By now you’ve heard or read about Kendrick Perkins slamming LeBron James for his tweet gushing over Blake Griffin’s poster a couple weeks ago. Here’s what Perk said to Yahoo! Sports:
“You don’t see Kobe [Bryant] tweeting,” Perkins said. “You don’t see Michael Jordan tweeting. If you’re an elite player, plays like that don’t excite you. At the end of the day, the guys who are playing for the right reasons who are trying to win championships are not worrying about one play.
“They also are not tweeting about themselves talking about going down to No. 2. I just feel [James] is always looking for attention and he wants the world to like him.”
I’d say the reason you don’t see Kobe or M.J. tweeting is because neither are on Twitter. Just a theory. But I understand Perk’s point. LeBron does appear to be very into LeBron — remember, “The Decision” — and the way he worded that tweet is a bit odd. A lot of other players tweeted like Chris Paul, Kevin Love and Magic Johnson, but they didn’t pat themselves on the back in theirs. LeBron singled out his own great play, which is something you don’t see all that often. It was a humblebrag in its purest form. LeBron was giving props to Griffin while drawing attention to his own achievement all the same. Read more…
John Hollinger of ESPN.com takes Westbrook as a reserve: “Let’s start by taking our mandated two guards. Westbrook has the best recent historical numbers of the group, leads them all in EWA and has appeared to pay a bit more attention on defense this season, and his team in his first place. As much as we’d prefer he didn’t take pull-up jumpers with 14 on the clock, his overwhelming athleticism still makes him an extremely effective player, and I’d say he has the strongest argument of any remaining player for inclusion.”
The Thunder have three players in the top 10 of the 25 under 25 list on ESPN.com with KD being No. 1: “It would come as little surprise if Durant won multiple MVP awards and multiple NBA titles, as his team is built with an excellent blend of youth and role players with good seasons left in their tanks. Durant also set a new trend by signing his max deal for the full amount of years available. He’s a terrific teammate and is as coachable a player as there is in the league.” Read more…
I’m choosing to believe Kevin Durant went glass on purpose. Not just because that means he made the shot he intended to, but because he did it as a little nod to his old buddy Jeff Green.
It was on the opposite elbow, but much like Uncle Jeff’s game-winner against in Oracle Arena three years ago, KD iced the Warriors by banking home a jumper in the closing seconds. Said Durant after the game, “It looked terrible leaving my hands but I’m glad it hit the backboard and went in.” Even when KD misses, he makes it. He’s THAT good.
But if you thought last night’s game was cray, this one took it up another level. Monta Ellis scored 30 points in the first half and finished with 48. The two teams traded like 15 3-pointers in the third quarter. Oklahoma City trailed by 12, and then seven late in the fourth but clawed back to somehow pull out a win. About 10 different times, this looked like a loss. I don’t know what it is about the Thunder, but if they’re within striking distance after that final TV timeout, they’ve got a real good shot at winning. Read more…
The last time the Thunder endured a grueling, physical game with another waiting 24 hours later, they turned in a stinker against the Spurs. Granted, the Warriors aren’t on that level but with their offensive firepower and OKC’s penchant for leaving shooters open, this one could be a major challenge. Read more…
This should be getting more attention today because a) it saved the game for Oklahoma City and b) it was completely, totally ridiculous. Look at Russell Westbrook’s elevation. Look at his body control. Look at how he swipes perfectly at the ball and doesn’t foul.
Westbrook does a lot of absurd things in a basketball games — for better and for worse — but these type of plays are what tell you the story about him. He’s always going full out, always ready and willing to make that extra play.
Perk said before the game yesterday he’s not playing well this season: “I just got to play better. It’s not just the rebounding. My points are down. I’m usually one of the league leaders in field-goal percentage. I just got to play better. It’s nothing else to it. I just got to play better … I don’t know whether it’s my focus or what. But it’s on me. I really don’t care about the points. But I do worry about picking up my field goal percentage and my rebounding. I at least need to be at eight a game. So that’s unacceptable … It’s frustrating for me when I’m looking at the stats and I’m getting like one or three rebounds. I just got to play better. And that’s on me. It ain’t on nobody else. I got to be more productive.”
Jan Hubbard of Sheridan Hoops isn’t sold on OKC: “The Thunder has done a wonderful job of drafting, and Brooks has his team playing at a high level. But OKC is hardly a sure thing. A major step for the Thunder will be winning a playoff series against a team seeded in the top four. They have not yet done that. When they do, I will believe the future has arrived. Until they do, they are a team with potential. And as history has told us, there are significant steps between that and a championship.” Read more…
The shame of what otherwise would certainly go down as one of this season’s classics is that will be the discussion. With the Thunder trailing by two, Kevin Durant got to the rim and put the ball off the glass and LaMarcus Aldridge swatted it away. Or Aldridge swatted it to the glass. It didn’t matter what we thought though. Referee Scott Foster saw it as a goaltend. Two points. Overtime.
I think KD’s little grin while he was watching the replay says it all. It appeared to be a block. At least that’s the side I’m going to take after watching it with my face two inches from the screen about 60 times. I think the point is, that’s not a good call to make either way in that situation. Because full speed, it’s nearly impossible to tell. I think if we were being honest here, Thunder fans would be a tad upset if they were on the other end of that. Read more…
The Blazers handed Oklahoma City its only loss at home this season and afterward, Raymond Felton called out Russell Westbrook for not being a team player. And here’s the shame: Felton is doubtful for tonight, so we’re not going to get to see how Westbrook would’ve responded to that. Read more…
A select number of fans getting anxious, agitated and overreactionary isn’t anything new. It happens in every fanbase, even the most appreciative, smart and complacent. But why does it seem to happen quite a bit with the Thunder, a team that by all accounts people should be thrilled about?
After both losses last week, Oklahoman beat writers wrotecolumns wondering if the two losses exposed flaws and warts and ugly spots and problems. Sure the Thunder played horribly in those two games and I suppose you could read deeper into them if you want. Every team has flaws and problems. Otherwise they’d be 23-0. It’s about correcting the flaws enough to get by and enough to survive in the postseason.
So, why the anxiety? Why is each game under the microscope? Read more…
A terrific feature from Baxter Holmes of the L.A. Times on Perk: “Through Friday, Perkins ranked 186th in the NBA in scoring (4.8 points a game) and 60th in rebounding (5.5 a game). The only clear way to gauge Perkins’ value? Wins and losses. (Quaint, no?) And since the NBA-best 18-4 Thunder acquired him in a trade with Boston in February 2011, its record is 31-8. “If you didn’t watch our games, you wouldn’t know how important he is to our team,” Durant says. Even if you watch, you have to pay attention, because while Perkins is easy to spot, the way he changes games isn’t. Each time an opposing big man is having an “off night,” notice the defender hounding him on every shot and rebound. Each time a Thunder player endures a hard foul, notice the refrigerator-sized teammate who levels the accused opponent. And each time Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden curls around a screen and finds an acre of wide-open shooting space, notice the equilibrium-rattling pick that set him free.”
Marc Stein of ESPN.com has Westbrook as a West reserve: “The unflattering reviews of Westbrook’s quarterback play from early in the season are gradually starting to fade. Like a lot of us, I’d still prefer to see Kevin Durant playing alongside a more pass-minded point guard, but Westbrook is inching away from his defiant approach and is back to being OKC’s best player some nights. Which means his second straight selection to the West All-Stars is just a formality.” Read more…
The Thunder played four Western Conference rivals this week and won only two games. How much can we read into these games? Is there such a thing as teams just having an “on” night, and getting lucky from three point land? Is there such a thing as a bad win?
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
It’s hard to be surprised at Saturday’s outcome. Doesn’t mean it’s any less frustrating though.
The excuses are there and they are good ones. Second night of a back-to-back (after some guys played 40+ minutes) and on the road against the best home team in the league. Still, knowing how good the Thunder can be and are, watching them run mindlessly around the perimeter searching for open San Antonio shooters was a bit upsetting.
The Thunder did two things really poor against the Spurs: offense and defense. Other than that, they were pretty good. I guess there’s a reason San Antonio is tough to beat in their own building — they don’t miss much. Especially when left wide the eff open. The great fear when playing the Spurs is that their whole pick-and-roll, drive-and-kick game gets cooking and it did in the first quarter erasing a hot Thunder start with a 13-2 run. After that, it was pretty much all over. Mainly because Tony Parker wasn’t about to let Oklahoma City really get back in the game. Read more…
Coming off a tough, physical game at home the Thunder have to head to San Antonio to take on the best home team in basketball. It’s not that Oklahoma City is still in the statement-making business anymore because plenty of statements have been made, but this could be one of those character building games. Read more…
Happy Saturday. Thank you for your support of DT. Shine on you crazy diamonds.
Russell Westbrook filmed a new BancFirst commercial a couple of weeks ago at Edmond North High School and here’s the results. It’s an ad that’s supposed to show teamwork for BancFirst, but when you hear “We’re proving that teamwork, commitment and loyalty can go a long way,” it makes you wonder if the Thunder actually wrote that copy. And I know what you’re thinking. When the kid (who is Jordan McCabe, from YouTube fame), says he learned to play from Westbrook, it’s no coincidence he appeared to be a shoot first kind of guy.
After hitting a stupidly tough off balance jumper over Rudy Gay as the shot clock expired to essential ice Memphis, Durant backpedaled down the floor shaking his head and smiling. Maybe he thought it was a little lucky or something. But he’s like Harvey Dent. He makes his own luck. He’s just good.
Durant scored the Thunder’s final 10 points, including seven in the last 50 seconds. A 3 right over the top of Rudy Gay with 53 seconds left put the Thunder up 97-94. Next trip down, KD hit the tough free throw line jumper around Gay. Then some free throws to seal the deal. The crowd chanting “M-V-P” as he sank them and really for the first time, I thought, “It fits.”
Some nights, that guy is goes from disgustingly nasty good to swine flu worldwide epidemic filthy sick good. You’re sitting there watching him and have to stop and say, “Is this dude real life?” Read more…
Danny Bollinger/NBAE/Getty Images
The Thunder played four Western Conference rivals this week and won only two games. How much can we read into these games? Is there such a thing as teams just having an “on” night, and getting lucky from three point land? Is there such a thing as a bad win?
