Friday Bolts – 6.3.16
Berry Tramel: “The Thunder’s fourth-quarter troubles were well-documented during the
season. OKC consistently did not play well down the stretch of games. That mostly changed in the playoffs. But old habits are hard to break. It’s hard to stay on the wagon. Most improvements are not a total ascension. Some up, some down, a lot up, a little down. A little down got the Thunder at the worst possible time. Golden State is a legitimately great team. The Thunder was great, too, for this series. All but those five minutes that will haunt the Thunder no matter how many titles it eventually wins. When you get a chance to eliminate a team as great as the Warriors, you better take it. You’re not likely to get a second chance.”
James Herbert of CBSSports.com on Russ and Reggie: “It’s rare these days for former teammates to actually show animosity toward each other, and it’s kind of fun, isn’t it? Personally, I hope Jackson makes the All-Star Game next year, so he can go up against Westbrook on a bigger stage. We already know that Westbrook takes those games seriously.”
It’s so adorable that the Rockets think they have a shot at KD.
Kobe’s advice to KD: “Yeah, I mean, you know, you’ve just got to look at it holistically,” Bryant said. “What does he want out of his career, what opportunities present themselves, even I — when I was a free agent — I did my due diligence, I looked at every opportunity and I left no stone unturned, so you have to vet those things. I was just very fortunate things worked out for me in Los Angeles, but he certainly needs to look at every opportunity and make the right decision for himself — keeping in mind his fan base in Oklahoma, as well.”
Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com: “That has been a Curry talking point of late, the idea that his responsibility is to do his job, that he’s merely working in service of a great team. It’s a sentiment he validated by playing poorly Thursday (4-of-15, 11 points), as his team still managed to control the Cavs. It’s a sentiment that’s perhaps especially true in Oakland, where coach Steve Kerr’s bench tends to perform far better. Who were the stars Thursday? Shaun Livingston burned brightest, having suddenly reanimated from the deep carbonite freeze of the Oklahoma City series. Freed of the harrowing Thunder length, Livingston was brilliant, scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com: “If the Warriors go on to finish the Cavs after taking down the Thunder, who regressed to over-reliance on the inopportunely errant Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook down the stretch of the last two games, it might strike a blow to the notion of the top-heavy team. Yes, the Warriors have the league’s most valuable player. They also won four out of six playoff games without Curry. It’s tempting to call it five out of seven after he missed 11 of 15 shots and scored 11 points in Game 1.”