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KEVIN DURANT
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It’s no big shocker that Kevin Durant seems ready for Game 3. The shocker would be if he didn’t seem ready. But there was a little something different about him as he spoke with the media at shootaround Thursday morning.
Call it energy, call it excitement, call it anticipation — it was all there. Durant seemed really geared up, engaging questions, talking with an extra level of energy. It was so obvious that one reporter even said to Durant, “Sounds like you’re ready to go.”
“I am,” Durant said.
Maybe one reason is because KD’s going to get a little extra put on him in Game 3, a game that’s probably the biggest in his young NBA career. A night after Rajon Rondo played all 48 minutes plus five minutes of overtime, Durant said he’s ready to do the same.
“I could play two games in one day,” he said. “That answers your question.”
Scott Brooks was peppered with questions about matchup adjustments, changes and other considerations. When asked if he’d consider letting KD or Russell Westbrook go the whole way, he said, “Geez, were you in our meeting? Yes, we’ve thought of that also.”
In Game 2 Durant played 42 minutes with Westbrook going 41. But both were sitting during a key five-minute stretch in the second quarter where the game started to get away from the Thunder. Obviously down 0-2, the Brooks and the Thunder aren’t going to leave anything on the table for Game 3.
“Everybody’s writing us off, so we know that,” Durant said. “But we’re going to come out playing with a lot of heart, playing with a lot of fight and we’ll live with the results.”
Durant said the team has thought back to their first playoff series where they fell behind the Lakers 0-2 but won the two next games at home to even it up.
“Well that’s the plan,” he said. “That’s the plan.”
SCOTT BROOKS
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Clearly adjustments will need to be made and as both Durant and Brooks said, the team simply has to play better. Against the Spurs, there’s no room to not be great. Give them an inch and they’ll make you pay. Having the game at home is nice, but doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s about execution, energy, effort, focus and determination.
Things that judging by Durant’s attitude, the Thunder still have a lot of right now.
A few notes:
- Eric Maynor was on the practice floor doing some pretty aggressive shooting. Moving laterally, cutting a little, catching and shooting. Great to see.
- Brooks was asked if he’d consider using Thabo on Tony Parker. He answered, “Yes.” Then was asked if maybe Royal Ivey could be used. “Yes,” he said again. “I’m not abandoning anybody on our team,” Brooks said. “Good leaders don’t do that. I don’t consider myself a good leader, but I consider myself a leader of this team.”
- Brooks was asked about his legacy if OKC were to dig out of this hole: “That’s nothing that I consider. I don’t wake up hoping you guys think good things about me. It’s not like my wife and kids, I’m assuming they still love me. My dog is… fine with me. I care about how our guys play. That’s my only concern. It’s not me against Pop. He has four championships. Phil Jackson has 11. Does that mean they win every time? They do lose every now and then otherwise why coach? Those guys are great coaches. Pop is a great coach. I don’t look at myself in that class. I look at myself as a coach of this team trying to get better as a group.”
- Brooks was asked if Tiago Splitter was on the floor if he’d hack him again. “There’s a good chance.”
- Of note: Derek Fisher was on the last team that came back from an 0-2 deficit. It happened in 2004. Against? The Spurs.
Brooks doesn't abandon anyone, but sure does feel like he does
Sick of all the talk, lets go already.
Be careful what you wish for !
Just beat the SHIT out of the Spurs on NBA Jam. Who knows if we will tonight, but it sure did feel good.
Forget minute allocation and vets lacking utility... no one's discussing the real issue of tonights game... what color are the shirts?
@Fuzzy Logic Blue.
@Fuzzy Logic Fuzzy orange with plunging V-necks. Also, sequins.
@todayisbananas YES!!!!
@todayisbananas @Fuzzy Logic Uh... when did OKC became New New Jersey? :)
HELL YES!!! NEW SKYRIM DLC!!!! I can't wait. Idk, of anyone else here plays it.
@ElMexiThunder Skyrim is the only game I play anymore. Level 42 Breton vampire. Excited as hell for Dawnguard.
@C-Wil level 50 Imperial, Werewolf, Full spec'd on smithing, One Handed blades full deadra set, with added armor bonus. I play on the hardest difficulty, so i need all those good enchantments
@C-Wil Morrowind is the last one i think he came out in.
@ElMexiThunder remind me not to get in your way lol. More of a mage myself with 100 in Destruction and Conjuration with the mast level spells to boot. But trying to play as a vampire I would like to get my illusion skills (50) up a little higher and my one handed (65) as well. My sneak is almost 75 and the assassin perks that go with that are great.
Speaking of Deadra, I'm taking a guess that might be Molag Bal in the trailer (the creator of vampires). He's been in other ES games in person but it's been forever.
@ElMexiThunder Had it since the first day and is still in the beginning of the game LMAO
@ElMexiThunder If I did play it, I'd be sick of it by now. I always burn out on games before DLCs appear. I'll probably not buy another game until Bioshock Infinite.
@todayisbananas @ElMexiThunder Bioshock Infinite!!!!!
@todayisbananas @ElMexiThunder DLC has gotten so ridiculous that I've just gotten to the point that I'm not buying games until they come out with the inevitable "Game of the Year" edition. That way I only have to pay for a game once to get everything the studio planned to include. Why buy a game that's left intentionally incomplete and then continue paying for it installments for another year?
@Fuzzy Logic because i don't want to wait 18to months to buy the GOTY version.
@todayisbananas @ElMexiThunder Man, i still play games that i bought few years ago
@ILikePancakes @todayisbananas yeah i do too. Especially Assassin's Creed. Vampire demons is pretty cool. I was hoping for some like revisiting the Oblivion realm.
@ElMexiThunder Vampires? I can fuck wit that, but i wanted something else
everyone's saying take perkins out
@Lost Ones Yeah, ever since his injury Perk looks like he's running in quicksand. I just think his mobility is severely lacking right now to the point he's a liability. I will say that he has done a good job defensively on Duncan so far. The team is so much better right now with the small lineup with Ibaka at the 5. I'm okay with Perkins starting the game, playing physical defense on Duncan, wearing Duncan down a little, but his minutes need to be limited. He can set the tone defensively on Duncan and then Brooks needs to give the minutes to Ibaka, or Collison.
Brooks was a wiley, slow back up point guard who was strong and lacked athleticism. He relates to Fisher on and that's why he overvalues Fisher. I think you guys way underestimate Fisher but he is being played too much in this series.
After Rondo's fantastic performance, I am changing my minute allocation for tonight:
Ibaka - 45
KD - 45
Westbrook - 42
Sefolosha - 40
Harden - 42
Collison - 12
Fisher - 14
Perk - 0
Cook - 0
Ivey - 0
@FF_pickups Why does everyone forget about lazar?
@EatSleepThunder @FF_pickups The headband works for Lebron, thus Lazar = Lebron
@EatSleepThunder @FF_pickups lol, thanks!
@KellOne @FF_pickups Most accurate statement ever.
@FF_pickups there is some value to Perk playing, especially against splitter. And 14 minutes for fish is to many if he's off.
And i like the idea of ivey on parker
@jdstorm Perk shouldn't play. How about I agree to not play Fisher if you won't make me play Perk?
@FF_pickups Splitter was killing Nick and Serge last game. Perk is also less of a problem if parker is off the floor
Great to see the report on Maynor's progress. Sounds like he's way ahead of schedule. Wish we had him now, but he'll be a big piece of next year's team and hopefully beyond. Can't realistically think of a singe backup PG I would rather have for this team. No, not even Sessions the sub-starter.
@OBoyzOld Man
He's not going to be part of this team long term. As soon as his rookie contract is up, we can't keep him and his rookie contract is up after next year.
My take on Fisher's play thus far in the playoffs. I would point out that people didn't want him to play at all going into the Dallas series, yet we probably don't win game 2 without some of his timely shots in that game. He was fantastic against Dallas, and if they would have lost game 2 that series could have gone in a completely different direction than it ultimately did. Against the Lakers he didn't have much of an impact, at times playing pretty poorly.
To me it's obvious from the jump how Fish is going to play in that particular game. He either can't miss, or can't throw the ball in the ocean. His shooting really is that night-and-day different from game to game, and you can usually tell very early how that's going to go. Game 1 against the Spurs he couldn't miss, helping the team build a 10-point lead. Game 2 he played poorly and he should have been on the bench in the 4th quarter. I don't think you make a definitive statement that Fisher shouldn't play, but Brooks needs to do a better job of not just giving guys default minutes based on who he feels comfortable with. If he's hitting his shots he can be very valuable, if not, limit his minutes. The problem I see with Thabo is that teams don't respect him as a shooter. They basically cheat off him, having the extra defender shade Durant, Westbrook, or Harden. Obviously when Perkins and Thabo are in the game at the same time it's a complete joke how horrible the spacing is on the floor, At least Brooks has finally figured out that Perk has very little value in this series, his minutes should be cut drastically. I do think it's worth giving Thabo, or Ivey a chance to guard Parker at some point. My only concern would the Spurs ignoring those guys on the defensive end, shrinking the floor for Durant. If Thabo, or Ivey can knock down their shots from the perimeter that would help immensely, loosening up the defense. Due to his past playoff history, teams already respect Fish as a shooter. You don't see his defender sag off him very often, even when he's shooting poorly. It comes down to whether you want better spacing on the offensive end with Fish, or better defense with Ivey, or Thabo.
@KoolKeith3000 I don't see the argument as being either/ or with Thabo's defense for Fisher's floor spacing. Thabo has been a fantastic shooter this year, much better than Fish this season and actually 3% better than any season in Fish's career. Granted, Fish is shooting 48% from 3 for the playoffs this year and Thabo "only" 38%, but 38% is still a very good to elite 3 pt shooter. They also only are 1% different in career 3 pt average in the playoffs so "past playoff history" is a wash, unless you're assuming opposing scouts are as caught up in feel good moments as we and the media tend to be.
So why is it an either/ or choice? You get floor spacing AND defense with Thabo, and POSSIBLE floor spacing and nothing else with Fish. Not only that, but Thabo is more dangerous than just standing in the corner unlike Fish.
@KoolKeith3000
Great post. From the beginning, I wish they had just moved Ivey into that Fisher role and never signed Fisher but they didn't. We are in the WCF, I don't want to throw Ivey in there at this point, imo, it's too late for him. The pressure would be too immense, I just don't see how we can put that on him.
@FF_pickups I don't necessarily disagree, but Ivey could be a nice spark defensively for the Thunder. He did a fantastic job on Parker the last time he had a chance to guard him. That being said, I would give Thabo a chance to play first with the small lineup, and see how things shake out from there.
@FF_pickups Valid point. I will say that Ivey seems like he has the mental toughness to handle the pressure. He was put in the game late in some high pressure situations this season and he didn't at all look rattled. The playoffs are a different animal, but it's not as if he's a rookie. I just think he could be a possible defensive momentum changer if Parker starts to torch the Thunder tonight. Again, I would go to Thabo first, but I certainly wouldn't be against giving Ivey a chance if the team really struggles again on the defensive end.
@FF_pickups @KoolKeith3000 Don't you think he would relish the op to do so? I bet he would.
@KoolKeith3000 Yeah, I would've considered playing Ivey in game 1 when the series was tied but at this point, wow. How is going to be able to take a shot without his nuts being in his throat?
" I care about how our guys play. That’s my only concern. It’s not me against Pop. He has four championships. Phil Jackson has 11. Does that mean they win every time? They do lose every now and then otherwise why coach? Those guys are great coaches. Pop is a great coach. I don’t look at myself in that class. I look at myself as a coach of this team trying to get better as a group" YAY Scott Brooks has less confidence then Eli Manning
Is that the new thing now, the Big 3 need to play 45+ minutes a piece? Why, because Rondo played the whole game yesterday? What does them playing more have to do with the piss poor pick and roll D? They scored an efficient 88 points between them and the team scored 111. Offense wasn't the problem.
@SB718 Brooks: " I'm too stupid to make adjustments, try to outscore them and save our season! Thankfully, my spot on the team is safe because noone knows what Presti wants to do, even Presti himself.
@ILikePancakes I wouldn't underestimate Presti. He signed KD early, Russ early, probably will negotiate with Beard and Ibaka early. He resigned Perk early. He restructured Collison early.
He has let Brooks wait. It could be something it could mean nothing.
@anonymous12345 @SB718 @ILikePancakes i think the sides were more or less arguing about length of contract and amount, not if he was coming back or not and how far we got could change that
@SB718 @ILikePancakes
I might be wrong, but don't they usually wait till the off-season to resign coaches? Thats how it happened with Carlisle, Del Negro, and Woodson
What do you guys think of trading RW for Ramon Sessions and Pau Gasol. We'd have a low post scorer and a distributing point guard?
@FF_pickups No more questions for you, bro
@OBoyzOld ManThis!
@FF_pickups @SB718 Understood- so was I. :)
@SB718 @OBoyzOld Man
Trust me, I was being sarcastic.
@FF_pickups I think your appreciation of Fisher is smarter. And it doesn't work cap wise. If they're gonna blow up the core for a big man there's this # 12 guy that can be had for Harden and Ibaka.
@FF_pickups
I won't dignify that question with a response.
@anonymous12345 Yeah, I don't like the deal either. I'll take the gunner point guard.
@FF_pickups Sessions is on Fisher's level, but Sessions is even worse at shooting threes, if it's possible, and Gasol is a mental midget, also, softy.
@FF_pickups Ibaka's value is very high because he's extremely hyped around the league, if we could go higher in the draft... him and our 28th pick to maybe top 15 pick...?
@f5alcon Or he is an improving man defender, a consistent midrange shooter, who can effectively play both PF and C against the most opponents. He is a good rebounder when the scheme puts him in position to retrieve them, and a Dominant Shot blocker.
Ibaka has also shown that he will stay healthy, is a good team mate and has playoff experience all valuable qualities that are uncertain in rookies
@jdstorm he has no post game, is only an average jump shooter, is a poor on man defender, cant defend perimeter 4s, all he does really well is block shots.
@JimboSlice @ILikePancakes Exactly. Ibaka is better then you think falcon
@ILikePancakes seeing that Anthony Davis is like Ibaka plus a little more, anything less than a top 5 pick for Ibaka I would feel like we got trade-raped
@jdstorm we are not getting the 3rd or the 5th pick for ibaka, not even top 10, give up harde or westbrook to get that
@f5alcon Fair enough, Thats a reasonable opinion. I personally think that the benefits of the rookie contract financially, and talent wise are more valuable then amnestying perk and getting minimal returns for collision.
Especially since the teams most likely to trade with us are Washington (3rd) and Sacremento (5th) you could draft either Kidd-Gilchrist or Barnes. whoever falls then pick a replacement PF either later in the draft of via trade. Or Just Play KD there
@jdstorm yes they could be which is why we shouldnt trade him for a pick, we have horrible luck drafting bigs. Id rather keep him and anmesty perk and trade collison to make room.
@f5alcon All Professional sporting teams are risk averse. While a top 3-5 pick has the talent and potential to possibly be better then serge, they could just as easily be kwame brown, hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill, or be unlucky like Greg Oden.
Don't underestimate Serge's value. despite being the same age as some of the seniors being drafted this year. He was First team All defense. Runner up DPOTY, Significantly the best shot blocker in the NBA, and becoming a solid pick and pop option. And for next year you only have to pay him 2 million dollars ( less money then a top 5 pick) if you are having financial difficulties or close to being over the cap
@jdstorm unless you are giving up harden, westbrook or durant we are not moving up high enough, yes their is cheap talent in the draft and all the other teams want it too, why would a team trade a draft pick rookie who has the talent to replace serge with a guy who is going to cost them 10 million a year? they wont they will keep their pick. Also the new tax rules are not that bad until repeat offender hits after 3 years of being in the tax, which is when perk comes off the books. We can make paying everybody work if we want. It is doable.
@f5alcon However there is a new Tax coming in that is far more restrictive. Especially if you are a long term tax payer. Which this team would have to be since everyone is so young.
Given that this draft gives us a great opportunity to get a serge replacement who can block shots and finish around the rim. "andre drummond" or "john Henson" as well as an additional lottery pick given that serge is a proven comodity
@jdstorm we can afford both, we will just pay the tax.
@walkerdog @ILikePancakes @FF_pickups So Then We Don't Pay Harden? because we can't afford both
@jdstorm @ILikePancakes @FF_pickups I think we will pay him.
@walkerdog @ILikePancakes @FF_pickups because you can't afford to pay everyone, and you could probably get the number 3 pick in a loaded draft
@ILikePancakes @FF_pickups Why would you trade Ibaka.