Friday Bolts – 5.13.11
Holly MacKenzie of TBJ on Russell Westbrook: “In other words, I think we’ve been kind of unfair with respect to how we’ve criticized the play of Westbrook during this postseason. It’s easy to do and it makes sense if you’ve only watched a handful of Thunder games this season, or glance quickly at a stat sheet. As with everything else in life, the easy way isn’t always the right way. It’s not fair to Westbrook to paint him as problem child when dissecting Thunder losses, then forget about our arguments when discussing Thunder victories.”
John Hollinger of ESPN.com with his breakout playoff players: “In the Memphis series, Harden has proved particularly valuable as a ball handler. He has 21 assists in five games, including 17 in the three Oklahoma City wins, and although his jumper has betrayed him, his ability to get to the free throw line has provided a nice boost. Harden has made all 24 free throw attempts against Memphis and for the postseason has earned 48 trips on just 68 field goal attempts.”
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com previews tonight’s game: “The biggest factor that could hold Memphis back from extending this series could very well be playing time. Thunder stars Durant and Russell Westbrook played just 31 and 25 minutes respectively in Game 5, the perfect follow-up to the Game 4 triple-overtime marathon which saw both players log more than 50 minutes. At times in this series, Durant’s ability to get open and Westbrook’s decision-making have taken a hit late in games. They should be nice and fresh for crunch time on Friday night.”
Nate Robinson started a stir in Seattle by saying OKC has the best fans ever. And I enjoyed this piece by Kevin Pelton on the uproar: “More notably, I think the reaction in some quarters to Robinson’s tweet reflects an issue worth discussing. With Oklahoma City making a deep playoff run, it’s been impossible for Seattle fans to avoid the team. My brother, who until April had not seen a Thunder game since the move, is suddenly watching (and rooting for the Grizzlies). TNT is running graphics about the last time Oklahoma City advanced so far, which invariably came thousands of miles to the west with different colors and a different nickname. This is as painful for me as anyone. It’s difficult to think about how KeyArena would be equally raucous in support of a talented, exciting and hard-working team with bright young stars. Ultimately, though, it’s important for Seattlites to remember what we’re upset about here, and it’s not the presence of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s the absence of the Seattle SuperSonics. Despite the reminders, with each passing day the Thunder’s ties to Seattle diminish.”
Some lady is trying to make Ellen “Thunder Girl.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on Westbrook making second team over CP3: “The big surprise is Russell Westbrook, second team All-NBA point guard over Chris Paul. That’s just insanity. Westbrook was a force this season. He was blistering, hyper-aggressive, and carried nearly as much of the load as Kevin Durant while also playing the most difficult position in the league. But for him to have gotten the votes over CP3 is simply madness. Paul was the biggest reason for the Hornets’ return to the playoffs and at times, was the best point guard in the league (if you consider Derrick Rose to be beyond positional elements).”
