Monday Bolts – 1.28.13

Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “I gotta challenge my old friend Ric Bucher on his Twitter suggestion earlier this week that LeBron James has to have the lead on Kevin Durant in the MVP race at the season’s midpoint because LeBron’s D is so much better. Buch is certainly entitled to cast his vote any way he wants, like the other 125-ish folks who are handed ballots at season’s end, but here’s my counter: If that’s standard, LeBron might as well be named MVP before the season starts, because he’s going to be the best two-way player in the league for years to come. MVP, to me, is the prize that goes to the guy who had the best season. And halfway through, if only fractionally, it’s Durant.”

Phillip Barnett of Forum Blue and Gold: “They benefited from a few missed calls from the refs (both Durant and Westbrook got clobbered on the head on field goal attempts), they shot an abysmal 55 percent from the free throw line and lucked out with Durant and Westbrook missing a lot of shots that they normally knocked down, but even with all of that, it was still a huge win and a well played game from the Lakers. The Lakers now have one more home game before they hit the road for their Grammy trip. New Orleans is up next with their first three road games coming against Phoenix, Minnesota and Detroit. This is definitely a win they can build on, and in a perfect world, they will.”

Perk tweets: “I hope my lil homie get well soon @RajonRondo. Im only a phone call away. Luv bro”

KD on if the Lakers are turning something around: “Who knows? And who really cares about them? It’s all about us. We’re focusing on us. They got a good win.”

Darnell Mayberry: “I would have liked to have seen Durant stay on Bryant in the home stretch. Kobe hit one jumper on Durant and had two assists while Durant checked him before Thabo returned. But maybe KD’s length could have had an impact on Kobe. Not only did Thabo not far any better (and maybe even worse), but the Thunder didn’t have any scorers to turn to after Brooks replaced Kevin Martin with Sefolosha. Westbrook and Durant couldn’t buy a bucket, combining to go 4-for-12 in the fourth, and no one else on the court for the Thunder was a threat.”

KD got referenced sort of on Saturday Night Live.

Russell Westbrook took his shirt game to another level yesterday.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLA: “The sellout crowd roared with approval, then stuck around a little longer than usual, as if the Lakers’ beleaguered fans weren’t quite sure what to make of this modest two-game winning streak just yet. Is this it? Is it safe to jump back on board with the Lakers again? Have they finally found something to build on? A direction? An identity? Or is this just another glimmer of false, frustrating hope?”

T.J. Simers of the LA Times: “The Lakers could be leaving Detroit next Sunday on a six-game winning streak, within two games of .500 and maybe D’Antoni showing signs of life. I wouldn’t want to miss that. “Time to hit that button,” said Kobe, who has found renewed hope in the team’s play the last two games after calling for changes. “I think we’ve found our identity.” Kobe went eight for 12, which sounds like the first half, and never attempted a three-pointer. I worry now I might find myself in the coming games urging Kobe to shoot more. Never saw that coming. But many of the players pointed to their gabfest in Memphis, leading to Sunday’s locker-room love fest after knocking off the team with the best record in the league.”

The alternative All-Star Game.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Bryant won’t be able to sustain his role as the facilitator, because doing so would be ignoring who he is — how he’s built. He who initiates D’Antoni’s offense has the control, and Bryant has seized it. It took him a while to find the pulse of this Lakers team, but now that he’s found it and placed his finger there, it’s not coming off.”

Kind of amazing: I could barely find anyone writing anything about the Thunder today after that game. Not that I’m surprised that it was all Laker talk, but even in the Laker-centric columns, there was barely a mention of the Thunder other than mentioning them as the team the Lakers beat.