Daily Thunder.com

Sam Amick of SI.com polled NBA executives on the Finals: “The final tally, with three of the voters submitting only first-place votes: The defending champions in Miami received 15 first-place votes, one second-place vote and two third-place votes; their Finals foe, Oklahoma City, garnered two first-place votes, six second-place votes and eight third-place votes; and the Lakers, who have added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, got two first-place votes, nine second-place votes and six third-place votes. The Lakers may not be seen as the favorites to win it all, but the idea that they’re the top threat to the Heat is not only a topic of much discussion in the media but also clearly a very real sentiment in NBA circles.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on the poll: “When the Lakers first landed Howard, there was excitement, but also a move to consider how good Oklahoma City still is, and how they match up with the new-look L.A. after bouncing them in five games last year. But the more you look at the Lakers’ roster, and how good it looks, the more the feeling is established that the Lakers may have leap-frogged the Thunder. This poll is a reflection of that. It doesn’t mean anything, of course. “They still have to play the games” and all that. But that goes both way. Oklahoma City isn’t guaranteed to have the same success, nor the injury luck they’ve managed over the past two years. Things could just as easily go wrong for OKC as they could for the Lakers, or Miami. Basketball and its chemistry is a tenuous, delicate thing.” Keep Reading…

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on OKC’s offseason: “Re-signed Serge Ibaka on a bargain. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook got better. Drafted Perry Jones III on a steal late in the first-round. What else do you want? The NBA title? Well, that’s going to have to wait.”

Zach Lowe of SI.com on Kobe fitting in with the new Lakers: “But a lot of those plays, especially the isolation attacks, have a lower general efficiency than catch-and-shoot chances, shots off cuts and other spot-up looks. Even an efficient isolation player costs his team slices of points in the long run by overdoing the one-on-one stuff at the expense of better actions, particularly when the shot clock allows for those actions. Toss away enough slices, and you’re down 3-2 to Oklahoma City.” Keep Reading…

Beckley Mason of ESPN.com on OKC and markets: “Seems like this is a good time to reflect on the fact that Durant, he of “small market” stardom, is the basis of a movie at all and that the movie is named for a team in Oklahoma City. That team just extended Serge Ibaka and sounds ready to dive into the luxury tax to keep James Harden, another young star. Hardly sounds like the behavior of a small market franchise to me.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on KD’s talk on the Lakers: “Durant’s right that there are a multitude of ways for the Lakers to not be as good as they are “on paper.” Injuries, chemistry, Mike Brown’s approach, Kobe’s mentality, all of these things play a part. But the paper does matter, because the paper is determined by results. And the results say that the league is in trouble when the Lakers take the court. Of course, if we’re talking about not being able to get past a team, it could very well be the Lakers singing that tune at year’s end. Which is why this will be so much fun to watch.” Keep Reading…

KD to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports on the Lakers: “People outside, fans, media, of course they are going to say [the Lakers are the favorites] because on paper they have the best lineup in the league. But you still got to play the games. We respect everybody. We are going to go through the league respecting everybody as well. We already view ourselves as an elite team, but we have to prove it again. Last year is over with.”

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel with some reckless speculation: “Are the Magic looking to hook perhaps the NBA’s biggest fish four years from now? Yes, it’s difficult for fans to even digest how long a wait that might be. But wouldn’t the wait for Kevin Durant be worth it? Now the knee-jerk reaction might be this: Durant? Durant isn’t the kind of kid who would ever abandon Oklahoma City as a free agent (after the 2015-16 season.) He’s the leader of a great, young team now. And surely, the Thunder aren’t about to let him get away.” Keep Reading…

Dan Devine on Ibaka and Spain: “And so Ibaka’s role was clear, and clearly defined, to anyone paying attention — if the Gasols were healthy, he was going to play reserve minutes behind two firmly entrenched national team members who also happen to be better scorers, passers and all-around basketball players than he is at this stage in their respective careers. That’s not 20/20 hindsight; that’s the application of logic to a lineup. And before he goes off and does any more unfriendly gesticulating or post-practice-buffet-avoiding, Ibaka should apply some to upcoming iterations of the Spanish side.”

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com on KD’s MVP chances: “While it was nice to see Durant grab eight boards a game — he should always be around that number — he actually had a drop off on the offensive glass. Early in his career, he would get you an offensive rebound per game, but last season, he averaged a career-low 0.6 offensive boards. The decline was indicative of Durant’s decision to play outside more. I like him outside since he is such a great shooter, but he needs to be more aggressive in attacking the rim. Last season, he averaged just 7.6 free throws per game, his lowest average in three seasons. For Durant, who could very well lead the league in scoring for the fourth straight season, the MVP formula is to get more aggressive in the paint, both by driving and by rebounding, and to improve defensively. Leading OKC to the best record in the league will be a huge boost for his MVP chances as well.” Keep Reading…