Via my good buddy Michael
Kevin Durant’s game-winner was a beautiful thing. One of those moments whether you were at home or fortunate enough to be in the arena, you want to relive over and over again.
Nothing will capture that moment of instant jubilation like being there, but videos from inside the arena do a pretty good job I think. Here are a few good ones.
Via @Chris_Evans12 with a view from Loud City:
Via @megyfitz here are Thunder fans celebrating KD’s game-winner all the way in India:
Via @Terry_Fox:
Via @nohelmets:
Via KD’s professional hype man, @RMBWilliams:
Is Harden pounding his head afterwards? Did he just totally lose his mind?
Royce just tweeted this link: http://www.twitvid.com/WF55G
KD's boy is sitting with his mom and shot this vid. Awesome!
@Grolgar Oops. It worked in Safari but not in Firefox. After all of this: Russ is probably the most jubilant in this vid (also: Reggie Jackson).
@Grolgar haha, now those are some good seats.
@Grolgar Thanks, best Ive seen
@Grolgar Why can't I watch it?I'm clicking everywhere on that page; nothing begins the video.
If you notice Lob passes are usually last option and usually under 1 second left. They are extremely difficult from mid court to execute. We were not in position to have to use the lob. If you notice all the Mavs players were between the basket. And no one is going to tell KD not to shoot the ball. And let Harden shoot a cross court passed ball.
@OkcBaby all of that is correct...but if someone cuts to the front of the basket, whether they get the lob or not, someone has to follow for the defense. That was the point. A lob with 1.4 seconds left is no more difficult than a 30 foot fade away jumper...
@kfmsooner Westbrook cut to the basket
That needs to be our pre-game/player intro video from now until... he does it again.
My favorite part is watching the Dallas bench and coaching staff clear out of there. I think one of the Dallas coaches stood up to get a head start on walking off the court.
@holeydonut
I watched that too... they were gone so fast. They must have been bummed out.
I know no one wants to say anything since he made the shot, but is anyone (besides Hollinger) gonna comment on the fact that we ran that last play as well as it could be run and it still resulted in a fade away 27 footer when we were only down one?
@SammyThunderer Durant was about as wide open as a two time scoring champion gets with 1.7 seconds left, so I think you should maybe watch again, especially the part where he drains the shot. This isn't Kendrick Perkins shooting the ball, it's Kevin Durant. The player in the NBA with the highest % chance of making a shot like that took it, please explain to me the different play you would have run from that position on the court.
@SammyThunderer KD was getting the ball no matter what so whats the complaining about Mavs took away the inside. Thabo made a good pump fake that helped KD get open. End of story. Not much more you can do with 1.4 seconds. Harden would have had to make a clean catch across the court.
@OkcBaby This is the whole point. It's an amazingly dumb play to draw up when you don't need a three.
@SammyThunderer@OkcBaby I like KD shooting an open 27 footer better than any of those plays.
@OkcBaby More:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D32bhJhpRYM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIzHG_OeAQ
Lobs don't always work in game. But I'll take my chances over a quick fadeaway 3 that requires perfect execution just to get open 27 feet away from the basket.
@OkcBaby Use the threat of the lob with more players moving towards the basket. Use decoys that do more than stand around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc654tSlAeg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0FOMkekzWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_lZJ-zeyeE
@SammyThunderer What would u have done?
It was terrible.
@Grolgar While it wasnt a great play initially, if Durant commands that much attention again, Harden was wide open on the left side on the floor. It's not a bad play if we have 5-6 sec left.
Did Hollinger say anything else interesting about our end game offense?
@SammyThunderer i think russ was trying to go for the lob actually- in fact, im pretty sure this is the exact play from Game 6 against the Lakers two years ago.
Russ goes for the lob, if its not there, go to the bench corner for the three- against the lakers they tried to get to kd but it wasnt there so thabo passed it to russ for the three.
@SammyThunderer@Grolgar My guess is that if there was more than 1.4 sec left, Harden could/would have rolled to the lane, where Durant could have hit him in stride. Knowing our past history, that's not a given, but I'm hoping that's what the original play was.
Westbrook dove down initially, but everybody knows that the PG isnt gonna get the ball on a lob or down in the lane. Plus Dirk was guarding the lob. Ibaka would prob have been a better choice than Perk as well, esp since nobody calls moving screens on last second plays. Maybe Harden and Perk/Ibaka could switch places to have a better attempt at a lob.
@SammyThunderer@JJJ@Grolgar There was a small thing named Dirk in front of Thabo which pretty much takes away the pass / lob to the basket.
@JJJ@Grolgar Harden was also behind the three point line, pretty much standing still. Where's the motion towards the basket? We don't need a three to win it; the threat of the lob should terrify the opposing defense, but we don't even have a decoy running to the basket to suck the defense in.
Gotta see this! Wonderful welcome back. . . Credit Steven Boyd, OKC Blue Alliance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGlp1xdXi8U
best video ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pyA7ZYGzF4&feature=relmfu
Hahah its almost like James wasnt sure KD got the shot off before the shot clock.
Also, like the new wrinkle of KD bringing the ball up the court, that way he doesnt have to "get open" to get the ball
Best crowd in the NBA for sure :D
KD is ascending to the next level this year.
So so so great. These videos are awesome.
14 hours later: still great
Just AMAZING!
That was narly
Great feature, Royce. Thanks.
Wow! Thanks for the videos! I plucked a long white hair off my head this morning. Quite sure I can blame that on the Thunder. :)
Did Harden injure himself on that play? He kinda looked hurt, did he try to shake something off?
@Jermaine Just looks like he is in disbelief and then complete jubilation.
No wait he just doesnt do anything. Wow thats gotta be the strangest reaction to a game-winner i've ever seen lol!
@Jermaine Harden thought he should get this shot because it's his team now.
@Jermaine I had this same conversation with my friend last night. He walks away like someone just called a time out. Haha!