Friday Bolts – 11.20.15
Marc Berman of the NY Post: “When the Thunder were at the Garden in January, an injured
Durant, dealing with foot issues, hung out on the court, mingling an hour before tipoff. Suddenly Anthony emerged. Durant’s face lit up and the two embraced and spoke animatedly on the court for 10 minutes — an unusual scene so close to game time. The Knicks weren’t a hot ticket for free agents last season coming off a 17-65 record and with a European project first-round pick named Kristaps Porzingis. With a 6-6 start and Porzingis looking to be a potential cornerstone player, the Knicks could be an attractive destination if Durant decides to leave Oklahoma City.”
Anthony Slater on Westbrook and Durant: “The pair has weathered plenty of media criticism over the years. Whether it’s Westbrook’s shot selection or Durant’s passiveness or a national critic prodding some part of their game or team, they’ve gotten used to the fault-finding. But there’s a narrative that’ll always irk Durant — that bubbling suspicion that the two don’t like each other just because the on-court pairing may not always fit.”
The Hall of Fame event last night was very neat.
George Willis of the NY Post: “That, in essence, is what this game is about and what this road trip is about. Are the Knicks any closer to being competitive against an elite team in the league? Have the Knicks grown close enough mentally and physically as a team to hold up to the kind of adversity that playing four games in six days on the road will bring? With games at Oklahoma City on Friday, Houston on Saturday, Miami on Monday and Orlando on Wednesday, the Knicks will have to add toughness to their talent.”
Russ fed more than 850 kids a Thanksgiving dinner.
John Klein of the Tulsa World: “All Kevin Durant did was move with the NBA’s Seattle franchise when it came to Oklahoma City. He didn’t have a choice. That’s what professional athletes do. But what Durant has done since he arrived in the state eight years ago has been nothing less than remarkable. Durant, NBA superstar with the Oklahoma City Thunder, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday night in Tulsa.”
