Friday Bolts – 3.22.13

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider compaes OKC to the 90-91 Bulls: “Technically, the Thunder’s combination of the league’s best offensive rating and a fourth-rated defense is more similar to the 1991-92 Bulls, but since we can’t repeat the comparison, let’s lean toward the narrative of a Chicago team that, like Oklahoma City, was trying to win its first championship. Structurally, both the Heat and Thunder are built in the rough image of the Bulls, with a star wing, another star perimeter player and a power forward as their third option. Of course, Chicago had nothing quite like Miami’s small lineups loaded with shooters. The Bulls were much more conventional, especially at center, which matches up better with Oklahoma City.”

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop: “The Thunder’s schedule is about to take a turn for the easy, and all this will be forgotten. But they did just lose to the Nuggets and Grizzlies, which counts as worrisome for a team that’s used to nothing but sunny news. Meanwhile, there has been some eye-opening ball-hoggery from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Against the Nuggets, the star duo combined for 44 field goal attempts and just 11 assists. Against the Grizzlies, it was 53 shots to a piddly six assists. Remember, their offense has long been at its best when the other players on the roster shoot more. Dean Oliver and Alok Pattani know this. I know this. I assume Scott Brooks know this. But until Durant and Westbrook know that victories are on the fingertips of open Serge Ibakas and Kevin Martins … that offense won’t be all it can be.”

Darnell Mayberry: “No matter how you slice it, it’s a sad state of affairs for a team that at this point of the season should be focused solely on sharpening minor aspects before the postseason begins. Instead, the Thunder’s expected desperation for a victory in Orlando will adequately depict the funk in which this team finds itself. Oklahoma City owns an attractive 50-19 record heading into its matchup with Orlando. But that mark belies an ugly truth. Since the All-Star break, the Thunder is just 11-5, with a handful of those victories strangely supplying as much frustration as some of the defeats. Also masked, but more discouraging, is how the Thunder has built its resume by feasting on bad teams. OKC is just 3-7 against San Antonio, Denver and Memphis, the three teams that join the Thunder with the top four records in the Western Conference. Not to mention the Thunder’s 0-2 mark against Miami this season.”

On the NCAA’s one-and-done.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com on the Spurs: “Allowing 1.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than last season, the Spurs are the sixth most improved defensive team in the league. And while five other teams have made bigger jumps, the Spurs’ improvement could ultimately be the most important, because they already had a championship-caliber offense and it was on the defensive end of the floor where they lost the final four games of last year’s Western Conference finals. In the regular season last year, 15 teams defended the Oklahoma City Thunder better than the Spurs, who allowed OKC to score 105.9 points per 100 possessions in their three regular season meetings and 110.4 in the playoffs. This year, only one team has defended the Thunder better.”

Something about Thunder business.

Ian Thompson of SI.com talked to scouts on the West: “Scout No. 2: ‘I could see Oklahoma City’s overtaking them, just because San Antonio has got Tony Parker out. It’s not going to be important to the Spurs — No. 1 or 2, they won’t care. I think Oklahoma City is still the favorite [in the West].’ Scout No. 3: ‘I would think that the Spurs would end up getting that No. 1 seed. I don’t know if they care as much as Oklahoma City cares, but the truth is it isn’t going to amount to anything anyway. Both teams have quality home courts and they’re tested on the road, so I don’t think will matter.’”