Zach Lowe of SI.com on former Thunderer Byron Mullens: “I’m not sure any player in the league looks to shoot as quickly upon receiving a pass as Mullens does. He knows the rules allow him to pass to the other four guys in his uniform, right? In fairness, Mullens is a 7-footer with a jump shot, and he has shown flashes as a useful rim protector on defense. His assist rate is only a hair below that of Andrew Bynum, but unlike Bynum, Mullens is shooting a below-average percentage (just 44 percent) for a big man. He’ll have to diversify going forward.”
Jonathan Tjarks on OKC’s future: “Dealing Harden would lower their chances of winning a championship in 2013, but it could open up a much larger title window. Let’s say they hit on one of the two picks they could acquire in 2012. In four years, they could spin this cycle forward again, flipping elite young talent looking for a payday into more elite young talent on cost-controlled salaries. Oklahoma City has one of the NBA’s most forward-thinking front offices. If they leverage Harden’s contract situation correctly, they could get so far ahead of the rest of the league their competition will never be able to catch up.” Read more…
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Mike Prada of SB Nation with a terrific breakdown of Westbrook’s shot volume: “There’s a distinct difference in Westbrook’s shooting percentages before and after he signed a five-year, $82 million contract extension on Jan. 19. Prior to that date, Westbrook was shooting just 33 percent on off-the-dribble jumpers. Since then, Westbrook’s shooting percentage on off-the-dribble jumpers is 42 percent. Also, in those first 15 games before the extension, Westbrook was attempting just 8.9 off-the-dribble attempts per game. Since the extension, he’s way up at 10.7 attempts per game. This lends credence to the theory that Westbrook was trying to be something he wasn’t early in the year, and now that he’s playing his game, he’s performing better. This adds further proof to Durant’s argument.”
From Elias: “The Thunder went on a 24-0 run against the Raptors, their longest scoreless run since moving to Oklahoma City, and the longest scoreless run in the NBA since Jan. 20, 2010 (Spurs scored 25 straight vs Jazz).” Read more…
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John Hollinger of ESPN.com on OKC’s first play dumping it down to Perk: “A simpler play would be to have Perkins catch the ball and then punt it into the upper deck; the expected return in points is identical, and it eliminates the possibility of a quick offensive foul or a run-out for the opponent. Again, it’s an easy fix: Don’t waste a play on post-ups for Perkins. The expected return on this move is greater than almost any late-game substitution Scott Brooks could possibly make.”
Alex Groberman of Opposing Views wonders if Westbrook should be suspended for his foul on LeBron: “While you never want to condone unnecessarily hard fouls, you almost have to give Westbrook the benefit of the doubt here. James is much bigger and stronger than he is, and it’s very possible that this was the only way that Westbrook felt like he could stop what was pretty much an unstoppable force. There really didn’t seem to be much malicious intent there, it was just one of those fouls that ends up looking much worse than anyone involved really meant for it to be.” Read more…
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John Hollinger of ESPN.com on the MVP race: “Durant supporters will desperately want to use the clutch narrative, because it’s the only safe place to hang their hats right now, but there just isn’t a compelling case to be made unless you start bringing up events that had nothing to do with the 2011-12 regular season.”
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com on the MVP: “Whatever the case, the fact that Durant has taken over several games down the stretch, and hit many clutch baskets, is a major reason why I’ve got him ranked ahead of James on my MVP ballot. Statistically, the two players are a wash in terms of scoring and rebounding, with Durant averaging 27.5 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds. Both players are shooting over 50 percent from the floor — James .537, Durant .502 — but Durant can’t touch James in assists (3.5) and steals (1.4). James also is the superior defender. But moments such as Durant’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 104-102 victory over Dallas on Dec. 29, or the game-tying 3-pointer he sank against Minnesota with 10 seconds left in the first overtime a few weeks ago, lead me to give him a slight edge over James this season. Durant has embraced those clutch moments while James oftentimes has not.” Read more…
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Bill Simmons on KD’s MVP campaign: “It’s hard for me to believe that any basketball team would be better off with someone else taking more shots than a once-in-a-generation scorer who was built to score points the same way sharks are built to eat. Come playoff time, when it truly matters? I have a feeling Durant will be taking back a few of them. But the philosophy behind that sacrifice is really interesting. At least for now, the more shots Westbrook gets, the more aggressive he becomes … and when Westbrook is flying around and doing his thing, that’s when Oklahoma City becomes abjectly frightening. I love that Durant sees and appreciates this.”
Brendan Haywood say all NBA players aren’t really tough: “Well I guess he’s got something no one else has. Like I said it is a physical game and sometimes guys get testy with elbows, throwing forearms. No one throws any punches out there. NBA guys? We are not about that. It’s all WWE to us. We’re fake tough guys. No one throws any real punches. It’s unfortunate Stan feels that way. I know he has to protect his guy, but it’s just not the case. No one has any footage of it I guess except him, so unless he has Patrick Ewing on the bench taping with his iPhone I don’t think that really happened.” Read more…
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Rob Mahoney of Bleacher Report on the MVP: “The MVP process has always been a bit silly, and since we lack the power to change it, the best we can do is come to a better understanding of why the conversation takes the turns that it does. It’s indisputable that James and Durant’s stocks are trending in opposite directions, and both are perfectly reasonable candidates. But as is the case with everything in this game, the final determination of the league’s most valuable pales in comparison to the justification behind it; the point isn’t that one player is or isn’t the MVP, but that authority — whether by volume or vote — isn’t reason alone to disregard argumentative foundation. There still needs to be a case made, and vague recollections of a few big performances or game-winners doesn’t exactly fit the bill. All of that said: Isn’t there some incredible poetry to the fact that Durant may well win his first MVP because Russell Westbrook is playing his best basketball of his season?”
Kevin Love on the Dan Patrick Show on the MVP: “I think if we make the playoffs then it’s a legitimate conversation to have but as far as right now it’s really tough to say. I look at guys like Kobe Bryant, I look at guys like LeBron James and especially with what Kevin Durant is doing I think he is just taking his team above and beyond. Obviously Russell Westbrook is playing great, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, and guys off the bench that are playing great basketball so I think you really have to start off that conversation with Kevin.” Read more…
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Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com on OKC’s road to The Finals: “Fortune 500 companies often preach “continual improvement,” the idea that competitive greatness is attained by pursuing a non-stop effort to make regular, incremental changes to both the processes and products to work out the kinks or to add the latest and greatest. The doctrine basically boils down to a cycle of building, assessing and refining. There may be certain benchmark goals in mind (revenue or market share targets, for example) but the idea is to be goal-oriented without being goal-obsessed. Fixating on an end result can be a distraction; doing things correctly and continually improving should get you there eventually. The modern NBA’s “continual improvement” prototype is clearly the Oklahoma City Thunder, a franchise whose from-the-bottom rebuilding effort has been hailed as a “model” for years now. The Thunder have gone from awful (2008 and 2009) to very good (2010) to great (2011) and now, with less than a month remaining in the playoffs, they stand poised as 2012′s clear favorites in the Western Conference.”
Robert Mays of Grantland: “When the first quarter ended Thursday night, with the Lakers up 12 and a lathered, playoff-type crowd on its feet at Staples Center, it felt like we were seeing what might undo the Oklahoma City Thunder come June. Through the first 12 minutes, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were a combined 3-for-15. Andrew Bynum was handling Kendrick Perkins down low, and Kobe Bryant had nine points in what seemed like one of those nights where he would go off for 40. Everything argument for the Lakers as the chic new favorites in the Western Conference would be legitimized. Then something scary happened.” Read more…
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Kurt Helin of PBT: “One game in March does not a potential playoff series determine, but the statements from this game are the statements we have seen these teams for a while now. The Lakers are good but they don’t seem to have all the pieces of a contender — consistent defense, weak transition defense, good bench depth at the two and four, and they still struggle to shoot consistently from the outside The Thunder are deeper, more athletic, more complete. And they have an energy that helps them overcome their flaws. And when all else fails they can just put their head down and run past the Lakers.”
Kelly Dwyer of BDL on Derek Fisher’s return to LA: “Even with the famously 37-year old Fisher playing on the Oklahoma City side, the Lakers looked old in defeat. They didn’t spread the floor well on offense, allowing the Thunder defense to load up as Kobe Bryant took 25 shots, and they had no answer defensively for the Thunder in transition. On court, it appears as if the Lakers are blowing their chance at ascending to the ranks of the NBA’s elite just because they refuse to commit to sound, smart basketball. This disappointment pales in comparison to the lack of commitment from the team’s ownership, though. And Thursday night was an unfortunate reminder.” Read more…
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Sebastian Pruiti of Grantland on OKC’s late game offense: “In most screens that the Thunder set, Kendrick Perkins is the screener. This allows teams to hedge off him and force the ball out of Harden’s and Westbrook’s hands. With Durant as the screener, teams are forced to pick their poison. Hedging out on Westbrook or Harden means Durant is going to be open popping out or rolling to the rim. Sticking with Durant means Westbrook or Harden can get to the rim with a head of steam. The defense is put in a tough situation either way, and it’s these types of simple sets that can give the Thunder the late-game advantage they’ve been lacking.”
Blazers announcer Mike Barrett wrote a ridiculous thing on Blazers.com: “Smooth and easy. That not only describes how OKC played on Tuesday, but describes the way nearly everything has gone for the Thunder since moving away from Seattle. The next time the team gets a bad break, or a key injury, it’ll be the first time. They have no idea what adversity is, and should, I suppose, actually get a lot of credit for that. Their design, and path to where they are hasn’t seen even one pothole. I’m quite certain their fans, who had the team dropped in their lap, think it’s this way everywhere. This isn’t bitterness, it’s envy. It’s a useless emotion, and probably a sign of weakness, but it does apply here. While the Blazers have found heartbreak, trouble, and bad news under every single overturned stone (some of their own doing, but a lot out of it out of their control), the Thunder have gracefully waltzed up to a championship window that’s now wide open- likely for the foreseeable future.” Read more…
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Beckley Mason of ESPN.com on the “Thunder Model”: “The idea: do what the Thunder did. Reboot. Strategically become bad to have the chance to become really, really good. The Bobcats are a terrible team that hired someone from the Thunder front office, Cho, and is selling its fanbase on the now famous “the Thunder model.” It’s easy. All you have to do is hit home runs on three out of four top-five lottery picks (Durant, Westbrook, Harden), get an absolute steal in the middle of the first round (Ibaka), and hope all four players exceed the expectations of the basketball world, get along great and become active, well-loved members in their community. And it only takes six years.”
Via Ben Golliver of Blazersedge: “Kaleb Canales on where Serge Ibaka ranks league-wide in terms of defensive impact on a game: “Top 5, top 10. He’s top tier for sure. His ability to block shots, even though he doesn’t get to some, him and [Kendrick] Perkins defensively as a tandem are one of the best.” Read more…
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NBA Playbook breaks down OKC’s perfect play: “The set usually begins with some false action that leads into a dribble flip (DF) between Kendrick Perkins and of the Thunder’s two primary ball handlers (Russell Westbrook and James Harden). Perkins then sprints out of the DF into either a rim run or a pin down with Kevin Durant moving off either action on the weakside. The strongside of the floor is usually spread opposite, giving Durant the option to tight curl into the paint and attack the rim. That is the normal pattern of the play which, even without any wrinkles, poses enough problems for an opposing defense. But in the fourth quarter of last night’s game, the Thunder (perhaps by accident), introduced a new wrinkle that made it nearly indefensible.”
Zach Lowe of SI.com on OKC’s supertrio: “There will be growing pains, obviously. Even in Sunday’s win, the Thunder’s offense sometimes stalled out after the first action, with one of the stars choosing to isolate as the other two stood around. Westbrook still appears to think he shoots 90 percent on pull-up 20 footers early in the shot clock. And, interestingly, Durant and Westbrook probably need to do better integrating Harden so he’s not a third wheel quite as often. Westbrook and Durant actually shoot the ball a hair more often with Harden on the court versus with him on the bench, but Harden’s attempts plummet when he shares the floor with his fellow stars; he has attempted nearly 20 shots per 40 minutes with Durant on the bench but only 10.5 per 40 minutes when he’s on the court with Durant, per NBA.com. Harden’s assists per minute also drop from about 6.5 per 40 minutes without Durant to about 4.1 when he’s out there with Durant.” Read more…
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ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Thunder gave Derek Fisher $2.3 million for the rest of the season after he became a free agent. That’s a lot of money for Derek Fisher.
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com: “The Thunder jumped out to a scorching start, nailing 10 of its first 11 shots from the floor and they never looked back. Durant gave LeBron everything he could handle and shifted the MVP debate back in his favor. The scoring output from the Thunder bigs was a welcomed surprise for Scotty Brooks. The Thunder couldn’t have made a bigger statement in a March tilt.” Read more…
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Berry Tramel on Derek Fisher: “When Derek Fisher talks, players listen. In many ways, Perkins arrived in February 2011 and immediately became a team leader on this fledgling team. Now Fisher joins him, and suddenly these young Thunder stars walk into any playoff situation knowing they have teammates who have been there before.”
Britt Robson of SI.com: “The buzz around Derek Fisher’s possibly joining the Thunder after his buyout from Houston is understandable. Oklahoma City lost backup point guard Eric Maynor to a season-ending knee injury in early January and now has rookie Reggie Jackson in that role. The conventional wisdom is that Fisher, a savvy veteran who has won five titles, would be invaluable in the locker room and in spelling Russell Westbrook in the playoffs. That’s probably sound judgment, but adding Fisher at this juncture, assuming OKC is where he wants to go, is not without risk. It would run counter to the organization’s measured and masterful assembly of the roster, which is part of the team’s culture. The Thunder’s young core has already amassed quite a bit of playoff experience (although obviously not on Fisher’s level), and, because the offense relies on transition baskets, isolation plays and free throws more than most teams, traditional point-guard play is not as much of a factor. Given the intangibles Fisher brings — if OKC happened to meet the Lakers in the playoffs, he knows their tendencies better than most of the Lakers themselves — it would be silly to turn down the chance to get him. But there is no dire need to upgrade from Jackson.” Read more…
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Clark Matthews of The Lost Ogle on Derek Fisher: “In this case, his veteran knowledge is flavored with five championship runs. Having him in the lockerroom–and make no mistake, Fisher is exactly the kind of character guy the team covets–is like having another coach and scout involved. He has experience playing against anyone the Thunder might face in the postseason from playing them when stakes were at the highest. Unlike rookie whose minutes he would supplant, everyone can be confident that Fisher will not shrink from whatever the moment may ask of him.”
Zach Lowe of SI.com on the Fisher signing: “Injuries to Maynor and Thabo Sefolosha, now back in the lineup, have thrust both Jackson and Royal Ivey into the rotation, and while Ivey’s defense has been a breath of fresh air for the Thunder, neither guy is an offensive threat. Fisher might not be, either, but his track record suggests he can stand around and perhaps hit somewhere between 35 to 40 percent of his three-pointers, pass the ball to the right places and set some screens. It’s worth a shot, even if the Thunder must waive Ryan Reid to clear a roster spot for Fisher. This team has a chance to win a ring now, two years before they face the possibility of losing Serge Ibaka (and perhaps Maynor) to free agency.” Read more…
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Derek Fisher is already a fan of OKC, via this 2009 USA Today interview (via Mike Sherman): “Being in the NBA, you are on the road and in a different city every few days. We have traveled to Oklahoma City, and I was very surprised to find such a sense of community, kind people and was extremely touched by the Oklahoma City National Memorial honoring those who were lost in the bombing of the Federal Building.”
Fisher is in Oklahoma City to finalize a deal according to NBA.com: “Former Lakers point guard Derek Fisher is in Oklahoma City to finalize talks on a contract. Fisher was spotted at OKC’s Will Rogers World Airport early this morning with Thunder GM Sam Presti and other members of the Thunder front office. Fisher has reportedly been in final negotiations with the Thunder on a contract that would bring him to the Western Conference leaders after he clears waivers.” Read more…
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