Friday Bolts – 7.27.12
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com on the schedule: “As the clock ticked away on the Thunder’s season in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, something sparked in Kevin Durant’s eyes. His proximity to the Heat’s celebration a few yards down the sideline was unbearable. Durant was no longer interested in marshaling a troop of upstarts whose athleticism could challenge the most polished outfits in the league. At that moment, he graduated to a title-or-bust guy. That drive should propel the Thunder to a romp through their 2012-13 schedule. The Thunder won’t be adding a new piece, unlike the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan returned and the team won 72 games, but Oklahoma City has a chance for a prolific season during which they lose only two or three times a month. The crescendo will start building on Christmas afternoon when the Heat arrive.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com: “Fast-forwarding to Dec. 25, the highlight game on Christmas is the NBA Finals rematch of the Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami. But now that we’ve seen them play in June, the thought of seeing them in December isn’t as intriguing.”
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports with his top 10 games to watch: “Eliminated by the Heat in the NBA Finals, OKC makes its return to Miami on Christmas Day. Regular-season games don’t count for much, but will this be a preview of a Finals sequel?”
Kurt Helin of PBT with his: “While it ended in five games, this was a hard-fought finals last year (four of the games were very close). Both of the teams got a little better in the off-season, and we may have another NBA finals preview on our hands.”
The good, bad and ugly of the schedule.
Fran Blinbury with his can’t-miss games: “Thur., Feb. 14 — Heat at Thunder – Never mind the roses and the box of chocolates. Here’s a big, juicy one right on the kisser, compliments of the league’s power couple. Are these two teams sailing along with the best records in their respective conferences? Are LeBron and Durant battling it out for the MVP Award? Just be sure there will be no love lost when the Thunder get last season’s conquerors back in their embrace in Loud City.”
Andrew Unterberger of TBJ on his top 20 jerseys for next season: “Hasheem Thabeet: Admit it — you’re excited. Sure, he may never even play a meaningful minute in OKC, but even as a 12th man on that Thunder team, he’ll have endless comedic value, and that Thabeet jersey, with its endless implications of missed expectations, is gonna over brilliantly with the hoops-irony crowd. Don’t be surprised if you see a handful of these at Pitchfork Festival next year.”
Brian Hodges of the fashion blog Something Legit on Team USA’s style: “Don’t care what other people think (especially those with less fashion sense than you.) Westbrook’s motto for life is “why not?”. I think it’s fair to say that he lives out his motto with his style on and off the court. Westbrook is known for being beautifully reckless when’s he tearing it up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also wears some of the flashiest outfits when he’s not hoopin’. He made one continuous ‘eff you’ statement throughout the 2012 NBA Playoffs with his always showy, sometimes outrageous shirts. If you find something you like, even if you can’t figure out why you like it, rock it with confidence and people are sure to notice.”
Ethan Sherwood Strauss of HoopSpeak on KD and LeBron: “I’m curious about this motivation because these workouts do not look fun. There is squatting, sprinting, and situps. Broadcasted enjoyment can be contagious. We like to rent it from those we watch, laughing along with their laughter. These videos are different. The footage is so enjoyable because this is such joint-rubbering drudgery. LeBron James and Kevin Durant could be betting on camel polo from an invisible helicopter hovering over Dubai, and yet here they are, running windsprints. It’s almost like watching Brad Pitt at his breakfast table, mumbling the words of a fresh script to the mustard stain on his wrinkled shirt. We’re so used to hyped sports drama that drama’s prosaic prep work can amaze. It can even be more titillating than camel polo (but only if the camels aren’t on PEDs, or if they aren’t regional rivals).”
Trey Kerby of TBJ on the Opening Ceremony unis: “I mean, that’s the only logical explanation for this double breasted blazer, club collar dress shirt and rep tie look that is topped off with a beret, isn’t it? It feels like just looking at them for too long is going to get somebody pushed in to a fountain or have their lunch trays smacked out of their hands, spilling salisbury steak everywhere and making them look like idiots.”
