Friday Bolts – 4.1.16
Erik Horne: “So was the Thunder. Durant missed the pull-up 3, frustrated he didn’t get a
foul on the shot. Rivers replied with a 3-pointer and the Clippers went on a 16-2 run that saw the Thunder’s emotions get away from them, still fuming about the no-call on Durant’s attempt. Yet, the Thunder still clawed back with a fourth quarter fueled by Westbrook. The key plays, the extra possessions, saved the Thunder from an embarrassing loss and locked up the season series (3-1) against the Clippers.”
Kurt Helin of PBT: “They are not going to send the video of this one to the Hall of Fame, but for the Thunder a win is a win. Doc Rivers decided to rest every Clipper you can probably name outside of Jamal Crawford (he had 32 points), and in the end that makeshift Clippers lineup couldn’t stop Steven Adams from getting the game-winning tip-in by overpowering Clipper defenders.”
Brad Beal: “We bark too much. We say what we need to do. We scream at one another. We can even try to blame Witt if we want to but at the end of the day we still the ones playing. We still beat ourselves. We do dumb stuff on the floor like just not having a man in transition or not knowing where a guy is at half court or not knowing personnel. We just do dumb mental lapses that just mess up the game and end up hurting us in the long run. Everybody is a grown ass man, you either want to play or you don’t.”
My ESPN.com story from last night.
USA Today MVP rankings: “As for the rest of the candidates, the most movement from last week was in the fourth and fifth spots between Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who — thanks to two more triple-doubles from Westbrook—simply switched spots. For Kawhi Leonard and James, a neck-and-neck race for second place continues as they gear up to lead their teams deep into the postseason. Leonard missed three games with a bruised quad this week, so James has a slight lead in our voting for the second consecutive week.”
The Thunder reached out to Derek Fisher to join the coaching staff for the postseason.
Dan Feldman of PBT: “Would the Thunder have beaten Detroit with Durant and Ibaka? Probably. They’re the better team when at full strength. But the Pistons have played well lately, and they were at home. It’s not a lock. A certainty: Westbrook and Durant resent how Jackson left Oklahoma City. The Thunder were looking for a reason to be mad at Jackson, and he provided one with a celebration that would’ve been a non-issue against any other team. Was Jackson rubbing it in? Of course. This is is personal for him, too. But the Pistons are in a playoff race, and their wins are significant enough to celebrate. Mostly, I’m just glad this feud exists. It should make the next Thunder-Pistons game more fun.”
