Thunder finally turn it on against the Nets, 110-99
We can do a lot of analysis, a lot of sorting, a lot of parsing of stats, lineups and decisions.
But in the end, it’s a pretty simple thing here: The Oklahoma City Thunder with Kevin Durant are much, much, much, much better than the Oklahoma City Thunder without Kevin Durant.
Much better. Much.
Here’s a recent example: The Thunder led 83-76 after three quarters tonight against the Nets. The second unit started the fourth, and within four minutes, the game was tied 85-85. The Batmans signal went up and Durant and Russell Westbrook headed for the scoretable to check back in.
In a little less than two minutes, it was now 96-85, and the Thunder were headed for a cruise control kind of win over the Nets. It was an explosive 11-0 run that happened faster than you can say mustache.
Durant hit a 3. Then he set up Dion Waiters for one. Then he hit another one himself. Then Westbrook set Ibaka up for a layup. The Thunder scored 25 points in the final eight minutes, blowing apart the anxiety that was building through the first 40 minutes of the game. The lineup: Westbrook, Waiters, Morrow, Durant and Ibaka.
“We worked on some of that stuff and I give our guys a lot of credit because we haven’t had a chance to work a whole lot on it,” Donovan said. “We worked a little bit on it today at shootaround and they did a good job of absorbing the things that we wanted to run and wanted to do. I thought we were pretty efficient that last eight minutes offensively. I thought we had good high quality percentage shots.”
Durant finished his second game back with 30 on 11-18 plus six rebounds and five assists, roasting rookie Rondae-Hollis Jefferson with pretty ruthless shotmaking. And he apparently enjoyed doing it quite a lot.
“I seen fresh meat and I was ready to eat. And I was hungry,” Durant said. “He’s a really, really active defender though, I really like him. Long, athletic. But I seen something in his eyes that I could exploit.”
Westbrook? He went for a NBD 27 on 10-16 plus 13 assists and five rebounds, because that’s apparently that he just does now. Those two combined for more than half of the Thunder’s points, but it wasn’t in that overbearing sense, where it feels like it’s them or nothing for the team. It was all in the flow, all efficient and all done in a way that just happened, rather than being acutely necessary.
That’s the other thing: Look at the fourth quarter shots the Thunder got. Some of that — OK, a lot of that — has to do with playing the Nets. But there’s also some signs of growth, with the Thunder doing a lot less standing and a lot more working. They created the kind of shots you want to get in the fourth quarter — open 3s and shots at the rim — but did it off action, rather than Westbrook trying to just bulldoze his way to the paint trying to make something happen.
That’s three straight wins, pulling back to panic fears and seeming to settle the rippling current. They’re starting to look better and probably not coincidentally, Kevin Durant is playing again.
NOTES:
- How about that closing five? Westbrook, Waiters, Morrow, Durant and Ibaka. Lethal offensively, and pretty versatile defensively.
- Oh, so I see Kyle Singler has been washed from the rotation. How about that.
- Granted, I’ve missed the last few, but tonight was the first time I’ve really seen Billy Donovan actively complain about a call. He had a good reason to, though. Westbrook was pretty plainly hit on the arm trying a layup in the first quarter.
- Andre Roberson did a job on Joe Johnson. Not only did Johnson go 2-11, but he only got 11 shots. That’s one thing Roberson is getting pretty good at. He’s like a good cover corner. He doesn’t let you get open enough to shoot.
- How about that ATO the Thunder ran about midway through the third? Lots of action ending with Durant on a curl, to which he then hit a backcutting Westbrook for a dunk. It was pretty.
- I don’t know why, but I love Dion Waiters’ cutoff t-shirt thing he’s got going on.
- You guys see Steve Novak with the popped blazer collar? Is that a thing now?
- Waiters has a bit of the Mario Balotelli thing: Why always me? Why did it have to be him that slipped with the ball at the end of the third quarter?
- McGary, Kanter and Adams all broke out mustaches tonight. Adams was expectedly fantastic, McGary’s was just kind of there, but Enes “Bohemian Rhapsody” Kanter’s stole the show.
- Good (bad?) news: Kanter acted like his was here to stay for a while.
- The consensus in the Thunder locker room was Kanter looked like Borat. At least that’s what Adams and Durant said. Also: Kanter said they’re trying to get Ibaka to grow one. No word on why Nick Collison didn’t have one.
- McGary was singing so loud in the shower postgame that Kanter stopped his interview session to mention it.
- Those turnovers. 19 of them. Not awesome.
- Hey, the Nets had won three straight, you know.
- Big shouts to everyone that’s helped run things while I was out the last few days. Especially the lovely Mrs. DT. As it was revealed once again, she’s way funnier and a much better writer than me.
Next up: Home against the Pistons on Friday
