Friday Bolts – 2010 Edition
Happy New Year and such and such.
ESPN is ranking the decade and KD was named to have the best college season of it: “I might have leaned toward Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin if he had hadn’t gotten hurt late in the season in a showdown at Texas. Instead, my best individual performance of the decade goes to the Longhorns’ Kevin Durant, who was the only freshman ever to be named national player of the year. Durant ended up averaging almost 27 points and 11 rebounds a game. Some of his performances were breathtaking, including a 25-point first half at KU’s Allen Fieldhouse.”
Nick Collison after the Thunder’s win: “We’ve been talented for a long time and now we’re finding a way to win even when we don’t play well.”
A little work in progress of the newest Daily Thunder shirt. It’s pretty rad.
I know, I know you don’t care about OU stuff, but I’d link this no matter what school it came from. Video of Tiny Gallon destroying the backboard.
Fran Blinebury has a resolution for each team: “Thunder: We resolve not to put the cart before the horse and get too caught up in ourselves right now as we steadily build something that can be special in the not-too-distant future.”
John Rhode on OKC’s chemistry: “The word “chemistry” can often become trite, but it unquestionably fits with this year’s Thunder. Future all-star Kevin Durant said chemistry “is the main reason why we’re doing better than last year at this point.” Makes you wonder what the Thunder’s record would be right now if the players couldn’t stand each another. If that were the case, it’s safe to assume nobody around here would be thinking playoffs.”
Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Trib on the game: “Even before the clock hit midnight, the Jazz had an early contender for their most agonizing loss of 2010, falling 87-86 to the Oklahoma City Thunder and seeing red on New Year’s Eve after a call in the closing seconds by a rookie referee. The Jazz thought they had come up with the stop they needed as Kevin Durant missed a jumper, but referee Kane Fitzgerald whistled Paul Millsap for a loose-ball foul going after the rebound, sending Nick Collison to the foul line with 4.5 seconds left.”
Empty the Bench looks at this year’s lottery class so far: “James Harden: His well-trimmed beard isn’t the only thing that’s made Harden an early fan favorite in Oklahoma City. This team has been quietly building up its perimeter depth over the past year or so, and though for now Harden is playing second fiddle to starter Thabo Sefolosha off the bench, his hustle, smarts, and willingness to do whatever is asked of him has entrenched him in Scott Brooks’ regular rotation. Though it may not be until next year, it’s only a matter of time before Harden slides into the starting lineup and sticks there. A future All-Star? Probably not, but has the look of a significant piece on a winning team.”
The latest All-Star ballot returns. Right now, Kevin Durant is fifth among Western forwards.
Not Thunder related but it must be mentioned: Gilbert Arenas and a teammate drew guns on each other in the locker room. Allegedly.
Power rankings from But The Game Is On: “Durant’s only flaw this season is the same as Kobe’s: three-point shooting. He shot an incredible 42% last season but he is down to 32% this year. Russell Westbrook is improving alongside of Durant. Russ has kept his scoring about the same and has increased his assist to turnover ratio. And I didn’t mention it when it happened but that Eric Maynor trade was an absolute steal. Maynor will now be the fifth piece in the Durant-Green-Westbrook-Harden core. Yeah, I think he’s that good. He’s a great decision maker and a great leader for a second unit. The Thunder are 5-0 with Maynor on the team. In those games, Maynor has 14 assists and just two turnovers.”
