Friday Bolts – 12.11.15
Kurt Helin of PBT: “Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook should be striking fear into the heart of
the league. There are still a lot of things Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to work out — from the spacing Andre Roberson is on the court to the inconsistent bench play of Dion Waiters, Enes Kanter, Anthony Morrow and others — but they have the ultimate trump cards: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. When those two are on the court together the Thunder outscore their opponents by 17.6 points per 100 possessions.”
Anthony Slater: “Billy Donovan arrived with a new offensive system. From Day 1, he’s preached better ball movement. Radical changes weren’t expected, but Donovan needed his bigs to catch, pass and swing with more fluidity. That’s never been among Ibaka’s strengths. For much of the first 20 games, he’s struggled to consistently produce. His scoring and rebounding numbers are down from last season. Which were down from the season before that. Just as he’s entering his supposed prime, his stats signal a decline.”
Kevin Durant remains an outrageously good iso player.
Berry Tramel: “Kevin Durant can shoot most anytime he wants to, and nobody credible will utter a discouraging word. Durant worked hard for that privilege. He earned it. But sometimes, Durant doesn’t have to shoot to impact a game. Same with Russell Westbrook, his long-time sidekick who also can create a shot, often a good one, upon demand. Which explains Thursday night, when Durant and Westbrook took the court and didn’t feast on the Hawks. Durant and Westbrook served the feast.”
My ESPN.com story on last night.
Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com on why the Warriors keep winning: “The Warriors are shooting a volcanic 43.7 percent from 3 this season, and it’s not all just Curry. What has helped them elude slumps so far is their superior ball movement. They make it a goal to get 30 assists in each game; while coming up short with an average of 28.9, they still have managed to lead the league in assists per possession. When the ball moves, it’s always finding someone in rhythm, to compensate for someone else’s off night. The passing is fueled by the defensive attention Curry brings, combined with the team’s advancing understanding of its offense. Coach Steve Kerr said that Year 2 would be when the offense took a leap. It was hard to fathom its improvement then, but here we are.”
