to last season’s first month and that there’s no reason to fret.
And really, if you look back to last year where KD was absolutely amazing, you’ll notice he’s on a pretty similar path this season.
LAST SEASON
THIS SEASON
NOVEMBER
27.7 ppg (46.3 FG%, 23.7 3P%)
26.8 ppg (42.6 FG%, 23.3 3P%)
DECEMBER
29.7 ppg (49.3 FG%, 38.6 3P%)
29.4 ppg (51.7 FG%, 41.1 3P%)
JANUARY
32.1 ppg (51.9 FG%, 53.2 3P%)
30.5 ppg (47.5 FG%, 35.2 3P%)
I remember Durant saying during the first HORSE competition he won in 2009 after heating up late that he’s a slow cooker. Judging by the numbers, that’s true in real basketball too. Read more…
Shaun Powell of NBA.com making an MVP case for KD: “The mission for Durant is to make sure he takes the Thunder with him as he keeps soaring. January was shaky as the Thunder went 7-6, with two wins coming in overtime when the Thunder were pushed to the brink by Minnesota and the Wizards, and another win on Durant’s buzzer-beater. The losses came against Miami, San Antonio, the Lakers, Nuggets and Hornets, the kind of company you must beat in order to send a message in time for the postseason.”
I’ve noticed this same thing that Darnell Mayberry points out and it drives me crazy: “For the life of me, I can’t understand why James Harden jumps several times after his 3-point tries. The only thing I can think of is he’s not shooting with any confidence. It looks as though he’s willing the ball into the basket — and it never works. Somebody needs to pull him aside and tell him to take a shot with confidence. Jump once. Follow through. And trust your skills. Go back and watch the tape on this one. When Harden does trusts his stroke (watch his 3 w/ about six minutes left in the third), his shots go in. When he doesn’t (twice in the first half), they miss badly.” Read more…
I’d almost forgotten what it was like to not be sweating profusely the last three minutes of a game. Tonight’s game was a nice reminder that all games in fact, do not actually have to be ridiculously close and stressful.
Thanks, Thunder.
What really made the difference in this one was the last minute of the third quarter. Oklahoma City closed with five straight points courtesy Kevin Durant’s awesomeness, which stretched out a lead to nine heading into the fourth. The Thunder outscored New Orleans 32-17 in the quarter and turned what looked like would be yet another nail-biter into a nice cruise through the fourth.
Something that makes putting away a good team such as the Hornets away is having a player like Durant, who can completely own 48 minutes of basketball. KD dropped 43 on 14-19 shooting (43 on 19 shots! Holy crap!), grabbed 10 rebounds, hit 10-11 from the line and dished out five assists just for fun. KD was zeroing in on 50 with five minutes left in the game, but he showed off why he’s so dang special. Instead of forcing anything, he made two slick and very correct passes to Nick Collison and Jeff Green (both missed, for shame). He then had another iso opportunity on the right wing, but dropped a beautiful no-look to Collison under the rim for an easy two. Playing that kind of basketball is how to close out. Possessions are never empty and it sends the message that it isn’t ever about one player or what he’s got going on. Scott Brooks said after the game he never has to worry about KD making the right play, because in almost every situation, Durant’s making a smart choice. Read more…
The Hornets made it to Oklahoma City despite it having turned to Antarctica this week, so it’s game on. And it’s a big one too. I know the crowd will be a little sparser than usual because of the horrific conditions, but whoever makes it, be loud. This is a big game for the Thunder. In the standings, for pride reasons and to also get back on track. Read more…
The Hornets arrived safely in OKC last night and tonight’s game is set to go on as scheduled.
Mike Prada of SB Nation: “The Thunder are ultimately in a tough spot, with both Green and the state of their team. Green is a free agent, and the Thunder have to weigh several factors when making up their mind. Do they keep him and risk dooming themselves to below-average performance at a key spot on the floor, or do they lose him and risk pissing off Durant and their entire culture of youth? It’s a tough question, and one they can’t really solve into the offseason.” Read more…
Thunder forward Serge Ibaka will be pulling double duty at All-Star Weekend. On top of the dunk contest, Ibaka will also be participating in the Rookie/Sophomore game.
Teams for the Rookie/Sophomore game are picked in league-wide vote of assistant coaches.
A little surprising James Harden didn’t make the cut, seeing as he was on the Rookie team last season and hasn’t had all that bad of a Sophomore campaign. His numbers aren’t flashy, but most agree he’s doing a solid job in his role off the bench.
The Rookie team is Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Landry Fields, Blake Griffin, Wesley Johnson, Greg Monroe, Gary Neal and John Wall.
Joining Ibaka on the Sophomore squad is DeJuan Blair, DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Taj Gibson, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings and Wesley Matthews.
Carmelo Anthony will serve as an assistant coach for the Rookie team and Amar’e Stoudemire will be on the Sophomore team.
In this one for Norman Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, Russell Westbrook, D.J. White, Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka sing a little jingle. It’s lovely. Definitely something nice to enjoy on this horrific day in Oklahoma I hope. I would definitely recommend watching this one while driving on the ice and snow. And maybe while sending a text too. That’s a good idea.
Scott Brooks says Ibaka isn’t in a doghouse or anything. And I like Ibaka’s quote: “Everybody in the league has a bad game sometimes. Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the world. He has a couple of bad games, too. But the next day, he’s working hard for the next game. That’s what I try to do, too. So we’ll see.” That just shows you KD’s leadership and what kind of impact he has on these guys.
Zach Lowe of SI: “If there has been a single dimension of one team that has been most disappointing, it might be the Thunder’s defense, which finished last season in the top 10 but has sunk to 17th in points allowed per possession this season. In retrospect, perhaps we should have expected some regression despite the general trend of young teams getting better. The Thunder last season were a mediocre defensive rebounding team that fouled at about an average rate. In other words, their defensive success was based heavily on forcing turnovers (only six clubs forced them more often) and, more than anything else, opponents missing shots. Guess what? The Thunder are still a mediocre defensive rebounding team that fouls at an average rate. They’re forcing a smidgen fewer turnovers, and opponents aren’t missing as much anymore.” Read more…
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