Friday Bolts – 3.11.11
Via Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Scott Brooks says Kendrick Perkins won’t make his debut tonight.
Scott Brooks talking last second sets: “If the score is tied and you run a pin-down play, who has the ball? If Russell has the ball, what happens if they switch out on the pin-down and deny Kevin the ball. So now that play is gone. Now everybody is in a bad position and it’s going to be a put your head down and try to make a play (situation) for Russell. So you try to set your team up so that everybody knows where they’re going to be so if it does break down at least you have some guys spaced out.”
Britt Robson of SI with power rankings: “A familiar problem — interior defense — finally caught up with the Thunder on Monday, as Memphis scored a whopping 68 points in the paint while ending OKC’s three-game winning streak 107-101. This followed Phoenix’s 54 paint points in the Thunder’s overtime victory the previous night. In both games, coach Scott Brooks opted to go small during crunch time, sitting center Nazr Mohammed for a lineup that frequently featured Durant at power forward as Serge Ibaka slid over to center. It’s a potent offensive unit because it brings James Harden, who has thrived since Green was traded, into the game alongside Durant and Westbrook, but it is hard to imagine the Thunder’s being successful with it against elite teams in the playoffs. Thus, the timetable for Perkins’ return from a knee injury is likely to have a major impact on OKC’s postseason prospects.”
John Kuester has a secret plan for the Thunder. Or something that just involves playing Rodney Stuckey and Tracy McGrady together.
Should the Sixers have fouled? CSN Philly: “Actually, if the Sixers had chosen to foul, Westbrook might have been the better choice. As Collins asserted postgame, trying to foul Durant could have put him at the line for three shots or, even worse, he gets fouled in the act of making the three, then setting up the dreaded four-point play. Fouling Westbrook as soon as he caught the ball, perhaps, would have made more sense, provided it was done before he attempted a shot.”
Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes that OKC’s time will come, but not this year: “Yes, when your two best players are still under 24, and your sixth man is still trying to figure it out, and your long-awaited big man still hasn’t put on a uniform yet, it’s tough to imagine OKC overcoming all that championship experience (and talent) in San Antonio and L.A. But. The Thunder will win a title some day. That’s another strong hunch, and it’s because of the way this team is being built, so carefully, so wisely, so cohesively. The deadline acquisition of Kendrick Perkins only confirmed that the Thunder and general manager Sam Presti, rather than assembling an All-Star team, are putting together a championship-contending team.”
