Friday Bolts – 2.1.13

Ben Golliver of SI.com: “Perhaps Gay could have held Durant in check, opened up the floor a bit and surely his teammates would have played harder and better if they weren’t so upset that he had been traded, right? Please, please allow some context to override that line of thinking. Three important reminders. One: Oklahoma City is an offensive juggernaut, ranking No. 1 in the league in offensive efficiency. Two: Oklahoma City is very difficult to beat at home, holding a 20-3 home record this season after posting a 26-7 home record last season and a 30-11 home record in 2010-11. That’s a 72 percent home winning percentage over the last two-plus seasons. Three: Oklahoma City is in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory, blowing out teams with remarkable frequency. Get this: 24 of Oklahoma City’s 35 wins this season have come by double-digits and eight have come by 20+ points. The Thunder pounded the Grizzlies by 17 points on Thursday, but that represented just their tenth largest margin of victory this season.”

Darnell Mayberry: “Westbrook lost his head midway through the third quarter and nearly sparked a chain reaction that caused the Thunder to lose a 26-point lead. I didn’t see all of what happened. All I know is he was whistled for a rare five-second call while backing down his man and then blew up. Apparently, he wanted Thabo Sefolosha to cut. Westbrook then let Sefolosha no about it in a not-so-kind way. Westbrook then called his own number on the next play and took a terrible shot. On the next dead ball, Scotty Brooks yanked him. And that was that.”

Zach Harper of CBSSports.com on KD: “You know what’s scary? Besides clowns, of course. What’s scary is Kevin Durant had an effortless 27-point, seven-rebound, six-assist night while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and being defended often by Tony Allen. And I didn’t walk away from the game thinking he was that impressive. It’s just kind of what he does now. Because he’s a human flamethrower.”

“If that’s what you say, bruh.”

More on Westbrook from me.

Berry Tramel on Aubrey McClendon: “Will Chesapeake’s sponsorship of the Thunder be reduced with McClendon gone? Not for awhile. The sponsorship contracts are long-term — with another 7-8 years remaining. And I would doubt Chesapeake’s history of community support would wither. It has a long and proud history. The company surely doesn’t want that reputation to die. And new Chesapeake chairman Archie Dunham is an Oklahoman who has talked about how important the company is to the city and the state. Dunham also stressed that Chesapeake is not for sale. The sale of Chesapeake would be disastrous news for OKC, much less the Thunder.”

KD is not 6-9. An investigation.

Tramel on Westbrook: “Kevin Durant defended Westbrook but also said the squad “talked it out” in the locker room and didn’t let it fester. That’s good. “Russell is such an emotional player,” Durant said. “I knew he’d be back. That’s how he is. We want everybody to be themselves.” That’s good. I like that. That’s the best advice the Thunder can receive. Quit trying to change Russell Westbrook. Don’t even defend him. Just accept him for who he is. The boy who can fly and never grows up.”

Westbrook’s outburst has caused these two to reverse their opinion on OKC winning a title.

Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop: “Russell Westbrook likes his basketball piping hot, and that often elevates his game. But leading by 25 points in the second half, Westbrook needs to know how to calculate the cost-benefit analysis of melting down over what he termed after the game “a miscommunication.” Let’s say for argument’s sake that Thabo Sefolosha hung Westbrook out to dry in the lane, or mistimed his cut which, as a consequence, brought a Memphis help defender to Westbrook as he tried to post up Jerryd Bayless. What possible good is derived from a tantrum? Perfectionism can be an admirable trait for a professional, but is there any part of Westbrook’s game that suggests he’s a perfectionist?”

Eric Freeman of BDL: “I suppose it can be argued that Westbrook’s immaturity will eventually become untenable, but he’s done enough dumb things in his career that it’s hard to imagine his relationship with his teammates and coaches becoming impossible. Because, while Westbrook can let his emotions get the better of him, he’s also startlingly effective as a basketball player. That’s a sort of maturity, as well, even if it’s not the emotional type. In short, the qualities that make Westbrook yell at a teammate and get upset on the bench are bad, but they aren’t keeping him from incandescent superstardom. He’s able to be both kinds of player at the same time, and the sooner we all acknowledge that the more we’ll be able to appreciate how great he is.”

Here’s the TNT crew discussing Westbrook’s incident.

From Elias: “Serge Ibaka blocked six shots in 26 minutes on the floor of the Thunder’s win over the Grizzlies. Over the last two seasons, Ibaka has recorded more than five blocks in less than 30 minutes 11 times. All other NBA players have combined for just 10 such games over that span.”

Tyler Parker of BallerBall on Scott Brooks’ hair:  “The commander in chief of one of the most global teams in the league has immovable hair that always looks pristine and you don’t have awareness enough to realize that? For shame. You could be paid, SSH. Paid heavy. Look at it up there. That’s that 90′s stuff. Spiked and perfectly out of place. Brooks’ hair is the opposite of the way Nick Collison plays basketball. Collison, forever in several places at once, covering ground, falling down to the floor to grab a loose ball or take a charge. Brooks’ hair, the newest immovable object in the league. Do the right thing, Short Sexy Hair. Handle your business and make Scott Brooks a part of it.”