Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images
MIAMI — Amazing what a difference a series, and a few losses, make. After the Thunder’s Game 6 triumph over the Spurs, the Thunder seemed to validate so much, as well give Scott Brooks a proper coronation for a wonderfully managed series. It wasn’t just a matter of if he was getting that contract extension in Oklahoma City, it was a question as to how much it would cost to keep him.
Now, the table hasn’t just turned, it’s been flipped over with all four legs ripped off. Scott Brooks is the target, the one who is supposedly responsible for this Finals disappointment.
Why?
Because it’s easy.
When you have a team that is as talented as this Thunder squad is, and they lose? Well, it must be someone’s fault. Because there’s no way they’d do it on their own. And the coach is always the easiest target.
Not to say Brooks hasn’t made his errors. His substitutions have been erratic, he’s fallen in love too often with Derek Fisher, he doesn’t seem to share the same affinity for Nick Collison that I do, and in terms of pushing magical buttons in the same way he did against the Spurs, Brooks has struck out a few times.
But the question is, did Scott Brooks make James Harden go 4-20 the last two games? Because if he did, then yeah, it’s all his fault.
Perk certainly shined the spotlight square at Brooks following last night’s loss.
“I just don’t understand why we start out the first quarter the way we did, with the lineup that we had, and all of a sudden we change and adjust to what they had going on,” Perkins said after Game 4. “So they won the last three quarters, and that’s what happened.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
That sounds like a good old fashion call out. Perk was frustrated after the loss, maybe about getting only 18 minutes or maybe just about the whole thing. Whatever the case, naturally he backtracked Wednesday.
“No, that wasn’t what I was saying,” Perkins said. “I was just trying make it clear that at the time, he had a good adjustment what we was doing, but at the end of the day, when you’re in the flow of the game, or you’re in the heat of the battle, guys out there playing hard, a couple box outs here or a couple loose balls there and we end up winning the game.
“So at the end of the day, it wasn’t nothing directed at Coach Brooks or nothing to that nature,” he continued. “I’ll roll with Coach Brooks all day. So it wasn’t nothing directed at him or that nature.”
Brooks somehow escaped being asked directly about Perk’s comments, but did offer this: ”I don’t think the game comes down to who plays and who doesn’t play. It’s how we play.”
Obviously there’s some irony in the fact it was Perk who was in the middle of this when so many are convinced Perk is one of the problems Brooks has right now. At a certain point, a coach is limited to who his team is and what personnel he has. Brooks could be managing it all better, of course. How do we know this? Because the Thunder are down 3-1 in the series.
If he were pulling all the right strings, the Thunder would at least be 2-2. But that’s part of the whole team mentality. In the same way we rush to defend Harden, or Durant or Westbrook after a bonehead shot or foul, why don’t we give Brooks the same benefit? Like anyone else on the team, he’s a work in progress, part of the long-term plan. Or so one would think.
I’m not a big fan of the “Is [insert coach] being outcoached?” Because that often comes down to the simple fact of if his team is winning. Brooks “outcoached” Gregg Popovich because the Thunder won. Brooks “outcoached” Mike Brown because he had a much better and deeper team than the Lakers. Obviously a coach has some kind of impact on the game, but I don’t think Erik Spoelstra is pulling off some kind of incredible coaching wizardry while Brooks is twiddling his thumbs. Spoelstra’s getting 25 points from Mario Freaking Chalmers while James Harden is giving nothing.
Is it really that simple? Again, no. And I’m not trying to let Scotty off the hook entirely here. But when you’re looking for somewhere to point the finger, don’t always take the easy path out and direct it toward whoever is coaching. I realize, that’s life in sports. As the saying goes, you win, you’ve got great players. Lose, and it’s terrible coaching. It’s much easier to scapegoat a coach than a player, because the players are the ones who win you games. They’re the ones making plays. So you give them more grace. Hard to really getting pumped when Brooks sends Collison to the scorer’s table the same way you do when KD drills a massive clutch 3.
Is Brooks blowing the series? Hardly. Has he managed substitutions and matchups well the past three games? Hardly.
Is all he needs is a little three-game win streak to be back to being a coaching genius? Absolutely.
A few other notes and quotes from practice:
- James Harden showed up to talk to reporters wearing an ace bandage on his left hand. He was asked what the deal was and he said, “Just icing it.” I’m not normally one to roll eyes, but after two of the worst shooting nights we’ve ever seen from Harden, he conveniently shows up to talk to reporters with his shooting hand wrapped? Maybe it’s really hurt. Or maybe he wanted everyone to see it was hurt.
- Official word is a bruised left hand and he’ll play in Game 5.
- Westbrook talked about the foul at the end of the game more and took more responsibility for it. “For some odd reason, when the jump ball occurred, there was about maybe 0.4 seconds on the shot clock, and I was just thinking like it was 13 seconds left, so if they won the tip, then we were going to have to foul. But I forgot that you get five seconds once the jump ball occurred again, and I just forgot. Just a mental error on my part.”
- KD’s new media tactic: Turn a question back on the reporter. If he gets asked something he doesn’t especially like, he’ll say, “You think I wasn’t passing enough?” Or, “You think I didn’t play good?” I can’t tell if I like this or not.
- KD: “Everybody in the world knows our backs are against the wall right now. That’s all you guys write. But we’re down 3‑1. We’re down 3‑1 with a chance to try to take it back to Oklahoma City tomorrow. We can’t win three games in a row here in Miami. We can’t win the series by next game. We’ve got to take it a possession at a time, a game at a time and go from there. You know, tomorrow, of course, is a do or die, and we’ve got to come out and perform.”
- KD again: ”It’s all about keep competing until that last buzzer sounds, and that’s what we’re going to do. That’s the type of city we play for, a city that never gives up. That’s the type of team we are. We’re going to keep fighting, keep fighting, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.
- And KD again: ”We’re going to keep fighting to the end, and hopefully we can take this thing back to the crib.”
- I’d say the Thunder’s mood at practice was pretty upbeat. They know the situation. But they aren’t crying about it.
- Smoothie King update: Tried Banana Boat today. Not my favorite, but solid.
- Perk was very clearly uncomfortable talking to the media today and was picking his words wisely. He used the phrase “at the end of the day” at least 22 times. That’s how many I counted before I walked away.
I am just as freaked/heartsick/excited as the next fan about the Thunder, the players, the coach and this magical season. I have lived and died by every play, every no call, every mistake. I am doing all my voodoo to be sure they win tonight. BUT, if they don't, we have to remember we are just 4 years removed from the basement, we are in a place where all but 2 of all the NBA teams would love to be, we have an amazing group of YOUNG players who will only get better. So, at the end of the day (thanks Perk) I have to say Thanks Thunder for an incredible season and for making our city proud. Win tonight!!
I guess no one has eyes except me. NO one is saying what needs to be said... and that is "DEREK FISHER SUCKS AND HE IS KILLING US!!!"
@TheIceIsFake His lone 3nd quarter layup attempt getting blocked is the reason Lebron is doing whatever he wants against us, and why Mario Chalmers outplayed Perk, Ibaka, Harden combined. It's all Fisher's fault.
www.sonicsgate.com
@Sonics I bathe in your tears
If the Thunder win game five, what are their chances of taking this to seven?
All the thunder have to do is win tonight and they are almost perfect at home.
It hurts worse because the East is so weak! We should be representing the West better. It would be awesome if we could pull off three wins in a row and put a stamp on why the West is better
@OkcBaby I live in the East...and I agree. Really want OKC to take this one.
All this talk about LeBron has me laughing a bit, darn it he has been amazing in these past few games, but think back to before this series started after the SA series. Weren't the pundits saying the same thing about Durant. Greatest of all time, blah blah blah . . . now he seems to be an afterthought with the commentators. It's just sort of funny, and I would laugh more if I wasn't crying so much.
@geebee Prisoners of moment.
FYI: Westbrook is averaging a 29/7/7 in the Finals
@ThunderStruck2412
AND WE ARE DOWN 3-1. Its just more proof that scoring point guards simply do NOT win championships in the NBA. This fact has been poven over, and over and over, and over again. Yea all hoped Westbrook could be the excptin to the rule, but the fac is we are down 3 right no
The Thunder would be completely unstoppable if we had traded Westbrook for Rondo a guy who can a offense to near perfection.
There were several very key possessions the 4th quarter where Westbrok thought about passing the ball to Durant, and instead Wesbrook just hesitated, and hesitated, and hesitated til the shot clock ran down. At 6'10 with very long arms almost any other pg could have made those passes to Durant, but Westbrook ws just so afraid to make the passes that he just ran the shot clock down.
@MostJadedGamer
uh Rondo is a scoring point guard, so your point is moot. and our scoring point guard got us this far (along with his team mates) so again, your point is moot.
@MostJadedGamer
you might want to tell rond, he is not a scoring point guard, game 2 ECF 44 points, and Rondo IS Rondo and his team isn't in the finals, so again, your point is moot.
@ocdred
You mean got us to down 3-1 in the NBA Finals. So in fact he is provng my point about scoring pgs not winning NBA championships. That point is not moot, and is being proved right now.
@ocdred
Rondo is NOT a scoring pg he is a tradional passing pg,and he is the best in the business at running a offense.
@ThunderStruck2412 Last year the critism was somewhat valid. A little over the top at times. But this year Russ has been spectacular hands down.
@ThunderStruck2412 And yet he is still being heavily criticized and being given absolutely ZERO credit.
@C-Wil
He deserves to be heavily critcised see my post below. Westbrook is scared of making routine passes that just about any other pg in the NBA could make. Westbrook's pg skills are getting worse, and worse, and worse.
Also he is proving the fact that scoring pgs do NOT win championships in the NBA.
@C-Wil
Yeah, it's nonsense. The guy is ridiculous. I heard a 'Hot Button' video on ESPN.Com today where they had 3 guys saying that they would take Derrick Rose over him even with a torn acl.
1. Start Collison, his +/- against Haslem is horrible, but it's amazing against Bosh. Perk's +/- is great against Haslem
2. Kevin Durant should demand to guard LeBron. He didn't get in foul trouble guarding him in the half-court
3. Thabo should defend the point guards. He's much better at helping off of people and disrupting passing lanes than anyone else on the team. Can still guard Wade or James in spot duty.
@bballbystander KD should guard wade not lebron and get in foul trouble. Thabo on Lebron. Westbrook on Chalmers and deal with that. If Chalmers goes off like that on Russ then Miami deserves it.
@OkcBaby Here are how KD committed his fouls
Game 2:
Fouled Chris Bosh trying to stop a transition layup
Fouled Dwyane Wade after biting on a pump-fake
Offensive
*FoulFouled LeBron on a layup attempt
Committed a loose-ball foul against Udonis Haslem
Game 3:
Offensive Foul
Fouled LeBron James trying to stop a transition layup
*Fouled LeBron James coming off a screen
Fouled Dwyane Wade on a drive
Fouled LeBron James trying to prevent a transition dunk
Only two of those fouls were in the half court
@OkcBaby @bballbystander not completely true. Harden was absolutely terrible against Lebron
@OkcBaby @ThunderStruck2412 Right. Have Thabo guard LeBron AND Wade in spot duty. He's a better defender than Battier. Right now, KD pretty much didn't guard LeBron the whole fourth quarter of game 3 and all but a few minutes of game four. He needs to put in at least 30 minutes of work.
@bballbystander @ThunderStruck2412 I'll*
@bballbystander @ThunderStruck2412 Our take our best offensive guy over theirs. Lebron doesnt guard KD all the time. They let Battier carry that burden. We should do the same
@ThunderStruck2412 @OkcBaby He doesn't avoid him for all but seven minutes. I'm not attacking him. I'm on your side. He isn't the best defender, but he's the best equipped to defend LeBron. I've got the numbers in a chart if you click the link.
@bballbystander @OkcBaby What does it say? James doesn't guard Durant the whole game? It's called playing smart.
@bballbystander KD is not our best defender.
@OkcBaby I don't like what it says when the best player is avoiding defending the other best player at the same position. He has to do it. You can't play not to lose.
@bballbystander Lebron manhandles KD. Sef and Harden stand their ground better. And KD's offense wont be hindered trying to guard Bron
@OkcBaby Thabo isn't strong enough to guard LeBron http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9JLI7UI16Q&list=UUbb1NPUKnZm88X9TcfgUUpA&index=1&feature=plcp
Thunder are better when KD guards LeBron than when anyone else does in terms of plus minus.
I liked what Westbrook did on Wade. Why not use Thabo as a free safety like Miami does with Wade?
@OkcBaby Thabo is not stronger than KD. No chance. Harden maybe, but he's much shorter
@OkcBaby Here http://basketballbystander.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/if-youre-listening-oklahoma-thunder-i-want-to-help/
@bballbystander Thabo is stronger then KD. And KD's offense is sacrificed when he guards Lebron
@bballbystander Maybe even Harden on Chalmers and Russ on Battier
I don't know if it's because NBA basketball is relatively new to Oklahoma and they didn't follow it too closely, or care enough, prior to that, but there are some really rash and ill-informed opinions on here.
1) Scott Brooks is partly to blame. He can't control how his team shoots. That being said, the Thunder have had a chance to tie or take the lead in the last minute of each of the three losses and you can definitively point to moments in each game where Brooks blatantly messed up a rotation that bled points. I still don't know why he doesn't play Collison more and his talk about just effort and trying harder has become nauseating. Even still, he's a young coach who has gotten his team to this point. There is ZERO guarantee another coach could have done that. The players obviously are not tuned out and the important ones (KD and Russ) are definitely tuned in. I don't see any better solutions on the coaching market and we can only hope Brooks, if the Thunder loses, grows just as the players do.
2) Sonics fans grasping at straws. Ignore them.
3) Harden hasn't played well and the officials haven't been great, but at some point, and I know it's hard to do in today's culture, but you have to give credit to the other team. Miami's role players have played out of their minds and the team is anchored by the best player of his generation, a top five player of his generation, and a now underrated perennial all-star. They play incredible defense, and at some point you tip the cap. If the Thunder end up losing the series, the Heat were the better team no matter how many would have, could have, shove have's you throw out there. It might hurt. It might be painful. You might lie awake at night pondering all of the lost glory. But that's sports. Just know that when you throw out lines like "we have the better team" after a loss, you start to sound a whole lot like Spurs fans and Lakers fans after they lost to us. The Thunder's top 10 is vastly better then the Heat's...but that doesn't mean much when you're top 6 is pretty much a wash.
4) I understand why some people do not like Lebron. I get it. But to act like he isn't on pace to be a top ten player of all-time, based on absurd "mid-range jumper" arguments, is laughable at best and ignorant of, oh, every person who has devoted their careers to following professional basketball. His place will ultimately be determined by how many rings he wins, but based on his career numbers, projected numbers, and everything else: it's a guarantee he will be up there in the conversation.
@ThunderStruck2412
Lebron is a great player, which is why he doesn't need any preferrential whistles
@ThunderStruck2412
If the Heat win, then they are the champs, to the victors go the spoils but that doesn't change the fact that the Heat have gotten the whistle. If the whistle had been evenly split, we'll never know what would have happened. But don't pretend that they didn't get the whistle.
@ThunderStruck2412
http://articles.latimes.com/1989-07-07/sports/sp-3402_1_doug-collins
Enough said.
@FF_pickups Sorry, didn't even read the article. My bad. But to that point. The Bulls of 1989 had COMPLETELY different issues then these Thunder do. Jordan was COMPLETELY different then Durant, etc.
Who would you rather coach this team?
@ThunderStruck2412
that's what I said about PJ, Bleacher Report (take with a grain of salt) wrote a story implying that Phil Jackson wants to coach the Thunder. Like I said, it's bleacher report so....
@FF_pickups @ThunderStruck2412 You do know he's won 3 MVPs, had one of the best PER seasons ever (I know you love #'s so much), and is the first player to average like 30,10,5 a whole postseason since Oscar Robertson right? They win tonight he's arguably already top 10 all time.
@supreme35 "You don't even need a Duncan or Shaq. Just a team who is collectively good at protecting the paint"
^^This is right.
@ThunderStruck2412
"Actually, has anyone ever stopped Lebron in a playoffs series ASIDE from his disappearance in the finals last year?"
lol, you don't get to brush away his other 2 NBA finals or the losses to the Celtics. Believe it or not, those series counted. And look at the last 5 series that he's lost. They all had dominating paint controlling big men.
Tyson Chandler
Kevin Garnett
Dwight Howard
Kevin Garnett
Tim Duncan
You are just getting confused because the Thunder don't have a big man who can control the paint so you think he's unstoppable. Against MOST teams, LeBron is unstoppable. To be a top ten player, you have to be unstoppable against ALL teams, not MOST. MOST gets you top 15, which is what LeBrick is on pace to being.
@FF_pickups @ThunderStruck2412 You don't even need a Duncan or Shaq. Just a team who is collectively good at protecting the paint.. but alas Perkins.. thus that's not OKC.
@ThunderStruck2412 "What is overrated about him?"
People like you putting him in the top ten of all time. There is a way to defend him, that's the point I was making about his jumpshooting. Control the paint and he's not nearly good enough to win a championship. Fortunately for him, there are no Shaq's or Duncan in his prime's around right now but that doesn't change the fact that he's not a top ten player. He might be the best regular season player of all time but the playoffs is a different animal.
@FF_pickups What is overrated about him?
All I have to say about Lebron is... we'll see.
@FF_pickups I understand your argument, but you aren't understanding mine. Most people who dedicate their lives to following basketball, whether it be as former players or former coaches or analysts, think Lebron will end up being Top 10 all-time. There is actually ZERO reason based on the numbers he has put up why he wouldn't be, and his place will ultimately depend on rings.
Your two main points are completely subjective. Has anyone stopped Lebron in these playoffs? No. Actually, has anyone ever stopped Lebron in a playoffs series ASIDE from his disappearance in the finals last year? No. No one cares what about his mid-range jumper shooting percentage because shockingly you are allowed to take other shots on the floor and that results in something called FG% which Lebron has a career average of just about 50%, higher then Kevin Durant, a superior shooter. I
Second, your second point makes zero sense. Lebron is 27. A basketball player's prime is 28-32. He is an elite athlete who takes care of his body and is a physical freak. You act like he's just going to wash up in a few years. Jordan developed a low-post game once his athleticism started to fade. Basketball games can evolve. There is zero reason to think Lebron is just going to all of a sudden be over the hill one day...when he's 27.
@ThunderStruck2412
Just because a player isn't top ten of all time doesn't mean that I hate them. He's great but he's WAY over rated by stat heads.
@ThunderStruck2412
You are taking my argument out of context. I'm not saying that LeBron isn't great right now. I'm not saying that he's not the best player in the world right now. But our discussion isn't about how he compares with the players in the game RIGHT NOW, it's about his place in history, his legacy. I am making 2 points about why his legacy isn't top ten. One is a criticism of his game RIGHT NOW, the other is a projection about how his game will evolve over time.
1) His lack of a midrange game is a pretty decent size hole in his game that the other top ten players of all time didn't have.
2) I think he's going to hit an athleticism wall very soon and when he does, he's going to have a precipitous drop off in his game.
@FF_pickups Context. Look up the definition.
LOL. You really have no clue about basketball, buddy. Or are you that bitter because OKC will loose? :)
@FF_pickups I mean, I don't have to justify my opinion because it's supported by about 99% of the basketball world. Not to mention your reasoning is full of holes. I guess we shouldn't rank Shaq high because he was blessed with such size and freak athleticism. You realize Jordan wasn't a great shooter until later in his career? You realize players can get better and evolve their games? You realize Lebron is on pace to be the league's all-time leading scorer, is a world class passer, rebounds incredibly well, is one of the best defenders in the league, etc? Fixating on mid-range shooting percentage is just stupid. What's his actual shooting percentage? You sound like Skip Bayless.
@ThunderStruck2412
I just looked it up, he's actually 27, not 26.
@ThunderStruck2412
Did the Bulls fire Doug Collins? Was that a mistake?
@FF_pickups Why? Are they not in the Finals? Should we get rid of Harden too? Coaches have learning curves too. He's one of the best young coaches in the game. The players obviously are buying what he is selling. Did the Heat fire Spoelstra last year? Patience in society today is a lost commodity, that's for sure.
@ThunderStruck2412
"But to act like he isn't on pace to be a top ten player of all-time, based on absurd "mid-range jumper" arguments, is laughable at best and ignorant of, oh, every person who has devoted their careers to following professional basketball."
lol, He's definitely not on pace to be top 10. He's 26 and he wins because he's the most freakish athlete in the NBA. That's not going to last for much longer so he's going to have to get A LOT better at the skill part of his game which isn't elite. Why should we expect him to develop a midrange game? Because he's super athletic?? I doubt it. Sorry, he's going to go down as a fringe top 15 player unless he gets a midrange game.
@ThunderStruck2412 "Based on what? Just reputation or what the media has said? What exactly has JVG won? You really think the Triangle offense is suited for the Thunder? You really think Phil Jackson wants to live in OKC? Be realistic."
I said I didn't know the answer to the question then you rip apart my guess. LOL, I don't know the answer but that's my guess. It may be wrong but I am pretty certain that Brooks should be the Doug Collins of the Thunder.
@FF_pickups Based on what? Just reputation or what the media has said? What exactly has JVG won? You really think the Triangle offense is suited for the Thunder? You really think Phil Jackson wants to live in OKC? Be realistic.
@ThunderStruck2412
I'm not sure. That's not my job and I don't have nearly enough knowledge to answer that question. But if I had to guess, I would take JVG or Phil Jackson over Brooks.
@FF_pickups You post one article of one person's opinion and it's "enough said"? I could be here all day posting pieces that affirm what I wrote.
@FF_pickups You're ignoring context. The teams were nothing alike.
@ThunderStruck2412
The Bulls fired Doug Collins after he got them further in the playoffs 3 years in a row. I think in retropspect, it was the correct decision.