Monday Bolts – 11.4.13

Berry Tramel: “Seeing Westbrook throw himself at the basket warmed Loud City hearts. Also inspired Westbrook’s teammates. Despite continued horrid outside shooting (two of 18 on 3-pointers, both makes by Durant), the Thunder at least turned a little fearless itself. Reggie Jackson made five field goals; two on drives, one on a runner and two on layups. Jeremy Lamb made three field goals; two came on runners. Durant scored on two drives and got himself fouled enough to get 13 foul shots. And the ageless Derek Fisher scored nine points; seven came on drives in which he made in-traffic layups or was fouled. If you can’t swish ‘em, pound ‘em. The Thunder seemed to look at Westbrook and say, oh yeah, that’s how we’re supposed to play.”

Rob Mahoney of SI.com: “Westbrook and Reggie Jackson are the two best backcourt players at Brooks’ disposal, though neither is so credible a long-range shooting threat as to open up the floor and fully unlock the Thunder offense. That in itself isn’t lethal by any means, though it could necessitate a more concerted move toward small-ball lineups when those two guards share the court. Already we see Brooks leaning in that direction. Aside from the Thunder’s traditional starting lineup, the five-man unit in which Westbrook was used the most on Sunday saw him flanked by Jackson, Kevin Durant, Derek Fisher and Serge Ibaka. That group never saw the floor last season, and the base four of Westbrook, Jackson, Fisher, and Durant played together for only a single minute. Brooks is digging deep already to see what kinds of lineup arrangements might work best for this Thunder team — one that will need to sort out the departure of Kevin Martin just as it finished sorting out the departure of James Harden.”

Kurt Helin of PBT: “But what Thunder fans saw looked a lot more like the team they know and love than what they saw in the playoffs against the Grizzlies last season. Or what they saw the first couple games of this season. Thing is, the Thunder shooting still isn’t good, their sets remain a bit too predictable, their team effort inconsistent — yet with Westbrook and Kevin Durant (33 points) teams just cannot hang in. Too much talent. That’s how the Thunder win games. Westbrook was back looking like his old self, and when he shakes the rust off the rest of the West should be worried. Actually, they should start worrying now before the lines get long.”

Darnell Mayberry: “The Thunder’s continued trust in Serge Ibaka’s ability to defend 3-point shooters concerns me. Big time. It’s something that killed the Thunder in the Finals, and it could continue to do so this season if OKC sticks with it. Tonight, Channing Frye took advantage of Ibaka’s perimeter defense, scoring 10 first-quarter points and making two of four 3s. Even when Ibaka sat, the Thunder played Collison and Steven Adams together for a bit, sticking to a big lineup. I didn’t understand that.”

Perk tweeted and then deleted, “I’m sitting here thinking it might be time for a change.”

At CBSSports.com, I wrote about Westbrook’s return.

Bill Simmons on Countdown on Friday: “We have never seen a team not pay the tax and win the title. You have to do it. Those are how you get the extra two good guys on your team and what they did with that Harden trade, I think it was the worst trade in this century in basketball because they gave away somebody who was the best 2-guard in the league for a couple spare parts. And not just that, but now if I’m Durant and Westbrook, why am I going to stay here? I have all these other teams who will do anything they can to pay $90 or $100 million dollars. Look at what the Nets are doing. If you’re Durant, you’re going to stay here in this mom and pop organization? I don’t see it. I think he’s going to leave in three years. I do.”

League Pass Broadband isn’t the best.

Brian Phillips of Grantland on Perk: “Like almost everyone, including my boss and roughly every Thunder fan I know, I think OKC is crazy not to have already amnestied him. But that said: Wouldn’t it be cool if we were all wrong? I’m writing as a Thunder fan, obviously, but I’m also writing as a fan of basketball and weirdos. What if he offset his deteriorating defense by developing one single offensive move that worked? What if he downloaded some new footwork? What if he managed to score, I don’t know, seven points a game, up from four? Maybe improved his defensive positioning enough to bring his rebounding numbers up a bit? That’s not totally unthinkable, right? I’m not talking about an All-Star-type breakthrough, just a nudge back into “I guess it … kind of works” territory. He’s 28! He makes Dracula faces! There’s no one in the NBA who’s even remotely like him! Shouldn’t we all be rooting for this?”

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com: “But according to a source who was briefed on the process, Westbrook’s knee quickly responded to the treatment and the swelling that was bothering him and concerning the team quickly disappeared. In addition, the scope showed the meniscus Westbrook tore during the playoffs last season had totally healed, giving him the confidence that he’d be able to return to his normal self. Because of these factors, the second operation actually might have sped up his return. He ended up only missing two games and was there for the Thunder’s home opener.”