Wednesday Bolts – 10.1.14
Dan Feldman of PBT on KD’s killer instinct: “But if you do believe in the significance of crunch time, Durant led led the NBA last season in points during the last five minutes when the scoring margin was within five points. In 2012-13, he was second to Kobe. In 2011-12, he was first to Kobe’s second. Durant never claimed to be ahead of Kobe or Jordan in this department, just as that he’s on their level. And, yes, he and Kobe belong in the same range. I’d argue Jordan possessed a fierce “killer dog” within him, but there’s no shame in Durant falling short of Jordan. Durant’s ability to take over a game is nothing to be ashamed of. Not even close.”
Berry Tramel on Reggie Jackson: “Here’s the truth. Great sixth men do give up some status. They don’t get the adoration of pregame introductions. In some cases, a sixth man’s minutes aren’t as high as they could be. That’s called sacrifice. Everybody talks about it, few practice it. James Harden talked about it but decided to pass. Ginobili didn’t pass. The Spurs have established a culture of sacrifice, and the result is five NBA championships.”
Anthony Slater on Mitch McGary: “Kevin Durant takes a lot of shots. And he tends to make a lot of them. During games. During practice. After practice. On his own time. The four-time scoring champ has spent a lot of hours refining a shooting stroke that’s ascended to a level few humans have ever reached. So it’s no surprise that, when he returned to Oklahoma City this past weekend, Durant made his way to the gym to get some shots up. A normal instance in Thunderland. But awaiting Durant this time was his new and enthusiastic teammate, Mitch McGary, there to cheer him on with an infectious smile that never leaves his face.”
KD is getting in the glasses game too.
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com on OKC’s new offense: “The Thunder have incrementally increased their assist totals over the last three years. In 2011-12, they ranked last in the league in assist ratio (14.7), the number of assists a team averages per 100 possessions. That also happened to the be the lone season OKC advanced to the NBA Finals. That season it also had Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, another rare player capable of getting to the rim almost at will. The trade of Harden to Houston just prior to the 2012-13 season naturally forced changes that seemed unnatural for a team that had grown together the previous three seasons. In 2012-13, OKC ranked 23rd (16.7) and last year they ranked 15th, although their assist ratio didn’t change (Westbrook’s absence obviously also has to be figured into that). For reference, the Spurs led the league at 19.2 assists per 100 possessions.”
