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KEVIN DURANT
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The Oklahoma City Thunder make the short trip across the Red River today with a very important piece of luggage, a 2-0 series lead tucked away in their back pockets.
Scott Brooks and his staff led players in a short practice yesterday and a longer one today as they fine tune their game plan for tomorrow night’s 8:30 tipoff.
“We’ve had an opportunity to watch film and see what we need to do to get ourselves right for Game 3,” point guard Russell Westbrook said, “we know it’s gonna be tough. They never give up they always keep fighting.”
Funny, with all the whining coming out of Mavs Camp I thought the Thunder were doing all the fighting. Did I say whining? Yes and there was more of it when Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle spoke to reporters at American Airlines Center Tuesday.
“There are things that are happening out there that can’t happen,” he said, “you can’t hit a guy in the face when he shoots a jump shot, intentional or not intentional that happened.”
Well, Serge Ibaka did go up to try and block a Dirk Nowitzki shot but instead of swatting the ball he missed and caught the Nowitzki in the face, didn’t seem like that big a deal. The a little later Dirk and Kendrick Perkins had their little dustup which has generated all kinds of attention.
SCOTT BROOKS
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Carlisle seems to think the NBA should step in and maybe suspend Perkins though replays clearly showed it was Nowitzki who started the action with a shove to Perk’s chest. Perkins tried to slap the big German away but unlike Serge, Perk didn’t actually connect.
Even so when Carlisle was asked if the league should hand down fines and or suspensions to anyone in a Thunder uniform Carlisle answered, “they’re going to see all that stuff in black & white in New York (NBA Headquarters) and they’ll decide whatever they’ll decide.”
More than likely that decision has already been made. A source with the Thunder said if the league was going to fine or suspend anyone it would have happened yesterday so teams would have had time to make adjustments in practice.
DEREK FISHER
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Thunder guard Derek Fisher has been in more of these physical playoff battles than anyone else on the court in this series and he disagrees with Carlisle’s assessment that what’s happening on the floor is, “dirty (expletive).”
“I don’t see any dirty plays happening on the court,” Fisher told reporters this afternoon, “I just see two teams trying to win a game and because of the familiarity of the two teams, it’s not a lot of fun to see the same guys out there.”
In fact Fisher says what’s happening with the Thunder and the Mavs is not unlike what happens nearly every day between guys wearing blue jerseys and white jerseys during Thunder practice sessions, “You know you get mad at each other and beat up on each other more than you do the opponent cuz you just get tired of seeing ‘em. So I don’t see anything or feel anything that’s not what you usually see in the playoffs. It’s supposed to be physical, it’s even supposed to be chippy at times. That’s how you know everybody cares about what we’re trying to do.”
And make no mistake, what the Thunder is trying to do is end this series in Dallas so when they return to Oklahoma City they won’t have to see the Mavericks again.
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/05/theres-lots-to-be-encouraged-about-from-the-thunders-good-start/
DPOY is pretty cool but it's really a dumb award because of how it's chosen. Monroe got a vote and the Pistons gave up 11.9 pts/100 more with him on the court. People don't understand the stats
@FREE_COLE Voting is an issue in pretty much every award process that uses it.
@Jooseppi It's just as good as coming up with a formula.
@ou_sas
Right, I agree with you but the stat heads throw out that he has the worst adjusted +/- in the NBA. The worst. See, to me, that's using a stat out of context because there are a lot of times he's completely useless but if the other team tries to get points out of the low post, he's very valuable.
@FF_pickups @ou_sas Serge blocked 9.8 percent of all two-point shots when he was on the floor this year (not a formula, counting). That's Manute Bol territory. And he did it with only 3.6 fouls a game. That's effective defense. He was great this year. But he has holes in other parts of his defensive game, particularly how often he falls for pump fakes. I"m not sure what that has to do with my question about formulas though.
@FF_pickups @Jooseppi I'd disagree with the characterization of worst players. Overpaid? Sure. Limited effectiveness against most players? Perhaps. But dude is fantastic against the old-school, true centers of the world. I'd also say that while he individually may not be a great player, he has a pretty decent defensive bbiq, and helped serge learn a lot about timing of rotations last year.
@ou_sas @Jooseppi
I mean, you would agree that Serge was a fantastic defender this year. Perhaps he was a victim of Scott Brooks and the rotations? He played a TON of minutes with Perkins who many argue is one of the worst players in the league.
@Jooseppi @FF_pickups I dunno. You could be a math major in disguise.
@FF_pickups Do you think I like formulas?
@FREE_COLE But yeah, it's dumb,
@FREE_COLE
Do you? How do you know that he's not in a rotation with weak players? I don't. I know that a starter who has weak defending starter could show up with a poor +/-
@FF_pickups @FREE_COLE Anybody that watched Monroe play this year knows that the stat just confirms what they saw. He's not a very mature defender yet.
@Jooseppi @FREE_COLE
I'm sorry if it seemed like I was defending the vote, I honestly have no idea, maybe it was stupid, probably it was a terrible vote.
@Jooseppi @FREE_COLE
I barely watched him play, I'm not defending the vote just I don't like a single stat to decide an argument. There has to be context with the stat.
@FREE_COLE
I'm just saying that we shouldn't just vote strictly based on that stat. It's not enough. You are influenced by teammates, situations and some variance.
Yeah I don't think there is a huge difference between perkins and cole. Both have limited skill sets but given that, atleticism, length, and youth win out
@FREE_COLE
Yeah, I think I was the one that called you crazy. I wasn't calling you crazy, I was just debating because sometimes I think things aren't cut and dried or they are closer than people think. You are probably right.
@FF_pickups I said that maybe with a week left before playoffs and I was called crazy simply due to limited sample size. Something about that bugged me cause we have a huge sample of perkins being mediocre
@FF_pickups I could totally see that.
@ou_sas
that was my point about the money. I looked at the roster and it'll be virtually impossible (unless I miscalculated which is possible) to keep both Serge and Perk. I'm predicting that we trade Perk at the deadline next season for some future picks or some expiring contract and put Cole in the starting lineup. I know I'm going out on a limb but I'm going on record, that's my prediction.
@FREE_COLE @FF_pickups I'd at least want him to get some experience against first team bigs before I threw him into the starting lineup for certain. Maybe play him backup first quarter of next season and if he's adjusting well, bump him up to starter. Play him like we pay Thabo, maybe.
@FREE_COLE
I don't think that that is crazy. I think Cole is better than Perk right now. I really do. Maybe I'm crazy.
@FF_pickups I truly believe he should be starting now. I know that's crazy to some but with perkins rebounding, and inability to get up some times, having someone who can provide crazy energy on D for a couple minutes to set the tone and then bring in Perk. I'd still probably play perk 25+ minutes and cole around 12 but setting that tone would be huge
@FF_pickups @FREE_COLE I think it will depend on (1)how we finish this postseason and (2)how much Harden & Serge take to resign. I will say he'll be a rotation player over Nazr by next year though.
@FREE_COLE I think Cole will be starting for us by next trade deadline.
@FREE_COLE @FF_pickups Very true. it was just a bit incongruous with your statement against fun. He embodies fun!
@ou_sas @FREE_COLE @FF_pickups The funnest thing ever!
@ou_sas @FF_pickups I mean how can you not love this guy :D
@FF_pickups And that as the supposed best player and more importantly the best big man who are huge on defense, that Monroe's numbers are THAT bad is pretty damning
@FREE_COLE @FF_pickups And yet you're the lead advocate of #freecole. :-)
@FF_pickups Oh I agree. I guess my main point was that I hate awards that really aren't based off something measurable. Basically I hate fun :P
@FREE_COLE
You are probably right. But this on court/off court stat could also be, is there someone who can fill your spot on the team? I mean, the Thunder don't have a back up small forward who can sniff Durant but if Westbrook goes to the bench, Harden is a VERY capable playmaker.
@FF_pickups I never said give it only on stats, or even this individual stat. But that is a pretty telling stat. All I was saying is that this stat paints him as a fairly awful defender
Also, I struggle with the idea that rotations matter to DPOY. A great defender will make defenses better, regardless of personnel around them. Garnett's communication for example.
I can already see dallas taking cheap shots when we are about to close them out in game 4 just like the lakers did to them last year
@ultimatesooner With what Artest already did this season, and all of the junk from last year's playoffs, I could see some incredibly stiff penalties if they do something egregious.
And good stuff from our sister blog, Welcome to Loud City, about Russ' shot attempts http://www.welcometoloudcity.com/2012/5/2/2992325/russell-westbrook-vs-mavericks-shot-selection-through-two-games
Hickory High's Anti-NBA Awards. Worth a read for a laugh. http://www.hickory-high.com/?p=3998
Now that the Lakers are up 2-0, am I wrong to root for them to sweep? They're not going to lose that series, and it would be nice to get two Artest-free games against them (though MWP will be getting off light if he gets to return to the court at home in Staples Center).
@EVDebs
We have to finish off dallas first which will be no small task.
Having said that, I want that f*ckers return to be in the Peake so we can throw batteries at him. (just kidding) but I do want his return to be here so we can make him feel like the P O S that he is.
@John64 @EVDebs im down to throw batteries
@EVDebs I was thinking too if Denver could somehow push it to 7 games, MWP would have a chance to get suspended/arrested in his game 7 return.
@ThunderChick2010 @EVDebs MWP and McGee? Sign me up! It'd be just like Dumb and Dumber!
@EVDebs Denver should win a game at home, and they're going to run LA's legs off. I like that series going as long as possible.
@EVDebs I don't think MWP is that important to the Laker's success. I'd root for us to sweep and their series to go 7 games instead. 3 more games of mileage and a week of rest/film/focus for us would give the best advantage IMO.
Is livefyre actually live for anybody? After we broke it during Game 2 I have to refresh to reload it, which I trained myself not to do all season.
@Jooseppi
I'm having the same problem. I like the old system much better. At least people would see your replies to their comments.
@John64 @Jooseppi I disagree. I find it much easier to follow discussions on Livefire's system, and this is the first time I've noticed anyone having major problems.
@ou_sas @ThunderChick2010 @John64 A friend of mine had the Power Ranger watch sound for text alerts for a while. Got me every time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk66tSt4ec4
@ThunderChick2010 @John64 @Jooseppi No, I'm even nerdier than that. I've got the R2-D2 Droid 2. With sound effects!
@ou_sas @John64 @Jooseppi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkce0YgqnrY
@John64 @Jooseppi I just remember in the old system, you'd blink twice and your conversation was two pages ago. That was frustrating. At least with this, you can follow where things are.
@ou_sas @Jooseppi
My mistake then. I just don't get why people like this new system. The same way I don't get why people like apple so much. I guess I'm just old school.
@John64 @Jooseppi No, I really don't. I'm a droid user all the way.
@ou_sas @Jooseppi
You probable like applle products too, don't you? :)
@John64 I like Livefyre better overall but the threading is certainly weird, for sure.
@Jooseppi It wasn't working yesterday for me, but has started working again today. *shrug*
@ou_sas I keep looking for a box to check for live updating or something but none to be found. Odd.Oh well.
@Jooseppi I really don't know. I haven't done anything different. It worked one day, then not the next, then now back to working again.
@Jooseppi Working for me.