Friday Bolts – 12.9.16
Jon Hamm of Bleacher Report: “Some big men around the league might chafe at the idea of
doing all the dirty work so another teammate can reap the benefits. The standard NBA box score doesn’t indicate the number of successful box-outs, for example. That kind of thankless work can easily go unnoticed, but Adams doesn’t mind. He says the rest of the Thunder squad doesn’t, either.”
Erik Horne: “As Westbrook goes for his seventh consecutive triple-double, he’ll do so — according to the narrative — against his arch enemy. But Beverley, forever condemned to a deluge of boos at The Peake, has always been a competitor of a similar mold. Hungry. Unapologetic for who he is. Unrelenting in what he does.”
I love this, “I’m not taking anything away from Westbrook, but are his numbers inflated?” question.
Brett Dawson: “Roberson drew the assignment on Harden and played him as well as anyone has to this point in his MVP-caliber season. Harden had 13 points, 13 assists and six turnovers in the game. He’ll enter Friday’s rematch at The Peake averaging 28.5 points and 11.4 assists. Harden isn’t a one-man offense, nor is slowing him a one-man operation. Roberson defended Harden for the bulk of the game, but dealing with Houston’s court-spreading 3-point shooting attack is a team effort.”
I love Rick Carlisle’s coaching hack to get more timeouts.
Enes Kanter covering fans to support Kentucky.
Bill Reiter of CBSSports.com: “Westbrook’s utter toughness, like Kobe’s, and his to-hell-with-losing worldview that borders on mental illness has infected his team. No Durant? I won’t say no problem, because obviously it is one, but Westbrook has filled that void with his greatness and his will and an approach that has shaped and defined his team and made them so much better than many expected. What more could define a Most Valuable Player? That, and, damn, if you’re going to average a triple-double for a whole season it’ll be tough to argue against you.”
Billy Donovan is 11th in Matt Moore of CBSSports.com’s coach of the year rankings: “So, the Thunder are the fifth seed in the West after losing the second-best player in the league. They are top-fifteen in offense and defense the last three weeks and it’s not all Russell Westbrook. We might want to, you know, look at Billy Donovan every once in a while as a good coach.”
Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com ranks Sabonis 7th in rookies: “With his shooting continuing to improve, Sabonis is getting more and more comfortable as the season progresses. He made all five of his shots against the Wizards and has shot 42.9 percent from three in his last five games. Sabonis has quickly emerged as one of OKC’s best options from three and is second among all rookies in three-point percentage (43.4 percent).”
