Friday Bolts – 4.18.14
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider: “This much is clear: Over the last three-and-a-half years, James and Durant have essentially crammed in an extra NBA season compared to the rest of the league. The burn-out factor is real, especially when you consider how much more work James and Durant had to absorb this season due to injuries suffered by their star teammates. For the first time since joining the Heat, James actually played the majority of his minutes without Wade on the court. Durant has carried a similar burden with Russell Westbrook undergoing three knee surgeries in an eight-month span. Durant played an NBA-high 3,122 minutes this season — 99 more minutes than the next-highest workload this season.”
Brian Windhorst in a 5-on-5 previewing Thunder-Grizz: “The score and time almost don’t matter. When you have Durant, anything is possible. Because of his incredible scoring ability and the difficulty even contesting his shots, leads are just not safe. He’s one of the handful of players in the league who can carry a team to a playoff series win.”
Checking back in on the KD-LeBron arms race.
Steve McPherson of HP on the playoffs: “But in the playoffs, your next opponent is the team that’s blowing you out RIGHT NOW. The guy who keeps elbowing you in the paint is the same guy who’s going to be guarding you the day after tomorrow. As appealing as the NCAA’s single-elimination tournament is from an entertainment perspective, it’s also a testament to how one game can go any which way, to how limited in-game adjustments can be. But game to game? A playoff series is a grind, a slog, a commitment. It’s taking a beautiful, mercurial thing and squeezing every last drop of blood from it. And I can’t wait.”
Ranking the playoff coaching staffs in who would win a pickup game.
J.A. Adande: “I’m not worried. Yeah, I saw how they barely squeaked out a win against the Pistons. I also saw how Kevin Durant refused to let them lose that game. This season has turned into Durant’s Neo-dodging-bullets-on-the-rooftop moment. It’s time to recognize him as The One. That makes picking a champion from this field a little easier. The vast majority of NBA championship teams for the past three decades have had a Most Valuable Player on their roster. Commissioner Adam Silver will be handing the Podoloff trophy to Durant within a couple of weeks, which will make the Thunder “eligible,” so to speak. You might be focusing on their wobbles. I’m still fixating on the defense they played against the Clippers when the Thunder celebrated the return of their full starting lineup with an impressive victory in Staples Center. They looked championship level. They’re ready.”
Darnell Mayberry: “Meanwhile, the additions of Lee and free agent acquisition Mike Miller — who surprisingly was the only Grizzlies player to appear in all 82 games this season — have given Memphis more perimeter shooting than it has had in recent years. Their presence makes perimeter defenders think twice of sagging too far to help on Gasol and Zach Randolph in the post. After a 15-19 start, the Grizzlies finished 35-13, securing their second consecutive 50-win season and returning back to the place they belonged, back in the playoffs. Where they’re seeded is all that’s strange now. But make no mistake, the Grizzlies are good. Real good. Far from your typical No. 7 seed.”
