Somehow, in a twisted way, two of the Thunder’s uglier games have also resulted in maybe two of their best wins. On back-to-back nights, Oklahoma City had to come from behind, get big stops, make big shots and just find a way to win.
There’s something special about a team that you know doesn’t count itself out. Down 11 heading to the fourth? They know they’ve got a 10-2 run in them coming to get back in it. The Thunder can play some frustrating basketball at times, but when they put No. 35, 13 and 0 on the floor together to finish things out, they’ve got a chance. Better than a chance, actually. They’re right where they need to be.
Even when two Kevin Durant free throws put the Thunder up a point late in the fourth, it still felt like they were down eight. It wasn’t an emphatic comeback to overtake Orlando. It was just steady, methodical offense paired with quality defense. The Thunder quit exchanging baskets and started stringing together stops and scores. James Harden had a few gorgeous drives to the basket, Russell Westbrook was tremendous and Durant, well, that guy is just filthy good. How’s this: KD in the fourth: 18 points on 5-6 shooting. The Orlando Magic: 21 points on 8-25 shooting. Game. Set. Durantula.
There’s been a lot of chatter about so-called “easy baskets” and how the Thunder offense can’t last. And it makes sense. What wasn’t working in the first three quarters for OKC was that those jumpers weren’t falling. That’s kind of sort of basketball though. Getting an “easy basket” isn’t easy. Teams play defense, you know.
What games often come down to is if you have guys that can score tough baskets. Guys that can make that contested jumper, finish that layup in traffic, find that pocket for a decent look. Sir Charles is wrong there. You don’t win big games by scoring easy. Because nobody scores easy. You win tough games against good teams by scoring hard, difficult near impossible baskets. For example, the buzzer-beating one-legged jumper by Durant to put the Thunder up five with a minute left. That wasn’t a tough shot. That was getting-into-Harvard difficult. And that’s what you’ve got to get from your big-time players. You want an easy basket? Kevin Durant is an easy basket. That’s what Thunder games often come down to. Oklahoma City has KD. The other team does not.
But the Thunder don’t find themselves there without the work on the interior by Kendrick Perkins. Dwight Howard finished with 33 points (16 coming in the third), but from my charting, he only scored once on Perk one-on-one. Most everything Howard got was on a putback, a lob or against someone other than No. 5 in white.
And once OKC sealed off that path for Orlando, the Thunder could focus on closing out on shooters. Ryan Anderson didn’t get a single look in the fourth. J.J. Redick was a complete non-factor. It was essentially an Orlando team that had its way for three quarters offensively and then looked completely lost in trying to just find one clean look. It was lockdown mode for the Thunder.
Winning ugly games can sometimes be more satisfying than winning pretty. You might have to restrain yourself from running headfirst into the wall for three quarters, but knowing the Thunder has that ability to win gritty is a good thing. A better thing than being able to make so-called “easy baskets.”
NOTES:
- Ever seen a zone fail faster than the one Orlando employed tonight? The Magic tried one out against OKC late in the fourth quarter. First possession, terrific ball movement around the perimeter and Royal Ivey paid off an open 3. Next possession, Westbrook flipped it to Durant who was in the wing pocket and drilled a deep 3. Zone over.
- Scott Brooks deserves a lot of credit for using his smallball lineups extremely well. He mismatched the Magic, using Nick Collison at the 5 for a good portion of the fourth. He even went supersmall with Westbrook, Harden, Ivey, Durant and Collison. It was the offensive spark the Thunder needed.
- That fast break at the top. ART.
- Westbrook rolled his left ankle about midway through the fourth and stayed in the game, but it clearly hobbled him. He only took one after that and didn’t attack much. He ended up leaving the game with about 20 seconds left to go to the locker room. I’m sure his status will be in question for Saturday against the Hawks.
- Westbrook had a fine game though. He was a big reason OKC stayed close through the first three quarters, finishing with 29 points, 10 assists and just two turnovers. That’s just Westbrook’s second double-digit assist game of the season. Third double-double though.
- That Perk jumper with 1:30 left? Want to know what the complete opposite of an easy basket is? There you go.
- Perk with another double-digit rebounding game.
- Harden didn’t have a massive factor in the game, but the 13 points and five assists he added are exactly the kind of subtle offense that wins OKC games. He hasn’t shot the ball well with that wrap on his left wrist, but he’s still finding ways to score.
- Daequan Cook did a small shoulder shimmy at the free throw line. Has he always done that? Or like the rest of us, does he just want to be like KD too?
- The Thunder fell behind early in the second quarter with the second unit. Once again, Reggie Jackson didn’t perform well. He just advertises his moves too much. He might as well carry around a megaphone and say, “HEY, I’M GOING LEFT HERE!” He just doesn’t trust his own game yet. I remember saying the same things about Westbrook though.
- KD and Westbrook scored the Thunder’s final 20 points of the first half. And combined for 67 of OKC’s 105.
- The Magic did a good job of limiting fast break opportunities for OKC, especially the first three quarters. The Thunder finished with 16, one behind their average, but picked up six in the fourth quarter.
- That was OKC’s first win in Orlando since the franchise moved and the first win since 2004.
- Orlando had only two offensive rebounds in the first half and finished with 10. They picked some up in the second half, but OKC’s work on the glass was solid overall.
- We’re going to have to talk about free throws at the end of games, you guys…
- Offense, efficient. OKC shot 51.4 percent from the field, hit 21-27 from the line including 13 straight before Cook’s final two misses and turned it over only 13 times.
- Home whites and black shoes. APPROVE.
Next up: At Atlanta Saturday.
Friday Bolts
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/03/friday-bolts-3-2-12/
LeBron had 38 points 11 assists and ZERO turnovers last night. That's crazy. Durant hasn't had a zero turnover game all season.
@justin_mia Also, Lebron started at center last night. I think only player in the game to start at all five positions
@dancassidy35 @justin_mia Technically didn't he start at PF, with Joel Anthony at C? Regardless, Lebron is probably the only player in the league who would be a top 3 player in the league at every position on the floor.
@Keith00 @justin_mia http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime
If I'm reading this correctly, he started at the five on defense, covering Camby, but matched up as PF on offense
I'm curious... how would everyone feel if OKC completely lives up to its potential, develops into an absolute powerhouse, solves all its nagging problems and still gets trampled by the Heat in the next 5 Finals.
@SammyThunderer If we completely live up to our potential, we wouldn't lose 5 times in a row. Those would have to be separate futures. The Heat are good, but our potential is better. Even if we accept Lebron>KD and Wade>Westbrook, our depth has considerably greater potential. Harden>/=Bosh at Harden's best, and Ibaka>anyone else on the Heat at his best. Center isn't a strength of either team, and our bench's potential is greater than what the Heat have.
However, if you just asked how would I feel if OKC lost to the Heat 5 times in a row against the Heat, I would probably say disappointed. Would the Rockets have ever won in the 90s if MJ didn't get suspended? Would we think of Hakeem as a big time loser in that case? I don't think so. If the Heat win 5 in a row, Lebron will become the new MJ and everyone will remember the Heat as an all time great team. People don't often remember the losers. I would still be disappointed, because I feel out best would win the championship, so I would always be upset we didn't put it all together. But then again, what if we lose 5 in a row? We would still have three stars in their prime, and could realistically win the next 5 after that. Making 10 straight finals, winning at all, would be an all time great feat.
@SammyThunderer Get's trampled in the Finals all 5 of those years? I'd be bitter and probably disassociate myself from the NBA. 5 Finals losses in a row would be the new standard of failure, and we'd be the punchline so big that we'd find ourselves in jokes not only in every sport, but in other areas as well. Even non-sports fans knew about the Bills a decade ago. This would be even worse. Players whole careers would be marked by losses moreso than anything else.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @SammyThunderer Would our mascot have to change from Rumble the Bison to Buffalo Bill?
The important words to me here are "if OKC completely lives up to its potential". If they accomplish that, so be it, whatever happens. (But doing so while winning it all year after year would be even sweeter of course.)
@SammyThunderer I would be ok with it, though I think presti would make roster changes to match up better with them, right now we are designed to beat the lakers, and I don't think that the heat can stay healthy for 5 years in a row, wade will be 35 by then.
I think bulls fans will have it worse losing in conference finals each year.
@f5alcon It's fine to say that Presti would make changes to better compete with the Heat, but, honestly, it's pretty difficult to see how to out-talent Wade/LeBron/Bosh + a deep cast of role players.
@f5alcon @SammyThunderer A lot of variables in that time. Wade's constant injury issues won't go away as he ages. Where Dwight ends up and in what conference also factors in. There's also the off chance that one or more of the Miami three opt out after 2014. 5 years is probably too long of a time to accurately project anything, I'd be more interested to see what the team does if they don't make the finals this year
@SammyThunderer their role players are old, haslem is 31, battier is 33, james jones is 31, miller is 31, joel anthony is 29. Not sure how many of them are going to be around in 4 or 5 years.
@SammyThunderer a fanbase that has a large subset of OU fans would probably feel right at home with losing in the championship on a regular basis
@anonymous12345 What kind of comment is that designed to inspire? It looks pretty antagonistic for no apparent reason to me
@anonymous12345 It'd be similar to how I felt about the Sonics losing to the 96 Bulls, but in hindsight I'm really disappointed that team only made the Finals once.
@SammyThunderer @anonymous12345 Should say modern analogue, Lakers lost a bunch of times to the Celtics in the 60's I guess.
@SammyThunderer @anonymous12345 I felt okay about the Sonics - Bulls because I thought they were at least competitive in the series and had a few more years to make something happen / Chicago's window couldn't last much longer. Huge disappointment that the group only made one Finals. If the Thunder make five Finals and lose all of them that'd be one of the biggest blue balls in pro sports though... only analogue I can think of is the Buffalo Bills losing four super bowls.
Great News Lazar Haywood has been assigned by the Tulsa 66ers
@tydude does that mean open roster spot?
@Lost Ones @tydude I dont believe sending a player to the D-league opens up a roster spot.
@tydude good
OKC DRB as a team now 21st in the league. Becoming less of an issue. Turnovers still bad.
I actually like the way Perk is playing now. I was a big critic of his before. Now, he is rebounding very well lately (I believe close to 11 per game) hence the off reb for the other teams are down, playing amazing 1 on 1 low post defense. Scoring is still not there, but he's not trying to score anymore, keeps the TOs down, which is a good thing. On top of all that he's actually getting put back buckets now.
We don't need scoring from Perk, just need him to limit scoring of other centers that actually do score for their teams in large numbers.
And what about that back door pass from KD last night to Perk for the dunk, how is that not "easy baskets" that Barkley keeps complaining about. I would also consider wide open 13 foot jumper for Serge an easy basket, since he rarely misses anymore when open. Harden does at least 2 back door passes to cutters for an "easy bucket". Also, our fast break offense is about as automatic as it gets. How many more can a team allow anyway?
@Remify Perkins DRB is up to 18.2%. Still way below where he should be but it's getting better.
@justin_mia
Yep, I like the fact that it is getting better, maybe he had to get used to losing weight and adjusted his game. He's definitely more athletic now, getting up for rebounds, not just relying on great box outs. Even had not an awkward put back bucket last night.
@justin_mia When do we exhale on the whole Perk thing? After the playoffs?
@SammyThunderer That's when I will unless he has a monster March...
KD had a ridiculous turnaround in this game. Early in the game he was our worst performer - turnovers, missed shots, out-hustled (which goes for everyone). Even his 3rd quarter was average for him. But that 4th quarter... something just clicked and he went off.
That was a crazy, crazy game.
And Perk's jumpshot in crunch time was so far past WTF levels that it made me curse a string of expletives so profuse that even the paint on my walls turned their back to me in shame. I'm confessing this to you all because I'm not Catholic and have no priest to absolve me.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct Better go say 10 Hail Marys. (I was raised Catholic. . . . Does that count?)
@ThunderChick2010 I have a feeling that's probably as good as I'm gonna get, so yes, for me - that counts.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct All I know is I had to say A LOT of Hail Marys and Our Fathers when I was a kid. . . .
Two things that I think would really help this team is
1) When Thabo gets back, start him without question of course, but allow some plays for him to slash to the basket. If he can shoot threes anywhere close to how he was, that would really help the team. I could see him hetting 6-10 ppg
2) Let Collison shoot the ball. He is a very high percentage shooter, knows his shot, and is talented offensively. Him getting 6-10 ppg would be great.
Nothing I would love more than early exit by the Heat from the playoffs. So this Heat praise can go away forever.
@Remify It would take season-ending injuries to both LeBron and Wade.
@Remify No chance. Hell, you can't choke that much.
@Remify Won't happen
I wonder how the dynamics of the team will change when Thabo comes back? earlier he was a semi 3 point threat, well not a threat but could knock em down if open , hell he was 48%. I'm wondering if he will be immediately inserted back as a started, and if the defensive improvement will overshadow the offense it gives up.
@mmm9110 Cook is 10-52 from 3pt since Feb. 10 at Utah..... what offense are we giving up?
@booles @mmm9110
true that. plus Thabo is a better ball handler and not afraid to drive to the basket. I love Cook as a 3 point threat off the bench. Thabo is just a more of a complete player, that doesn't usually make low BBIQ plays, like shooting a well contested 3 every time he touches the ball. Again, not even a knock on Cook, we just need more of a complete player to start.
@Remify @booles @mmm9110 i use to hate thabo, but thabo is the mfer'n man i hope he slashes alot too he has to keep our first unit productive.
@Remify @booles @mmm9110 Cook is generally a streaky shooter. Remember how he couldn't even crack the rotation when we first got him because he wasn't hitting anything? Then all of a sudden he becomes instrumental in the second half when his shot falls again. This is why Cook could never cut it as a starter, why he'll likely always be a low minutes specialist.
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@PlusMinusGod Wade isn't Kobe... Kobe still have few years, but Wade is done in 3-4 years.
@PlusMinusGod That just means more entertaining Thunder v Heat finals opportunities!
Interesting note from Henry Abbott on twitter.
Researcher James Tarlow: Experience no magic bullet in NBA playoffs. #TrueHoopMIT #SSAC http://lockerz.com/s/188805432
Same study shows keeping the team together does lead to playoff wins. #TrueHoopMIT #SSAC http://lockerz.com/s/188805933
This is encouraging to me, though it also may potentially be mixing up causation and correlation for the second part. It's entirely possible that the teams that have post season success are teams that have a lot of returning players because when a team is clearly good enough for the post season the front office is more likely to return players. I'd have to look at the actual data to know. Either way, encouraging as a Thunder fan.
Wade - LeBron definitely better than Durant - Westbrook. LeBron's better than Durant and Wade's better than Westbrook. Heck, Wade could be ranked ahead of Durant the way he's playing right now.
Wade is one up on Durant/Westbrook in the "Breaking Kobe's nose" category. If nothing else... That gives him some added leverage in my book.
@Fuzzy Logic
Wade is just a little bitch. He got all pissed because Kobe schooled him on the drive in an AS game. I liked that Kobe didn't even scoop down to his level and just walked away.
@Remify It was a pretty cheap foul but I think everyone has at some point wanted to punch Kobe in the face. I just think it's funny that Wade did it. Has there ever been a player ejected from the All Star game?
@justin_mia
Wow dumbest post I've ever seen from you. Im sure you watch Thunder games. I don't see Wade going 5-6 and 18 points in the 4th when his team is down 11. Don't see Wade hitting impossible shot from one foot to ice the game. Don't see Wade making buzzer beaters to win game. Don't see wade score 51 when his team actually needs every single one of those points. Now I won't argue that Wade does have a better supporting cast. Sure, Miami haven't had close games recently, but I didn't see him doing that before either. Wade is not even in the same stratosphere as KD. You can't always go by stats, even if going by stats, KD's are still better.
I'd even go as far as to say KD is closer to Lebron than ever and that's with Lebrons best year.
@Remify How long have you been watching the NBA? Wade has a pretty impressive history of ridiculous clutch plays.
@justin_mia @SammyThunderer
nvm i was looking at efficiency rating, not PER. Their PER is a wash. Wade slightly better.
@Remify @SammyThunderer Five points better in PER? What?
I'd suggest looking at TOV%, AST%, etc. to judge their play making abilities, and not totals since there is a minutes disparity. Wade is significantly better at generating assists for teammates and turns the ball over significantly less percentage of the time.
Durant does have a scoring advantage both in volume and efficiency, and that's probably what makes him in this comparison since Wade's pretty much better at everything else except rebounding.
As for your claim that Durant is some 1on1 luminary and Wade is not... yes Durant has been much better isolated this season. Very underrated change in his game is how he's been scoring more unassisted. But Wade is one of the best 1on1 players in the league. I was surprised to see on Synergy that Durant's PPP on isolations is better than Wade's - I hadn't realized he had come that far. But this is a down year for Wade in that respect mostly due to his slow start / injuries. In a vacuum if you put both guys on the court healthy right now, I'd have a hard time imagining Wade isn't the better 1on1 player offensively. But the gap is definitely closer than it has been, which is a credit to Durant.
@Remify Wade's not in the conversation because he plays on the same team as LeBron who is leading the league from a statistical standpoint by a Grand Canyon sized margin. Plus the injuries.
@justin_mia @SammyThunderer
Just the fact that KD is even being talked about as being in an MVP race with Lebron says something. Wade is not in the conversation.
@justin_mia @SammyThunderer
KD has a better FG%, way better 3pt FG%, better FT%, more reb per game, only 1.6 less assists per game (Wade has more scoring threats), 5 more ppg, 5 points better in PER. On top of that almost all of KD's buckets are from ridiculous 1 on 1 skill instead of easy oops and great passes from a great player like Lebron. KD is better in the clutch, at least since Lebron came to Miami. Not to mention Wade gets hurt more and is 30 years old.
@Remify It isn't simply anything. It's debatable every way you look at it. It's so close it comes down to matter of personal preference, which is fine. But saying things like "simply false" or that the two players "aren't in the same stratosphere" is hyperbole and comes across as biased and myopic.
@Remify @SammyThunderer More than twice as many possessions of Wade end up as assists for teammates, and significantly fewer of his possessions end up as turnovers. Wade might be the best shotblocking guard in NBA history and is an elite defensive player at his position, the best you could say for Durant is that he may be above average defensively (and has some advantage due to his defensive rebounding). Durant beats Wade at scoring volume and efficiency, and that might be enough to edge him out as a player currently. But Wade's been hurt, and he's played fewer MPG so his volume is lower. Like I said I wouldn't mind siding either way but it's debatable on who the better player right now is.
@SammyThunderer
Sure, he has been great in the clutch before. I'm just talking about his Lebron era. They all seem to choke now, I guess it's contagious.
But to say Wade is a better than KD right now, is simply false.
@Remify 6.1% of KD's minutes are defined as 'clutch' minutes by NBA Stats cube. Only 4.2% of Wade's minutes fit the same description. KD has certainly had more memorable moments on the season but to suggest that he has some kind of 'clutch advantage' over Wade is silly considering Wade's history. Unless we're judging Wade's ability there on the ~36 minute sample this year.
@Remify @justin_mia Wade is basically Westbrook except better at nearly every single aspect of the game. A more talented, more efficient, and more productive Russ is pretty damn close to KD's equal.
@justin_mia
I admit I haven't seen Heat play much this season. But from what i've seen Wade is a great transition player, gets easy buckets by slashing. No doubt that he is a better defender though. I still think KD can grow into a great defender if he puts his mind to it. Long arms, very athletic for a 6'10 player.
@Remify Heat are 2-4 when trailing after three, OKC is 4-5. Are we making judgments on individual players based on this?
@Remify Durant gets to the rim easier than Wade? Wow. I think you've got to watch Dwyane Wade a little more, buddy. I wouldn't begrudge anyone for claiming Durant is having a better season than Wade or even that Durant is a better player at this point (very debatable, though)... but it sounds like you don't have a firm grasp on Wade's capabilities / productivity.
@justin_mia
How about leadership factor? Thunder seem to comeback every time from no matter how much they are down. For the Heat it seems like if they enter the 4th losing, they usually lose. Not to mention Wade is 30 and will be on the decline soon, KD hasn't even hit his prime yet. Wade is not an all around offensive player, at least not in my view. Yes, he is a great slasher, but not a great jump shooter, 3 point shooter. Also, I think KD gets to the basket easier, his long strides cover so much ground so fast, it looks so easy when he does it.
@justin_mia ranked ahead by whom and on what metrics?
@Old Man Game @justin_mia Wade's total output since coming back from injury is lower because Miami is destroying teams and he's sitting more often. Durant is scoring more on better volume and efficiency but Wade has an advantage defensively, creates points for his teammates, turns it over less etc. I think it's a close call at this point between the two.
@Old Man Game KD's played more and been healthy so he's had the better season, I think if you put them in a game together though chances are their impacts will be similar on any given day assuming they are both healthy. KD's had a better year but is he clearly the better player? Strong argument either way.
@justin_mia @Old Man Game WADE IS HORRIBLE Durant is better
@Old Man Game Blocks and steals isn't 'defense' and that's still a big difference especially blocks since Wade is a guard playing fewer minutes. Again, Wade's totals are lower because he plays fewer minutes (from t he heat blowing teams out) but I'd advise at looking at TOV%, AST%, etc. as Wade's advantages are more apparent when you normalize for minutes played. I think KD has been better than Wade myself, but there is an argument for Wade too for sure.
@Old Man Game @justin_mia KD has a huge edge over wade on rebounds too at 7.9 to 4.3. A bunch of difference on points and rebounds gives big edge to KD. I think Wade and Lebron are better right now but I don't think there is a ton of difference.
@justin_mia Oh, forgot Wade 2.6 TO to 3.6 for KD. Once again only 1 more a game isn't huge.
@justin_mia According to their respective NBA player info pages Wade is averaging 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks to go with 5.0 assists this year. KD is averaging 1.4/1.2/ & 3/4 respectively. But in points he's got him at 28.0 to only 22.8 for Wade. I don't think the modest defensive numbers and that extra assist and a half overcome the point production KD is getting. As you said he's doing that on better efficiency also.