Happy Saturday. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Yo.
Remember this? That was a great game.
If something similar happens today, #dead.
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Three days off to sit and think about Game 2, or three days off to look forward to re-taking control of the series in Game 3.
Depends on how you look at this little break for the Thunder.
The series sits 1-1, which seems appropriate to me. The Grizzlies kind of feel like they should’ve won Game 1, the Thunder kind of feel like they should’ve won Game 2. Both teams have a good case to feel they should be up 2-0 in this series as it transitions to Memphis for a pivotal two games.
Obviously Memphis now has the upper hand with homecourt advantage, but it just means the Thunder have to win once at their place. It seems that split these two in Memphis is the key, though Scott Brooks said Friday before the team took off, that they aren’t thinking split. They’re thinking about one game. Keep Reading…
Rob Mahoney of SI.com: “But over the course of these playoffs — and the first two games against Memphis, in particular — most of Perkins’ hypothetical value has been negated. A series against the pace-pushing Rockets appeared to be a horrible fit for Perkins’ skill set from the start, but this second-round matchup with the Grizzlies looked to be one of the increasingly rare opportunities for the 28-year-old to ply his trade as an interior stopper. Facing Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, one of the most effective low-block combinations in the league, would seem to lend value to a player capable of grappling in the post and contesting shots around the rim.”
Zach Lowe of Grantland: “Look, Perkins has value. He’s a good post defender, a solid (illegal) screener, and he leads the league in scowling and complaining about very obvious fouls he just committed. He’s also a solid passer for a big man, and that has helped Ibaka nab some easy buckets over the last two seasons. But he’s a walking turnover who cannot do basic things on offense, such as: catching the ball, shifting his feet without traveling, and placing the ball into the basket. Collison isn’t Gasol, but he’s a heady passer, a brilliant dribble handoff partner for any competent perimeter player, a reliable jump-shooter, and capable of catching a defense off guard by faking one of those handoffs and driving to the rim.” Keep Reading…
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For the first time since his surgery, Russell Westbrook spoke with the media Thursday morning. Westbrook, who is known for his oft surly demeanor and cold attitude with the media, was especially charming and polite during the near 20-minute session.
Westbrook came hobbling in on crutches with a big brace/cast thing and struggled to get seated at the table. His attitude was incredibly uplifting, because as we all know with Russ, that dude wants to play and compete. But he’s either moving on, or he’s really good at putting on a happy face.
Obviously a wide range of topics covered, from what his rehab looks like, to what it’s been like for him to sit and watch, to what he wants to accomplish when he comes back and what the process he went through was.
After the jump, full audio and the full transcript of Westbrook’s availability: Keep Reading…
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop: “This season they looked untouchable much of the year, then things didn’t just to a little south with the loss of Russell Westbrook. They got up 1-0 in this series but to my eyes, looked nervous all along. Their swagger broke, and you have to wonder about history repeating itself. Now it’s 1-1. A couple of times, late in the close loss of Game 2, Kevin Durant quit on plays. Once he was not really fouled by Tony Allen, and fell to the floor in a bitter heap, complaining to the refs, as crunch time took off without him. In the closing seconds, the win still theoretically possible, he wanted an inbound pass but didn’t get it. Thabo Sefolosha rightly raced the floor with the ball in his hand and time of the essence. When Sefolosha was ready to pass to a shooter … Durant was barely over half-court and out of position. I feel like I can see the “not this again” movie playing in Durant’s head. He needs a Joakim Noah gator-blood transfusion to get his head right to bang out these next three wins. If Durant doesn’t believe that’s possible … it’s not.”
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com: “They’re not so much an underdog as an unknown quantity, and not just to the rest of the league or to a team like Memphis that’s trying to scout them, but I think even to themselves. There’s this period where you have to search for an identity. So I don’t think it’s so much as an underdog as we’re all trying to figure out who they are minus Westbrook, because it’s just not the same team.” Keep Reading…
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Oklahoma City still has a remarkable wealth of talent. That’s what makes this series so close. If the Thunder were at full strength, it might not even be much of a contest. But Westbrook is not with the Thunder on the floor. And as a result, Oklahoma City is going to have to out-work everyone they come across from here on out. But that’s Memphis’ strength, their identity, their motivation. And that situation is in large part why the series is 1-1 headed to Bluff City.”
Lee Jenkins of SI.com: “For 45 minutes, Chesapeake Energy Arena was Rucker Park writ large, Kevin Durant doing to the Memphis Grizzlies what he did to those poor saps in Harlem two Augusts ago: dribbling the ball unencumbered up the court, letting it fly, and back-pedaling as a delirious crowd writhed all around him. But this is the NBA playoffs, not the amateur summer league, and that’s the problem with Durant’s one-man show. It makes for great entertainment, but against these opponents and these defenses, it probably can’t last. Over 45 dizzying minutes, Durant was everything for the Thunder, their ball-handler and sniper, their rebounder and finisher. He scored 36 points and no one else on the roster cracked 20. He pulled down 11 rebounds and no one else topped six. He dished out nine assists and no one else even had half as many. If this sounds familiar, it’s because the Thunder box score was almost as imbalanced in Game 1 and they escaped, a testament to Durant’s all-around brilliance. But he cannot make every play, and without Russell Westbrook, that’s essentially what the Thunder is asking him to do.” Keep Reading…
Two minutes, 41 seconds left, and Kendrick Perkins puts the Thunder ahead, 90-89. Kevin Durant is cooking, Oklahoma City’s defense is swarming and after a white-knuckle back-and-forth affair, a 2-0 series lead finally appears to be within range.
Derek Fisher comes up with a steal on the Grizzlies’ next possession, 2:29 left. A big opportunity for the Thunder to put a little space between them and Memphis, to create a much, much-needed cushion. A scrambled possession results in a reckless Fisher fadeaway jumper, and apparently his deal with the devil expired, as it came up short for an airball.
The Grizzlies come back with a quality set, and Reggie Jackson gets caught helping just a beat too long, and Mike Conley makes OKC pay with a go-ahead 3, 92-90, 1:58 left. Timeout Thunder. Keep Reading…
Headlines
- VP Biden called Durant to thank him for donation
- KD named All-NBA first team, Westbrook second team
- Perk donates $25,000 to help build shelters in schools
- Report: Mo Cheeks to interview with the Pistons
- Thunder land the 12th pick in the 2013 draft
- Thunder donate $1 million to aid with disaster relief
- Kevin Durant donates $1 million to disaster relief
The Side Part: Bear fight and silk
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Baxter Will Always Be a Friend of the Bears and Durant’s In Space
We can talk later about the annoyances Game Two brought with it. My petty, undoubtedly obvious, undeniably childish opinions and observations on the semi-alternate universes that were Games 1 & 2 of the Western Conference Semis are coming. The treating the ball like it has leprosy. The block outs that are more like “Hey, come on in, friends. Let me get you an iced tea. You can stay in my room tonight. Here, let me hug you.” Kendrick Perkins catching the ball about as well as someone would if they had feet for hands and their feet happened to be asleep. The relentlessness of the Grizzlies on the offensive glass. All the turnovers. So. Many. Turnovers. We’ve got a series on our red clay stained hands now.
Bear fight, basically. We’re the Channel 4 News Team, and we’re in a bear fight.
First, though, Durant. Really, always. Always Durant. Silk, despite the Game Two loss, has elevated his game to levels so high he’s bounding around on Saturn. He’s an alien. Keep Reading…