Daily Thunder.com

Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com in a 5-on-5: “This feels like his year. With his improvement as a rebounder, defender and playmaker, Durant’s all-around game no longer pales in comparison to LeBron’s. Statistically, KD has been the most valuable player so far this season. Despite the threat of Chris Paul, the annual summer Durant MVP hype will finally translate into an actual trophy this spring.”

Rob Mahoney of SI.com says KD is winning MVP: “But Durant and the Thunder — despite a great start after the departure of Sixth Man Award winner James Harden — have been almost completely eclipsed by the Knicks’ shiny success, the Lakers-inspired schadenfreude and the Heat’s occasional malaise. Durant may have years of feel-good coverage working in his favor, but in the most impressive season of his career he’s been oddly under-covered. That quiet isn’t likely to last, but in today’s world of minute-to-minute reporting it’s almost refreshing to see Durant very quietly close the gap on three-time winner LeBron James to the point where he makes for a credible MVP choice.” Keep Reading…

Happy such and such to you and yours. Hope it’s awesome and whatnot.

Former Thunderer Lazar Hayward says he met a spirit: “I’ve actually touched into another piece of my life with some spiritual stuff,” Hayward said. “I’ve been going to see some mediums. I’ve seen two. They’ve both said the same thing. I’ve actually been able to see a spirit when I’ve been in one of the meetings. I can’t talk to them yet but I have seen them. … [Mediums] are people who can see and talk to spirits. I actually had a friend go there. They were able to speak to their brother who has been dead for about six years now. That’s exactly what a medium is.”

J.A. Adande of ESPN.com listed the Thunder as his second best moment of 2012: “The Thunder’s arrival in the NBA Finals. It was at once the culmination of a project that turned around a team that started in Oklahoma City by losing 16 of its first 17 games only four years earlier and the beginning of a constant in June. Of all the goofy getups Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant wore during the playoffs, the Western Conference championship caps were the best look.” Keep Reading…

Paul Flannery of SB Nation on KD and LeBron: “Kevin Durant, on the other hand is a freakish scorer and a ferocious competitor. Uniquely proportioned in his own right, Durant is en route to his first 40-50-90 season. Larry Bird did it three times in his late 20s and early 30s, while Steve Nash did it four times in his mid 30s. Durant is still just 24 years old and it’s worth remembering that while they arrived at the same time, Bird was three years older than Magic in their rookie seasons.”

Rob Mahoney of SI.com naming disappointing players: “Fair or not, Perkins is a disappointment by way of coach Scott Brooks, who insists on relying on Perk’s intangibles at the sake of his team’s actual performance. Brooks has grown more flexible and creative over the years, but Perkins is the vestige of his former coaching traditionalism that he can’t seem to shed. What’s worse: Opponents are getting better and better at exploiting Perkins’ presence on the floor, but OKC has stood by its chemistry and redundant big man. Perkins is good to have around for defending specific interior threats, but he’s a specialist who holds back the Thunder as a second big man. If he’s tabbed to play with four perimeter players, so be it. But Perkins lacks the ability to force opponents to defend him, limiting the explosive potential of some of the Thunder’s most-used lineups.” Keep Reading…