Wednesday Bolts – 3.6.13

Zach Harper of CBSSports.com: “Earlier today, I went down the YouTube rabbit hole of watching full boxing matches of a young Mike Tyson. I watched his fifth professional fight when he pulverized John Alderson in two rounds. I watched him obliterate the existence of Michael Johnson 39 seconds into Tyson’s eighth professional fight. I relived Mark Young and Reggie Gross show the same fear and abandonment of their game plans as soon as Tyson came after them that we saw with Michael Spinks when Tyson defeated all three of them, unifying the heavyweight titles after the 91-second destruction of Spinks. Watching Durant and Westbrook operate against the Lakers Tuesday night, I couldn’t help but feel like I was reliving the same boxing clips I had watched with Tyson earlier in the day. The combination of Durant and Westbrook is the perfect balance of exquisite technique and an unstoppable power. The footwork of both players looks flawless, keeping them stabilized while they leave their defenders sliding out of position.”

Ben Golliver of SI.com: “Remember, protecting the basketball was arguably Oklahoma City’s biggest weakness: turnovers have been this team’s Achilles’ heel. The Thunder entered the game tied for fourth in the league with 930 turnovers on the season, trailing only the Rockets, Pistons and Warriors. Their 14.7 turnover percentage — that is, the number of turnovers they commit per 100 possessions — tied for last with the Rockets. That the Thunder possess the NBA’s second-best offensive efficiency while also being so loose with the ball is impressive and it speaks to the aggressive and relentless nature of their attack. What happens when the Thunder combine their scoring efficiency with total control? 71 points on 50 shots at halftime. That’s nearly inconceivable.”

Brett Polakoff of PBT: “Oklahoma City turned the ball over just twice against the Lakers in this one, tying the record for the lowest in the league over the last 27 years. According to the rock solid Basketball-Reference.com, only the Bucks in 2006 and the Cavaliers in 2009 matched the two-turnover feat that the Thunder were able to replicate on Tuesday. The thing about the Thunder and their low number of turnovers, however — at least when playing the Lakers — is that it seems to be relatively consistent. Nine turnovers in the January loss is still a very low number, so maybe, just maybe, OKC isn’t the best matchup for the Lakers defensively. OK, that’s obviously an understatement.”

Fascinating stuff on protecting the rim.

Trey Kerby of TBJ has a marketing idea for Westbrook and his love of dancing: “Not to mention, there’s a pretty obvious marketing opportunity here for Jordan Brand. Everyone thinks Kevin Durant is the nicest guy around, so Nike hit him with a “KD is Not Nice” campaign and now everyone thinks he’s a menace. So since everyone thinks Russell Westbrook never has any fun, maybe Jordan should go for a “Russell Westbrook Likes Having Fun” series of ads with him dancing or smiling or not hating anyone who isn’t on the Thunder. Just something to think about.”

I wrote the Daily Dime on Thunder-Lakers last night.

Berry Tramel: “The Thunder routed the Lakers 122-105 Tuesday night and showed that if the capable Lakers scratch their way into a playoff series against OKC, it’s going to be a short fortnight for the Purple and Gold. Purple and Old is more like it. The Lakers still can play, especially offense, but not for long stretches of time. The Lakers are part all-star roster, part old-timers roster. They just can’t keep up with the Thunder. There’s no substitute for young legs.”

A site telling the story of the guy who hit the halfcourt shot last night.

Two people got stabbed last night after the Thunder game.

ESPN Stats and Info: “Over the last 20 seasons, the NBA has disciplined 5 players for an incident involving another player’s “groin” area. A detailed search of the NBA disciplinary database reveals that 4 of those players were suspended.”

Darnell Mayberry: “Fisher does so many little things that you can see why any coach would be comfortable with throwing him out there. Even at 38. When the ball is on the opposite side, Fisher sags off Jodie Meeks and sandwiches Dwight Howard. When Westbrook needs some space from Kobe, Fisher flattens him with a screen. When Howard catches it deep in the paint, Fisher is there to strip it as soon as he turns toward the rim. All those little plays add up. But the question, especially if Fisher isn’t making shots, is whether those little things are frequent enough to continue to warrant 15 to 20 minutes? Especially when those minutes are coming at the expense of a more dynamic, if not impactful player. Stay tuned.”

TBJ breaking down last night’s game.

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN Insider: “This season, there are two players on pace to hit 20-WARP: James and Kevin Durant. That in itself puts the Heat and Thunder at the forefront of title contention. Not that that’s going out on a limb — they met in last season’s Finals after all. The small number of historically elite players isn’t unusual if you glance again at the chart, which shows that there is an average of around 2.5 20-WARP players in a typical season. In the cases of both Miami and Oklahoma City, however, the superstar is supported by an awfully good secondary player, which is what makes them both a tough proposition for playoff opponents. After a relatively sluggish start, Dwyane Wade has played at an elite level during the Heat’s current win streak and is on pace to hit about 14 WARP this season, ranking seventh in the league. Durant’s running mate, Russell Westbrook, ranks third in the league with a 16-WARP pace and has been gradually closing the gap between himself and the Thunder’s franchise player.”