Monday Bolts – 1.5.15
Anthony Slater on his biggest concern: “Besides the deathtrap that is the Western Conference playoff minefield? I’d say the late-game offensive issues. As we’ve seen the past two games, Kevin Durant solves some of those woes. He’s often unguardable in one-on-one situations because of an unblockable jumper. And he’s a proven clutch performer, which is a problem for teams. But even with Durant, too often over the past few years, the Thunder fires up low-percentage, long-range contested looks in the crucial moments. It’s what got them in a nearly fatal 3-2 hole against Memphis last season and burned them in Game 4 against the Clippers. There’s such a little margin for error in the West. Playoff games will be tight. Either Durant’s gonna have to hit a ton of tough looks or Scott Brooks is gonna have to find a way to get OKC a few easy ones.”
John Schuhmann of NBA.com has OKC 11th: “There was no rust on Kevin Durant as he returned from a six-game absence to score 78 points on 25-for-41 shooting in wins over the Suns and Wizards. Russell Westbrook (19-for-59 in his last three games) is in a bit of a slump and the Thunder play 10 of their next 13 games on the road, but they’re 9-2 with Durant and have great handshake game.”
The Knicks are 5-31. That’s incredible.
Jonathan Abrams of Grantland on the Splash Brothers: “But regardless of whether West deems it proper to anoint the Warriors as a potential championship team, as long as they’ve got the best record in the NBA and continue to pull away from the field in a historically competitive Western Conference, fans and the media will keep Golden State high on the list of title contenders. And the pressure will be on Curry and Thompson to prove that they can be just as devastating in the postseason.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com writing beautifully about Stuart Scott: “He could smoothly follow a producer’s instructions through the earpiece and mentally prepare for the next segment while speaking on the current topic. Or he could call an audible and guide the conversation in a direction he thought best. And although he was known for bringing hip-hop vernacular to ESPN, he took pride in packing more information than anyone else into each highlight. Go back and watch the clips, only this time ignore the sayings and count the number of facts.”
Darnell Mayberry with a bold prediction: “The Thunder will finish as the seventh seed and still win the NBA championship despite not having homecourt advantage in any round of the playoffs. Bold enough? Before the season, I picked the Thunder over the Bulls in the NBA Finals and I’m still sticking with that regardless of the Thunder’s early-season hardships or, more importantly, growing concerns I have about OKC. But the Thunder, to me, is still the most talented team in the league and a team that can win anywhere at any time. For OKC to win a championship this year the Thunder will have to prove it is that team.”
