Thursday Bolts – 2.5.15
Berry Tramel: “So Brooks made the switch. Put the bulkier Adams and Perkins on Davis. Give up quickness for strength. Make Davis put the ball on the floor, if he wanted to take advantage of his superiority in the matchup. Make Davis think twice about posting up, against an excellent post defender (Perkins) and a young big man who is getting better at that valuable trait. It worked marvelously. Adams and Davis were on the court together for 24:02. During that span, Davis made six of 14 shots and scored 12 points, with five rebounds, one assist and his solitary blocked shot. Perkins and Davis were on the court together for 15:23. During that span, Davis made three of seven shots, five of six foul shots and scored 11 points, with three rebounds and one assist.”
Andrew Gilman of Fox Sports Southwest: “How much pressure Westbrook puts on himself, knowing his complementary pieces are essentially crumbling around him while Durant misses game after game, is a real concern. Westbrook has played without Durant before. He’s had to lead the team, but not into the unknown like this season where the Thunder have stumbled around. In the past, the playoffs weren’t in doubt. This season, it is. Perhaps Durant will be back Friday when the Thunder play the second half of a back-to-back against the Pelicans and he can carry some of the scoring and some of the burden. The team is saying Durant’s injury is day-to-day, but it appears to be borderline chronic. If Durant sits again, it will be up to Westbrook to gather enough energy to will the Thunder to another win. And up to Westbrook to make the playoffs.”
I loved this from Jason Concepcion of Grantland about Hero Ball. It applies a lot to the Thunder. Because if you think they’re the only team that gets isolated in big moments, well, then you don’t know your NBA history.
A website campaigning for Kevin Durant to re-sign in Oklahoma City.
Anthony Slater: “In his first Thunder start on Monday, Dion Waiters scored 24 points on a surprisingly efficient 9-of-15 shooting. On Wednesday, that efficiency regressed back to a more typical 6-of-14. But regardless of his shot-making dip, Waiters remained a vital part of the Thunder win. Moments before hitting an 8-foot jumper that essentially put the game away, Waiters made the biggest play of the game — swiping Tyreke Evans at the top of the key, corralling his second steal of the game and going coast-to-coast for the finish (Vine below). In all, he finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. But the most telling number: 33 minutes. In the past two games, Waiters has played 73 minutes, while Reggie Jackson has gone 2-of-11 shooting in his 39 minutes. If there was any question who was higher on the rotational totem pole or who Scott Brooks trusts more, the last two games should solve that.”
This from Ethan Strauss on the Warriors’ defense is great.
Darnell Mayberry: “Russell Westbrook sensed something in the air Wednesday morning. As the Thunder went through its final preparations for a pivotal showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans, Westbrook looked around at his teammates and realized that this shootaround was different than most. Finally, everyone seemed to be on the same page and ready to play with a sense of urgency knowing that the clock is ticking, the playoffs could be slipping away and these nagging injuries just might not go away.”
