Tuesday Bolts – 12.9.08

• Golden State of Mind reaction: “I can’t believe that counts as a win. I felt like I was watching a summer league game half expecting Marco Belinelli to go off for 37 points. It was the NBA equivalent of a game featuring the Detroit Lions vs Cincinnati Bengals, somebody has to win, but nobody really cares. It was just two teams playing because the schedule says so. For the Warriors, it was a gift from the scheduling gods to mercifully end their 9 game losing streak. For the Thunder, just another loss, they’re used to it.”

• John Rohde writes the Thunder “rolled over and played dead”: “The 5-15 Warriors came in having lost nine straight and were without starters Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Golden State’s best player, guard Monta Ellis, is expected to miss the first 30 games this season. Rather than accepting the Warriors as the get-well card they are, the Thunder remains under the weather (so to speak).”

• Thunderguru knew OKC was in trouble from the tip: “This game hadn’t been underway for very long before I knew we were in trouble. As soon as I saw our guys racing up the floor, and trying to “out-quick” Nellie small ball, I figured we were doomed. It’s very difficult to beat somebody at their own game.”

• Try the FreeDarko Russell Westbrook challenge: “No one on the planet can say “Russell Westbrook” four times in a row. Fast or slow. It’s the secret to his game, too.”

Unrelated to the Thunder, but awesome. After fouling out last night against the Rockets, Darko Milicic walked to the bench and ripped his jersey straight down the middle. This will probably become the basketball equivalent to a baseball player breaking his bat over his knee. I hope this starts happening all the time. Darko must be an Old Testament reader.

• Basketbawful’s Worst of the Night: “Holy rusted metal, Batman. The Golden State Warriors, losers of nine straight games, stumbled into the Thunder’s home arena without their two leading scorers — Stephen Jackson (20.1 PPG) and Corey Maggette (19.1) both sat out with injuries — and it didn’t matter. They won anyway. The Thunder are just that bad. The Warriors played eight guys, seven of which scored in double figures…and the eighth guy, Ronny Turiaf, finished with 9. The Thunder were down by as many as 21 in the second quarter and by 19 at halftime. They tried to rally, but of course that rally came up short. Kevin Durant, who played great (41 points, 10 rebounds) against the Warriors non-defense, said: “In this league, when you get down by 20 it’s hard to come back.” Wow! His basketball IQ is off the charts!”