Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com on clutch time: “Harden’s disappearance in crunch time is stunning. Harden, Durant and Russell Westbrook have shared the court for 134 minutes together in crunch time, but Harden, who is normally one of the Thunder’s go-to scorers, has barely gotten a shot off down the stretch. Remarkably, Harden has only taken 11 field goal attempts in clutch time this season compared to Durant’s 106 shots and Westbrook’s 78 shots. By only using 6.5 percent of the team’s possessions in crunch time, Harden essentially goes from being a third wheel to a spare tire.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on Russell Westbrook: “The question of whether Westbrook is a benefit or hindrance to Kevin Durant and the Thunder will continue to pester throughout the playoffs, and it shouldn’t. He’s an elite player in this league and his production helps the Thunder win. In the past week, Durant shot 46.8 percent from the field. Westbrook shot 46.2. That’s how close it is. Westbrook is no liability, he’s a legit star.” Keep Reading…
Thunder Player Power Rankings: Stretch run
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Four games in six days, three wins. Not all that bad, except the Thunder won the games they absolutely should, and lost a home game against the only good team.
It still feels like there’s a palpable level of anxiety circling the fanbase, but Oklahoma City has won four of five since dropping three straight. The Thunder’s last four losses have been to highly seeded playoff teams. And every game has been decided by two possessions or less.
The Thunder have absolutely been a bit inconsistent with their play since the All-Star break, with wins even leaving an odd taste in fans’ mouths. Plus the fact that they may potentially blow the No. 1 seed in the West is upsetting. But the reality is that it’s the stretch run of the season and OKC is technically in first place and definitely primed as one of the four likely contenders for an NBA title. Should we really all be that upset? Nervous, anxious, tense… yes. But this team is good. It’s just a question of if they’re good enough.
Now to the rankings: Keep Reading…