Friday Bolts – 12.4.15
Anthony Slater: “The Thunder had both lead and possession with under a minute to play — a
situation that, far more often than not, results in a win in the NBA. But it didn’t on Thursday night. And it didn’t again for the Thunder, who fell 97-95 to the Heat, continuing a trend of faltering late in games. Eight times in the season’s first 19 games, the Thunder has lost. In six of those eight defeats, OKC has held a fourth quarter lead. In the seventh, in Chicago, the game was tied with under five minutes to play. In the eighth, a 3-point home loss to the Knicks, Russell Westbrook and Dion Waiters both missed a game-tying 3 in the final 10 seconds.”
Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald: “It felt a little like 2012, actually, in terms of atmosphere. No, there was no championship at stake between these teams, not this time. Only seven players, four on the Thunder side, and three on the Heat side, are even still around. But there was plenty of tension. That is typically true when Durant faces the Heat. Over the years, he has called Bosh a “fake tough guy” and questioned Wade’s place in the NBA’s elite. On Thursday, he got irritated when he felt Dragic had undercut him, as he streaked down the court, toward the baseline.”
Sekou Smith of NBA.com on Billy Donovan: “Donovan reputation preceded him in the Thunder locker room. With nine first-round Draft picks and enough former Florida stars in the league to fill out an entire NBA roster willing and ready to vouch for him, credibility was not a problem. That difficult transition that has devoured some college coaches trying to manage that transition does not appear to be an issue for Donovan. That’s not to say there haven’t been a few surprises here and there. The pace of the season, the travel grind and the fundamental differences in how you approach the job daily requires some adjusting, no matter who you are or how prepared you may feel you are.”
I wrote a thing yesterday about the Thunder with Durant that doesn’t look as good today after what happened last night.
Also, here’s a TrueHoopTV discussing stuff.
Ian Levy for The Cauldron: “The thing is, this new hyper-Westbrook focused offense has been spectacular. It’s still early in the season, but the Thunder’s offensive efficiency with both Durant and Westbrook on the floor is the best it’s ever been. Durant’s usage rate is the lowest it’s been since his second season in the league, but his true shooting percentage is a career-high. For years, Westbrook took flak for not deferring more to Durant. This evolution was foisted upon the Thunder by Durant’s injuries, but now it’s worth asking if the team would have been better off the past few seasons with Durant deferring more to Westbrook.”
Clinton Yates for the Washington Post on the Wizards doing a Melo deal and taking themselves out of the KD chase: “Who else are you going to get? After so many seasons of publicly carping for Durant, if he decides to stay home or go elsewhere, what are you left with? Harrison Barnes? DeMar Derozan? Things get thin — quickly. There basically is no Plan B. So, again, would you prefer the sure thing of landing Carmelo in a trade (presuming he waives his no-trade clause to play alongside Wall and Beal) or rolling the dice on Kevin Durant coming home with no assurances?”
Talked some Bedlam and stuff with the bros over at Pistols Firing.
